Yani Gellman (born September 2, 1985) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

film and television actor, known for playing Paolo Valisari in ''

The Lizzie McGuire Movie ''The Lizzie McGuire Movie'' is a 2003 American teen comedy film directed by Jim Fall. The film serves as the finale of the Disney Channel television series of the same name, and was the first theatrical film based on a Disney Channel series. ...

'', Garrett Reynolds in ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

'' and Diego Flores in '' 90210.''

Early life

Gellman was born in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, to a

father and an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

mother. He is of Jewish

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

, English, and Spanish descent. He was named after a family friend, writer Jan Yoors. His father was a reporter, and the family frequently moved during Gellman's childhood, living in Australia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

before settling in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. Gellman speaks

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, having learned it during his time living in Spain. He has a university degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Career

Gellman's acting debut was in a 1998 episode of the television series, ''

Animorphs ''Animorphs'' is a science fantasy series of children's books written by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant, writing together under the name K. A. Applegate, and published by Scholastic. It is told in first person, with all ...

''. After appearing in several more television productions, he was cast in supporting roles in the 2000 film, '' Urban Legends: Final Cut'' and in 2001's ''

Jason X ''Jason X'' is a 2001 American science fiction slasher film directed by Jim Isaac, written by Todd Farmer and starring Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, Chuck Campbell, and Kane Hodder in his fourth and final cinematic appearance as Jason Voorhees. It is ...

''. In both films, his characters eventually became victims of

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

s. He appeared in 2002's ''

The Matthew Shepard Story ''The Matthew Shepard Story'' is a 2002 made-for-television film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, based on the true story of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay youth who was murdered in 1998. The film scenario written by John Wierick and Jacob Krue ...

'' as Pablo, the love interest of the title character. Gellman became known among teenage audiences after playing the part of Paolo Valisari, an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

pop singer and the main antagonist of 2003's ''

''. He has been cast in the Canadian series ''

Monster Warriors ''Monster Warriors'' is an original Canadian television series which aired on YTV in Canada and also on Jetix since April 2006 in the United Kingdom. It was created by Wilson Coneybeare and produced by Coneybeare Stories. The series concluded its ...

''. From 2008 to 2012 he played Rafe Torres in the long-running

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 ...

, ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, ...

''. Gellman has also appeared as a model in numerous print ads, including Omega watches. He made a cameo in ''

Degrassi Goes Hollywood ''Degrassi Goes Hollywood'' is a 2009 Canadian film adaptation of the popular, long-running teenage drama '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. The movie premiered in the United States on The N on 14 August 2009, and in Canada on CTV on 30 August 2 ...

'', as well as playing Pete in multiple episodes of "

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

". He has recently played the role of police officer, Garrett Reynolds in hit TV show ''

''. He has also starred as Diego in the hit TV show '' 90210''. In 2017, Gellman appeared in the underwater survival thriller film '' 47 Meters Down'' which was released in theaters on 16 June 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

References

External links

*
"The Young and the Sexless"
interview in ''

Out Magazine ''Out'' is an American LGBTQ news, fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any LGBTQ monthly publication in the United States. It presents itself in an editorial manner similar to '' Details'', ''Esquire' ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Gellman, Yani 1985 births Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian people of Australian descent Canadian people of English descent Canadian people of Jewish descent Canadian people of Russian descent Canadian people of Spanish descent Canadian political scientists Jewish Canadian male actors Living people Male actors from Toronto People from Miami