Bio
Romano Orzari is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Ray Prager in the second season of the television drama series Durham County, in 2009. He replaced Justin Louis in the role.
Orzari's training began in a Montreal Quebec Drama Festival workshop with Joe Dowling. This sent a young Orzari packing to New York City, to continue his studies.
He spent five years at schools such as The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, intensive workshops with Ron Stetson in the Sanford Meisner Technique and a workshop with Group Theatre alumni Bobby Lewis.
But it was his remaining three years at the Stella Adler Theatre Conservatory that really fortified his love and respect with the art of acting.
Before completing his studies, he landed his first paying gig with nationally acclaimed Italian director Pupi Avati, portraying Hoagy Carmichael in the film Bix, which was officially selected for competition at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.
Unfortunately Orzari's career came to a skidding halt with a car crash in Northern Italy that left him facially scarred and battered.
While still recuperating in the hospital, he was offered a role in Avati's next film Brothers and Sisters. The film went on to be officially selected at the 1992 Venice Film Festival.
Then came the film Burnt Eden, written and directed by his close and long time friend Eugene Garcia. Romano was awarded The Yves Montand Best Actor award at the 1997 Kiev International Film Festival.
The film went on to win top honors at the Montreal Festival of New Cinema and was showcased at IFP West in Los Angeles respectively for the same year.
This film helped Romano land the lead role in the multiple nominated TV show Omerta, for which he garnered two nominations for Best Lead Actor: One for The Geminis in 1999 and the other for Le Gala MetroStar in 2000.
Numerous pictures for US television and cable ensued, including work with well known colleagues such as Ben Gazzara, Ryan O'Neal, Linda Hamilton, Rutger Hauer, Pam Grier, Jim Belushi, Taryn Manning and Michael Lombardi.
In Baby for Sale, starring Dana Delany, Romano was nominated for a 2006 ACTRA Award for Best Male Performance in a Drama.
At the 2007 SMMASH Film Festival, Orzari was nominated for best male lead actor for his work in the multiple award-winning indie film The Overlookers, penned and directed by Christopher Warre Smets. For Warre Smets' second feature The Last Hitman, Orzari acted opposite Joe Mantegna.
Other credits include Punisher: War Zone, Out of Control, 3 Saisons and La Cuisine.