D.J. Cotrona
Encyclopedia
Donald Joseph "D.J." Cotrona (born May 23, 1980) is an American
actor
.
. His father works for a recycling company and his mother is a teacher. He was studying to be a lawyer at Northeastern University in Boston
; however, after doing a summer internship at a law firm, he realized he did not like working with lawyers. In his sophomore year he switched to acting and during his spring break went to visit a friend in Los Angeles and never returned to college.
on the television series The O.C.
but that role went to Benjamin McKenzie
. Shortly thereafter Cotrona was cast as the male lead in another of Fox
's new dramas of 2003, the Jerry Bruckheimer
produced Skin
. Cotrona played Adam Roam, the son of the Los Angeles District Attorney. His character becomes involved with Jewel Goldman (Olivia Wilde
), whose father runs a pornography company. With their fathers' feud looming over them they pursue their "Romeo and Juliet
" relationship. Skin was cancelled after three episodes aired due to poor ratings and the controversial story lines. The eight episodes of the series were shown on SOAPnet
in 2005.
Cotrona appeared in the 2005
horror film Venom
, which was directed by Jim Gillespie
. He also starred in the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival
film Love is the Drug
.
In 2005 Cotrona again landed a lead role in a TV series, playing Sean Mathers, a flower shop worker with a dark past who is part of a group of lottery winners, in the NBC
series Windfall. The series would end up being shown in the summer of 2006 rather than as a mid-season replacement for the 2005-06 TV season.
Cotrona was cast in the role of Superman
for Warner Bros.
' planned film Justice League: Mortal; however, after issues resulting from the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
and other production concerns, the film remains unmade.
In 2010, Cotrona appeared in the film Dear John. In February he was cast as Detective John Stone in the ABC
pilot
187 Detroit, which also stars Michael Imperioli
, Shaun Majumder
, and Erin Cummings
among others. When ABC ordered the series it was renamed Detroit 1-8-7
. His character was killed in "Stone Cold", the sixteenth episode of the series. In June 2011, Cotrona is cast as the character Flint
in the sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Early life
Cotrona was born in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. His father works for a recycling company and his mother is a teacher. He was studying to be a lawyer at Northeastern University in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
; however, after doing a summer internship at a law firm, he realized he did not like working with lawyers. In his sophomore year he switched to acting and during his spring break went to visit a friend in Los Angeles and never returned to college.
Career
After a few guest starring roles Cotrona was being considered for the role of Ryan AtwoodRyan Atwood
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...
on the television series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
but that role went to Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...
. Shortly thereafter Cotrona was cast as the male lead in another of Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's new dramas of 2003, the Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
produced Skin
Skin (TV series)
Skin is a television serial drama which aired at 9:00 p.m. Monday on Fox in 2003. It followed the tale of two teenagers who came from feuding families on opposite sides of the moral and legal spectrum. Adam is the son of the Los Angeles District Attorney, and Jewel is the daughter of a pornographer...
. Cotrona played Adam Roam, the son of the Los Angeles District Attorney. His character becomes involved with Jewel Goldman (Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
), whose father runs a pornography company. With their fathers' feud looming over them they pursue their "Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
" relationship. Skin was cancelled after three episodes aired due to poor ratings and the controversial story lines. The eight episodes of the series were shown on SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
in 2005.
Cotrona appeared in the 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
horror film Venom
Venom (2005 film)
Venom is a 2005 American voodoo horror-of-demonic-film starring Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson, Laura Ramsey, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotrona and Method Man.-Plot:...
, which was directed by Jim Gillespie
Jim Gillespie
John William Linden "Jim" Gillespie was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played one game in right field for the Buffalo Bisons of the Players' League in . In that game, he had three at bats without a hit, and made three errors in four fielding chances.-Sources:...
