Nico Tortorella
Nico Tortorella (born July 30, 1988) is an American actor and model, known for screen roles including Scream 4, the Fox crime drama series The Following (2013–2015), and the TV Land comedy-drama series Younger (2015–2021). They[a] also played Felix Carlucci on the AMC series The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020–2021).
Life and career
Tortorella is a native of Wilmette, Illinois, and a graduate of New Trier High School. They are of Italian descent.[4] In May 2009, The CW ordered a 13-episode first season of the drama series The Beautiful Life: TBL.[5] The series centered on a group of models sharing a residence in New York City and Tortorella portrayed the role of an up-and-coming underwear model Cole Shepard. The series premiered on September 16, 2009, to mixed reviews from critics. The CW cancelled the series after its second episode due to low ratings.[6]
In June 2009, Tortorella was announced to star in the ABC Family teen drama television series Make It or Break It,[7] where they took on the role of Razor, an aspiring singer. Tortorella temporarily left the series to pursue work on The Beautiful Life and, after that series' cancellation, returned to Make It or Break It in a recurring role. In August 2010, Tortorella made a special guest appearance in the episode "If Only..." which marked their final appearance on the series. That year, Tortorella also had a small role in the Joel Schumacher film Twelve.[8]
In June 2010, Tortorella was announced to star in the horror film Scream 4, the fourth installment of the Scream film series.[9] They portrayed Trevor Sheldon, a Woodsboro teenager whose life is in danger when school peers are killed off one by one.[10] Tortorella next appeared on the Fox serial killer drama The Following. The show was created by Kevin Williamson, who also wrote Scream 4. In 2014, Tortorella was cast as Josh, Sutton Foster's character Liza's younger lover in the TV Land comedy-drama Younger, created by Darren Star.[11] Their first leading film role was in the 2015 independent film Hunter&Game, in which they played hard-partying electronic musician Carson Lowe, which they described as a "role I was meant to play."[12] The film premiered at the LA Indie Film Fest in October 2014, where it won Best Feature and Best Director of a Feature Awards. The film had its East Coast premiere at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival in May 2015, where it won the Best Feature award.
Tortorella launched The Love Bomb podcast on the At Will Radio network in September 2016.[13] Tortorella and Matteo Lane were featured on the Nancy podcast on May 1, 2018.[14] Tortorella competed on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race in April 2020.[15]
Personal life
Tortorella uses they/them pronouns[2][3] and identifies as bisexual,[16] demisexual,[17] and gender fluid.[18]
Tortorella and Bethany C. Meyers dated over a decade before the revelation of their polyamorous relationship created divisions with their respective families.[19] Tortorella and Myers civilly married March 9, 2018, at a Manhattan City clerk's office before exchanging vows at St. Paul's Chapel.[20] The couple have a daughter, born in 2023.[21]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Twelve | Tobias | |
2011 | Scream 4 | Trevor Sheldon | |
Trespass | Jake | ||
2013 | Odd Thomas | Simon Varner | |
2014 | Hunter&Game | Carson Lowe | |
2019 | Fluidity | Matt | |
2023 | The Mattachine Family | Thomas |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | The Beautiful Life | Cole Shepherd | Main role |
2009–2010 | Make It or Break It | Razor | Recurring role |
2013 | The Following | Jacob Wells | Main role (season 1) |
2015–2021 | Younger | Josh | Main role |
2016 | Mamma Dallas | Jesse | Television film |
2017 | Menendez: Blood Brothers | Lyle Menéndez | Television film |
2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Themself | Episode: "Tap That App"; also guest judge [22] |
Trailblazer Honors | Television film | ||
2018–2019 | How Far Is Tattoo Far? | Themself | Host[23] |
2019 | Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club | Themself | Guest |
2020 | RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race | Themself | Competitor |
Legendary | Themself | Guest judge, episode: "Wild Wild West" | |
2020–2021 | The Walking Dead: World Beyond | Felix Carlucci | Main role |
2021 | Cribs | Themself | Guest |
2023 | City on Fire | William | Main role |
Music videos
Year | Title | Role | Artist |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | "Valentine's for One" | Kissing man | Forklift Comedy |
Note
- ^ Tortorella uses they/them pronouns.[2][3]
References
- ^ "@nicotortorella on Instagram: "just married. for real. @bethanycmeyers and i wrote a very special piece about our wedding and unconditional love exclusively for @them -..."". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ a b Petter, Olivia (May 8, 2018). "Nico Tortorella speaks out about exploring gender identity and using they/them pronouns". The Independent. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "'Younger' star Nico Tortorella discusses nontraditional marriage, sobriety and advocacy for LGBTQ+ community". ABC News. October 24, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Wilmette's Nico Tortorella talks about his fate on The Following". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ^ Calabria, Rosario T. (May 19, 2009). "The CW Picks Up The Beautiful Life, Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries; But Passes on Gossip Girl Spinoff and Cancels Privileged and The Game [Update: Reaper and 'Chris' Also Canceled". Your Entertainment Now. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ^ Finke, Nikki (September 25, 2009). "First Fall TV Season Fatality: CW Cancels 'The Beautiful Life'". Deadline. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (August 24, 2009). "ABC Family stretches out Make It or Break It". Hitfix.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ^ "Nico Tortorella More Meat for the Beast in Scream 4". Dread Central. June 13, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ^ Vena, Jocelyn (July 29, 2010). "'Scream 4' Stars Rory Culkin, Nico Tortorella On Working With Original 'Scream' Cast". MTV. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ^ "Another Young Teen to Solve the Riddle of 'Scream IV'". Bloody Disgusting. June 13, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ^ "Younger, Darren Star's new single camera comedy to premiere Tuesday, January 13th at 10pm ET/PT on TV Land" (PDF) (Press release). TV Land. October 2, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Nico Tortorella and the Heart of Hunter&Game". Teeco71. November 11, 2015. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ "The Love Bomb". At Will Radio. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "Nancy podcast episodes". NPR. 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ Quinn, Dave (May 18, 2020). "RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race: See Every Star's Unrecognizable Drag Queen Transformation". People. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Jung, E. Alex (October 30, 2016). "Nico Tortorella Wants to Be 'The Future Man'". Vulture. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ Schmidt, Chantelle (November 8, 2018). "Nico Tortorella's Sage Advice For Exploring A Polyamorous Relationship". PEDESTRIAN.TV. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ Damshenas, Sam (May 17, 2018). "American actor Nico Tortorella comes out as gender fluid". Gay Times. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ Fernández, Alexia (November 14, 2017). "Nico Tortorella & Partner Aren't Welcome at Family's Holiday Celebrations As They're Polyamorous". People. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "Inside Nico Tortorella and Bethany Meyers's Private, Epic Wedding". Them.us. March 17, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ Andaloro, Angela (March 13, 2023). "Nico Tortorella and Bethany C. Meyers Welcome First Baby, Daughter Kilmer Dove, in 'Beautiful' Home Birth". People. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ "Shania Twain, "Broad City" Stars And More Join The Judges' Panel On "Drag Race" Season 10 - NewNowNext". Newnownext.com. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- ^ "How Far Is Tattoo Far?". MTV. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
External links
- Nico Tortorella at IMDb