Jerry Della Salla (born May 7, 1969) is an American stage and film actor.

Early years

Gerald Anthony Della Salla was born in

Livingston, New Jersey Livingston is a township in Essex County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 29,366, reflecting an increase of 1,975 (+7.2%) from the 27,391 counted in the 2000 Census. In 2019, the Population Estimates Prog ...

, and was raised in

East Hanover Township, New Jersey East Hanover Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 11,157, reflecting a decline of 236 (−2.1%) from the 11,393 counted in the 2000 Census, whic ...

."Jerry Della Salla"
, Jamie A. Hope. Accessed February 28, 2018. " amie Hope You used to live in New York, are you from there originally? erry Della Salla No, I’m from New Jersey. A little town, East Hanover. I’m second generation American." He studied with acting coach

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
''

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

's Tisch Drama Program. After graduation, he began performing in the New York theater scene, and in several Off-Broadway productions. During his early career, he shared the stage with actors such as

Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations. Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised ...

Peter Dinklage Peter Hayden Dinklage (; born June 11, 1969) is an American film, television and stage actor. He received international recognition for portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he ...

, and the late

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...

. In May of 1993, in a diner in the heart of Times Square NYC, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior and became a born again Christian. From 1994 to 1995, he served as a Bible study leader at a transitionary house in the Bronx that fostered paroled juveniles, and while serving under the Redeemer Presbyterian Church headed by famed Pastor Tim Keller. In 2002, he enlisted in the US Army as a response to the attacks on September 11, and deployed to Iraq as a Military Police Sergeant during Operation Iraqi Freedom 3. While on tour with his unit, the 306th Military Police Battalion, he would take part in securing their base against what was then the largest attack on any US installation. Known as the

Battle of Abu Ghraib The Battle of Abu Ghraib was a battle between Iraqi Mujahideen and United States forces at Abu Ghraib prison on April 2, 2005. Mujahideen linked to Al-Qaeda in Iraq launched a surprise attack on the American section of Abu Ghraib prison, kno ...

, it was an offensive that lasted over four hours. For his actions in service, Della Salla was awarded the distinguished

Combat Action Badge The Combat Action Badge (CAB) is a United States military award given to soldiers of the U.S. Army of any rank and who are not members of an infantry or special forces MOS, for being "present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, a ...

. He continues to serve as a military advisor and consultant for studio and independent film productions in Hollywood and New York.

Theater

Della Salla's first contract job was in 1995, being cast in the supporting role of Villebosse 'the Lover' in an Off-Broadway production of the

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an a ...

dark comedy '' The Rehearsal'', at the Beckett Theater. The play, headlined by veteran soap opera actress

Fiona Hutchison Fiona Hutchison (born 17 May 1960) is an American actress. She is known for her roles on the American soap operas '' One Life to Live'' and '' Guiding Light''. Personal life Hutchison was born in Miami, Florida, to British parents. She grew up i ...

, received a positive review from ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' theater critic

Clive Barnes Clive Alexander Barnes (13 May 1927 – 19 November 2008) was an English writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977, he was the dance and theater critic for ''The New York Times'', and, from 1978 until his death, '' The New York Post.'' Barnes had sig ...

. In 2001, Della Salla was part of the lead ensemble for the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' critically acclaimed Off-Broadway Showcase revival of the

Sophie Treadwell Sophie Anita Treadwell (October 3, 1885 – February 20, 1970) was an American playwright and journalist of the first half of the 20th century. She is best known for her play ''Machinal'' which is often included in drama anthologies as an examp ...

classic ''

Machinal ''Machinal'' is a 1928 play by American playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell, inspired by the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder. Its Broadway premiere, directed by Arthur Hopkins, is considered one of the highp ...

'', produced at the Ohio Theatre in Greenwich Village. In 2004, his performance as Piero in the Manhattan premiere of Charles L. Mee's drama ''

Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tri ...

'' was described as "strong" and "debonair" by Ragged Blade online. Della Salla made his Los Angeles stage debut in 2012, starring in a revival of the British farce '' What the Butler Saw'', as Sergeant Match, at the Odyssey Theater Ensemble. He was also featured in the

Pacific Resident Theatre Pacific Resident Theatre (PRT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre company located at 703 Venice Boulevard in Venice, California. It was founded as an actors cooperative in Venice's arts district in 1985 and is dedicated to producing both classic a ...

2013 production of

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's classic '' A View From the Bridge''. The company received nominations for Best Revival from the ''Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award'' and the '' LA Weekly''. In 2016 Della Salla created the dual roles of Mafia chief

Carlos Marcello Carlos Joseph Marcello (; born Calogero Minacore ; February 6, 1910 – March 3, 1993) was an Italian-American crime boss of the New Orleans crime family from 1947 until the late 1980s. Aside from his role in the American Mafia, he is also ...

and movie producer Jack Valenti in the

Blank Theatre Company The Blank Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company located in Los Angeles, California. History Founded in 1990 by current Artistic Director/Co-Artistic Producer Daniel Henning, The Blank's mission is to produce either premieres or "reinv ...

production of ''The Tragedy of JFK: as told by Wm. Shakespeare''. It was produced by company co-founder

Noah Wyle Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (; born June 4, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as John Carter in the television series '' ER'' (1994–2009), which earned him nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emm ...

, and was a ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' Critic's Pick and won several awards from '' broadwayworld.com''.