. He also starred in the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival
Slamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
film Love is the Drug
Love is the Drug (2006 film)
Love is the Drug is a 2006 American drama produced by Box Office Productions and Alpine Pictures. Directed by Elliott Lester, it was filmed in Los Angeles, California. It was previewed at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2006 before being released theatrically on a limited basis in Seattle,...
.
In 2005 Cotrona again landed a lead role in a TV series, playing Sean Mathers, a flower shop worker with a dark past who is part of a group of lottery winners, in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series Windfall. The series would end up being shown in the summer of 2006 rather than as a mid-season replacement for the 2005-06 TV season.
Cotrona was cast in the role of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
' planned film Justice League: Mortal; however, after issues resulting from the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
and other production concerns, the film remains unmade.
In 2010, Cotrona appeared in the film Dear John. In February he was cast as Detective John Stone in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
187 Detroit, which also stars Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli
James Michael Imperioli , commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an American actor and television writer. He is perhaps best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. He also...
, Shaun Majumder
Shaun Majumder
-Life and career:Majumder was born in Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador to a European descended mother from Newfoundland and an Indian father. He started his entertainment career as an announcer for the YTV game show CLIPS, and soon was hosting the network's popular morning kids show Brain...
, and Erin Cummings
Erin Cummings
Erin Lynn Cummings is an American actress. She has appeared in the television shows Star Trek: Enterprise, Charmed, Dante's Cove, The Bold and the Beautiful, Cold Case, Dollhouse, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and Detroit 1-8-7....
among others. When ABC ordered the series it was renamed Detroit 1-8-7
Detroit 1-8-7
Detroit 1-8-7 is an American crime drama series about Detroit's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel...
. His character was killed in "Stone Cold", the sixteenth episode of the series. In June 2011, Cotrona is cast as the character Flint
Flint (G.I. Joe)
Flint is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series. He was originally created as a character for the Sunbow cartoon series in 1984, and later introduced into the comic book and produced as an action figure in 1985.-Profile:...
in the sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is an upcoming science fiction action film directed by Jon Chu. It is a sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.-Plot:...
.
Filmography
| Year | Movie/Show | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | G.I. Joe: Retaliation G.I. Joe: Retaliation G.I. Joe: Retaliation is an upcoming science fiction action film directed by Jon Chu. It is a sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.-Plot:... |
Flint Flint (G.I. Joe) Flint is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series. He was originally created as a character for the Sunbow cartoon series in 1984, and later introduced into the comic book and produced as an action figure in 1985.-Profile:... |
|
| 2010–2011 | Detroit 1-8-7 Detroit 1-8-7 Detroit 1-8-7 is an American crime drama series about Detroit's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel... |
John Stone | TV series, principal cast member, 17 episodes |
| 2010 | Dear John | Noodles | |
| 2006 | Love is the Drug Love is the Drug (2006 film) Love is the Drug is a 2006 American drama produced by Box Office Productions and Alpine Pictures. Directed by Elliott Lester, it was filmed in Los Angeles, California. It was previewed at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2006 before being released theatrically on a limited basis in Seattle,... |
Lucas Mitchell | |
| Windfall | Sean Mathers | TV series, principal cast member, 13 episodes (complete series) | |
| 2005 | Venom Venom (2005 film) Venom is a 2005 American voodoo horror-of-demonic-film starring Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson, Laura Ramsey, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotrona and Method Man.-Plot:... |
Sean | |
| 2004 | Hollywood Division | Pilot for Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
|
| 2003 2003 in television The year 2003 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2003.For the American TV schedule, see: 2003-04 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:... |
Skin Skin (TV series) Skin is a television serial drama which aired at 9:00 p.m. Monday on Fox in 2003. It followed the tale of two teenagers who came from feuding families on opposite sides of the moral and legal spectrum. Adam is the son of the Los Angeles District Attorney, and Jewel is the daughter of a pornographer... |
Adam Roam | TV series, main character, 8 episodes (complete series) |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Donovan Alvarez | TV series, 1 episode, "Grief" | |