Julian Acosta

From Jesus Christ and Johnny Ramone, to a violently brilliant billionaire and a libidinous priest, all the way to gritty cops, international drug lords, straight laced lawyers, gay hustlers, crooked doctors and razor sharp political animals, Julian Acosta has been a part of some of television's most talked about projects, which along with his mesmerizing performances on film, have shone a light on Julian's most distinguishing quality as an artist - RANGE Julian was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to El Paso, TX as a teenager. After dropping out of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX drifting around the state and holding down every conceivable job in order to make ends meet, he enrolled at North Harris College in Houston. Both as a result of not knowing what to do with his life and in an effort to meet girls, it is there that he discovered acting. Thanks to this life course correction, Julian went on to earn a B.F.A. in Theater at Florida International University in Miami and an M.F.A. from RUTGERS University. Upon graduation, Acosta moved to New York where he was quickly cast in Denis Leary's heralded but short-lived comedy series "The Job" on ABC. Acosta has held recurring roles on "NCIS: New Orleans" on CBS, "Madam Secretary" on CBS, "Hand of God" on Amazon, "Being Mary Jane" on BET, "Dirt" on F/X, "Strong Medicine" on Lifetime, "The Defenders" on CBS, "Hollywood Heights" on NICK, "Franklin and Bash" on TNT, and "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" on ABC Family. He has made guest starring turns on "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders", "Elementary", "NCIS: Los Angeles," "The Mentalist," "The Unit," and "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service" [CBS], "The Librarians", "Proof" [TNT], "Grimm," "Law & Order," "Law & Order LA," "King Pin" and "The West Wing" [NBC], "Covert Affairs" [USA], "Castle," "George Lopez" and "Scrubs" [ABC], "Entourage" [HBO], to name a few. On the film front, Acosta has been seen in THE THREE CHRISTS directed by Jon Avnet, CBGB playing Legendary Punk Rock guitarist Johnny Ramone, THE LORDS OF SALEM directed by Rob Zombie, THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE directed by Chris Sparling, BOUND BY LIES with Stephen Baldwin and Kristy Swanson and TRUE LOVE directed by Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominee Henry Barrial. Julian is also set to appear in his first Spanish language film EL SECRETO DEL RETRATO, directed by Janet Alvarez Gonzalez. Julian is also the creator of several original series for Television currently in development through his company Broken Toy Works. Acosta is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City. He last appeared alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John Ortiz, Liza Colon-Zayas, Gaius Charles and Jessica Chastain in the internationally acclaimed production of "Othello" directed by Peter Sellars. Additional stage credits include: "Penalties and Interest" and "Massacre (Sing To Your Children)" [both at the Public Theater in New York], "Piano" [at ART], "Lucy and The Conquest" [at the Williamstown Theater Festival], Pulitzer Prize Winner "Anna In The Tropics" and "Lover's and Executioners" [at South Coast Repertory Theater] for which Acosta was nominated for a Los Angeles Critic's Circle Award. Acosta's Theatrical Directorial debut "Short Eyes" by Miguel Pinero at the Los Angeles Theater Center was critically acclaimed by the Los Angles Times and selected by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs to represent the city of Los Angeles at the International Hispanic Theatre Festival in Miami [July 2012] where it was raved by both the Miami Herald and the Miami New Times. Service is an important part of Julian's life with the trans-formative power of education at the forefront. Most recently he founded and financed a yearly scholarship in his native Puerto Rico with two, one male and one female, High School students receiving a scholarship to the University of Puerto Rico. The scholarship is named after his paternal grandmother who was one of many passionate educators in Julian's family and goes to students graduating from the same rural town in which she taught. For more information go to www.puertoricaneducationfoundation.org Julian and his wife director Nina Lopez-Corrado split their time between Los Angeles and Islamorada in the Florida Keys. On his downtime he is an avid fisherman, scuba diver and accomplished ne'er do well.