Television

In the late 1990s Della Salla began to work in television, playing guest spots on

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s including '' One Life to Live'' and ''

The Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

''. In 2002, he received the Columbia University School of the Arts Best Actor Award, for his comedic as well dramatic portrayal of small town cop Tom Sykousky, in the award-winning short film ''Broken''. The movie would go on to screen at several film festivals, including the

Woodstock Film Festival The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was launched in 2000 by filmmakers Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto with the goal to bring high quality independent film to the Hudson Valley region. The festival takes place each fa ...

and

Gen Art Film Festival Gen Art is an arts and entertainment organization that showcases emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. It has produced over 100 events annually, which included fashion shows, film premieres and screenings, live musi ...

, where it also won best short. The film eventually distributed to Brazilian television, under an agreement with HBO and their Independent division Hypnotic. That same year, he co-starred in the gritty New York drama ''Mourning Glory'', opposite a cast including Bill Sage,

Jon Abrahams Jon Avery Abrahams (born October 29, 1977) is an American actor. His most notable film roles include Bobby in ''Scary Movie'' (2000), Denny Byrnes in ''Meet the Parents'' (2000), and Dalton Chapman in the '' House of Wax'' (2005). Early life ...

and

Michael Irby Michael Clinton Irby (born November 16, 1972) is an American actor known for portraying Sergeant First Class Charles Grey in the CBS series ''The Unit'' (2006–2009), and more recently, for his work as Obispo 'Bishop' Losa in '' Mayans M.C.'' ...

. The film won several awards including Best Directorial Debut at the 2001 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, and a supporting actor nomination for Della Salla in the role of Rocco. In 2006 he co-starred in '' Personal Sergeant'', a made-for-TV movie that aired on the Hallmark's Family Channel starring famed character actor

Victor Argo Victor Argo (November 5, 1934 – April 7, 2004) was an American actor of Puerto Rican descent who usually played the part of a tough bad guy in his movies. He had a career span of forty years. He is best known for '' Mean Streets'' (1973), ...

. Currently he's the voice of Stripe the Bass, in the Allendale Christian Medias faith based cartoon: Tiny Ocean Tails.

Film

Della Salla's largest role to date was in 2010, co-starring as Met-D platoon sergeant Wilkins in

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

war epic ''

Green Zone The Green Zone ( ar, المنطقة الخضراء, translit=al-minṭaqah al-ḫaḍrā) is the most common name for the International Zone of Baghdad. It was a area in the Karkh district of central Baghdad, Iraq, that was the governmental ...

''. Playing opposite

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...

and directed by

Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras. His early film ' ...

, Della Salla cited his theater and recent military combat experience as being the overall advantage to his casting. Shortly after, he would co-star as Marine Lt. Marks in the 2013 TV One film '' A Christmas Blessing'', with

David Banner Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ba ...

Omari Hardwick Omari Latif Hardwick (born January 9, 1974) is an American actor known for his starring role as James "Ghost" St. Patrick, the protagonist of Starz's ''Power'' and his role as Vanderohe in Zack Snyder's ''Army of the Dead'' (2021). He is also kn ...

, and

Luenell Luenell Campbell (born March 12, 1959), known mononymously as Luenell, is an American comedian and actress. Career In the early-1990s, Luenell appeared regularly on ''Soul Beat TV'' on the Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city an ...

. The made for cable holiday movie was directed by

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, and was shot on location in Atlanta, Georgia and Santa Clarita, CA. It airs annually during the holiday season. In August 2018, Della Salla received a nomination for Best Actor for his lead performance in the short film ''Wireless'', which premiered at the 168 Film Project, a Christian film festival in Hollywood, screening at the

L.A. Live L.A. Live is an entertainment complex in the South Park District of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It is adjacent to the Crypto.com Arena and Los Angeles Convention Center. L.A. Live was developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), Wach ...

theater. A dark comedy, ''Wireless'' is Della Salla's story of mobster Tommy 'The Off' Dragna, who eventually comes to believe in Jesus Christ while struggling to perform a hit on a known informant. The film was recognized at the festival with a total of twelve nominations, and ultimately won two awards including Best Supporting Actress and Best 168 Film (Alumni Category). In 2023, his screenplay 'Miracle at Camp Redemption' became a Nominee for Best Script- Based on a True Story, at the prestigious International Christian Film and Music Festival of Orlando, and was a Winner for Best Screenplay at the Content Media Film Festival in Texas.

Filmography

*'' Quick Change'' as Airport Traveler (1990) *''When It's Over'' as Drug Investor One (1997) *''Advising Michael'' as Josh (1997) *'' One Life to Live'' as Rowen (3 episodes, 1997-1999) *'' Guiding Light'' as UPS man (3 episodes, 1997-1999) *''Blue Moon'' as Michelle's Date (2000) *''Mourning Glory'' as Rocco (2001) *''Act As If'' as Marc (2002) *''Broken'' as Officer Tom Sykousky (Short, 2002) *''Personal Sergeant'' as Paul Manetta (2006) *''The Entrepreneurs'' as Frank (2008) *''

'' as Wilkins (2010) *''Trooper'' as Keith Duffy (2010) *''The Barracks'' as SFC Reese (2011) *''A Christmas Blessing'' as Marine Lt. Marks (2013) *''For Love of a Fish'' as Joey (2014) *''The Tragedy of JFK: (as told by Wm. Shakespeare)'' as Carlos Marcello/ Jack Valenti (2017) *''Wireless'' as Tommy 'The Off' Dragna (Short, 2018) *''Gym Rat'' as Officer Davis (2022) *''Benny The Barnacle'' as Jersey Blowfish (2022) *''Tiny Ocean Tales'' as Stripe The Bass (3 episodes, 2022-2023) *''Blink'' as K Blooey Blowfish (2022)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Della Salla, Jerry 1969 births Living people American male stage actors American male film actors People from East Hanover, New Jersey Actors from Livingston, New Jersey Tisch School of the Arts alumni