Kario Salem (born May 23, 1955) is an American television, film, stage actor and screenwriter.

Early life

Salem, who was born and raised in

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, is a 1973 graduate of

Agoura High School Agoura High School is a public high school in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Athletics and activities Agoura High School's athletic teams are nicknamed the Cha ...

Agoura, California Agoura () is an unincorporated community of Los Angeles County, which is located southeast of the city of Agoura Hills, California, adjacent to the city of Calabasas in Los Angeles County. Agoura was the historical name of the area, before much ...

Career

In 1997, Salem earned an Emmy Award as a writer for the television special '' Don King: Only in America'', which also earned him a PEN nomination. The film also won the Broadcast Film Critics Award and Peabody Award for Best Television Film of the year. He received a second Emmy nomination the following year for writing ''

The Rat Pack The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business frie ...

'', in addition to a second PEN nomination. He also won as Brad Stephens in ''Hawaii Five-O'' season 8 episode, "The Deadly Persuasion". In 1991, Salem won a Drama-Logue award for his performance in

Richard Greenberg Richard Greenberg (born February 22, 1958) is an American playwright and television writer known for his subversively humorous depictions of middle-class American life. He has had more than 25 plays premiere on and Off-Broadway in New York City ...

's ''The Extra Man'' at

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Direc ...

Theater, as well as a Boston Critics award for his performance as "Cousins" in George Bernard Shaw's ''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'' with

Cherry Jones Cherry Jones (born November 21, 1956) is an American actress known for her roles on screen and stage. She has received various accolades for her performances in television and theatre including three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, th ...

at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. Salem also co-starred on Broadway as "Scoop" in ''

The Heidi Chronicles ''The Heidi Chronicles'' is a 1988 play by Wendy Wasserstein. The play won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Production history A workshop production at Seattle Repertory Theatre was held in April 1988, directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, starr ...

'' with Mary McDonnel. In 1975, he starred as Mr. Applegate in the Valley Musical Theatre Institute production of ''Damn Yankees''. Also in the cast were

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...

and April Winchell, who were both 15 at the time. He has appeared in over 80 guest starring roles on television, including Francis Campion in ''Testimony of Two Men'' (1977), Marcel Pasquinel in ''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

'' (1978), and the ghost of a dead soldier in an Emmy Award-winning episode of ''M*A*S*H''. His film roles include the role of Jocko in '' Triumph of the Spirit'' (1989), the role of The Grand Inquistor in Ridley's Scott's '' 1492: Conquest of Paradise'' (1992), and the bleach blonde French gangster in Roger Avary's ''

Killing Zoe ''Killing Zoe'' is a 1993 crime film written and directed by Roger Avary and starring Eric Stoltz, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Julie Delpy. The story details a safe cracker named Zed who returns to France to aid an old friend in performing a doomed ...

'' (1993). Salem is also a composer and partner in the music company, "Matter Music", best known for its soundtracks for the films '' Riding Giants'' and ''

Wedding Crashers ''Wedding Crashers'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin, written by Steve Faber and Bob Fisher, starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken with Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper and Jane Seymou ...

''. In 2018, Salem was hired by Warner Bros./DC Films to write the screenplay for the comic-book movie based on Jack Kirby's '' New Gods'', directed by

Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...

. The movie was no longer moving forward by April 2021. Recently, Salem decided to revisit his passion for music. Known as K.O., personal support from

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, Juval Aviv, and many more has helped spread his music to the masses. K.O.'s music video ''Stand Down'', starring

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...

, won Best Music Video at the Toronto Shorts International Film Festival and has over 13 million views on Facebook and counting. He is represented by

Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salem, Kario 1955 births American male film actors American male screenwriters Primetime Emmy Award winners Juilliard School alumni Living people 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male writers Male actors from Los Angeles Screenwriters from California Writers from Los Angeles