Jerry Charles Ferrara (born November 25, 1979) is an American actor known for his role as

Turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

on the HBO comedy series ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

'', and starred on the Starz drama series ''

Power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

'' as Joe Proctor.

Life and career

Ferrara was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City where he was raised in the

Bensonhurst Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22n ...

neighborhood. He is of Italian descent. He graduated from

New Utrecht High School New Utrecht High School is a public high school located in Bensonhurst, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education under District 20, and serves students of grades 9 to 12. It is one of ...

. Ferrara began studying theater in college, where he was inspired by a teacher to pursue a career in acting. An agent he met at a talent showcase encouraged him to move to Los Angeles, where he quickly landed his first role on ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, a total of nine seasons and 207 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who also served as the show ...

''. Other television parts soon followed. Jerry was then cast in the independent feature ''Cross Bronx'', which premiered at the 2004

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

. In an interview about his breakout role on ''Entourage'', Ferrara revealed that when he told his friends he had landed a major part in a television pilot, they asked, "How about you get a dog who becomes your best friend and you name him Awnold??" Kevin Connolly has said of his ''Entourage'' co-star that "Jerry's very domesticated. He's probably the most different from his character. He's like 180 degrees in the opposite direction." Ferrara once made an appearance in character as Turtle for a

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

commercial. His dialogue was mixed with a clip from an ''Entourage'' episode for humorous effect. Ferrara is also co-founder of Fat Sal's deli in

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

. In 2010, Ferrara dropped weight and lost 60 pounds with a new outlook on health and fitness. Ferrara is a diehard

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, New York Knicks, and New York Giants fan, a topic referenced in several episodes of ''Entourage''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links