Jon Seda Explained

Jon Seda
Birth Date:14 October 1970[1]
Birth Place:Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Occupation:Actor
Years Active:1991–present
Children:4

Jon Seda (born October 14, 1970) is an American actor. Seda was an amateur boxer who auditioned for and was given a role in the 1992 boxing film Gladiator. He played the role of Chris Pérez alongside Jennifer Lopez in the movie Selena, and portrayed U.S. Marine John Basilone, recipient of the Medal of Honor, in Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's The Pacific. On television, he had roles as Detective Antonio Dawson in NBC's Chicago P.D., and as Paul Falsone in NBC's .

Early life

Seda was born in Manhattan to parents of Puerto Rican descent[2] and raised in Clifton, New Jersey.[3] [4] After graduating from Clifton High School,[5] Seda was convinced by two friends that he should take up boxing, so he began working out in a gym.

He boxed in several gyms in New Jersey and soon was a runner up in the New Jersey Golden Gloves competition. As an amateur boxer, Seda had a record of 21 wins and one loss.[6]

Career

Seda's film debut was in the boxing film Gladiator (1992), in which he played the role of Romano, a Cuban boxer. He has since worked in various films and TV series. In 1995, Seda was nominated Best Male Lead at the Spirit Awards for his role in the movie I Like It Like That (1994), opposite Rita Moreno and Lauren Vélez.[7] In 1996, he was nominated for the Palme d'Or (Best Actor Award) at the Cannes Film Festival, for his role as Blue in the film The Sunchaser, opposite actor Woody Harrelson.[8]

Seda became widely known to the Hispanic film audience when he portrayed Chris Pérez alongside Jennifer Lopez in Selena (1997), a film based on the true story of the Tejano singer, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who was murdered on her way to mainstream stardom. Seda played Selena's husband.

Also in 1997, Seda landed the role of Detective Paul Falsone on NBC's: Homicide: Life on the Street. The writers, taking advantage of his boxing background, wrote a shirtless practice bout into an episode, which established his character's attractiveness to fellow detective Laura Ballard. Seda also boxed opposite Jimmy Smits in the film Price of Glory (2000).[9] His first leading role on the large screen was as the protagonist in 2002's King Rikki, a re-imagining of Shakespeare's Richard III in East L.A.[9] [10]

Seda has appeared in more than two dozen movies, including Bad Boys II (2003) as Roberto, as well as numerous television appearances. Aside from Homicide, he has had notable roles as Dino Ortolani in Oz, Matty Caffey in Third Watch, Paul Falsone (in a Homicide crossover with Law & Order), House, and . He is featured as one of the three leads in the HBO World War II mini-series The Pacific (released on March 14, 2010), portraying Marine John Basilone.[11] Seda appeared as a guest star in an episode of Burn Notice,[12] and in 2007, he made a cameo appearance in Ludacris' song "Runaway Love", as an abusive, alcoholic stepfather.

Seda appeared in Treme seasons 2-4 as Nelson Hidalgo, a politically connected land developer from Dallas who helps out with the relief efforts in post-Katrina New Orleans. He appeared in the film Larry Crowne (2011), which starred and was co-written and directed by Tom Hanks. Hanks also served as an executive producer on The Pacific, in which Seda starred.[13] In 2013, Seda starred alongside Sylvester Stallone, Christian Slater, and Jason Momoa in the Walter Hill-directed action thriller Bullet to the Head.

In 2012, Seda began portraying Detective Antonio Dawson in Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise, first starring in Chicago Fire in a recurring role and then, in 2014, as part of the main cast of the spin-off Chicago P.D. In 2017, Seda carried his role over into another spin-off, Chicago Justice, which was canceled after its first season. His daughter Haley made a guest appearance on Chicago P.D. as a key witness in a bombing.[14] In July 2017, it was announced that Seda would return to Chicago P.D. following the cancellation of Chicago Justice.[15] On April 19, 2019, it was reported that NBC/Wolf Entertainment officials informed Seda that they would not be renewing his contract, which led to his leaving the series shortly after six seasons.[16]

In 2020, Seda was cast in the lead role of Dr. Benjamine Glass in the pilot of the NBC apocalyptic drama series La Brea, written by David Appelbaum,.[17] With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting production of the pilot, NBC allowed Seda's contract to expire along with most of the other pilot cast members. However, with the pilot being picked up straight-to-series in January 2021, Seda returned to the show, with his character rewritten as Dr. Sam Velez.[18]

Personal life

Seda married his longtime girlfriend, Lisa Gomez, in 2000.[19] The couple have four children.

Filmography

Films

YearTitleRole
1992GladiatorRomano Essadro
ZebraheadVinnie
1993Carlito's WayDominican
New York CopMario
1994I Like It Like ThatChino Linares
199512 MonkeysJose
Boys on the SidePete
1996Dear GodHandsome
The SunchaserBrandon 'Blue' Monroe
Primal FearAlex
1997The Price of KissingBilly
SelenaChris Pérez
2000Price of GlorySonny Ortega
Little PiecesKyle
2001Double BangSally 'Fish' Pescatore
Love the Hard WayCharlie
2002UndisputedJesus 'Chuy' Campos
King RikkiRikki Ortega
2003Bad Boys IIRoberto
2007One Long NightRichard
2011Larry CrowneOfficer Diamond
2012Bullet to the HeadLouie Blanchard
2018Canal StreetDetective Mike Watts

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1993DaybreakPayneTV movie
1994NYPD BlueSal MolinaEpisode: "You Bet Your Life"
1995Under FireUnknown roleUnknown episodes
New York UndercoverBobby LunasEpisode: "Knock You Out"
1996MistrialEddie RiosTV movie
1997, 2003OzDino Ortolani4 episodes
1997–1999Detective Paul FalsoneGuest (Season 5), main role (Seasons 6–7)
1997Law & OrderDetective Paul FalsoneEpisode: "Baby, It's You"
1999–2000Third WatchMatty CaffeyRecurring role
2000Thin AirLuis DeLeonTV movie
Homicide: The MovieDetective Paul Falsone
Good Guys/Bad Guys
2001–2002Jake ShawMain role
2003HackNick DuarteEpisode: "Dial 'O' for Murder"
2004Las VegasJunior GomezEpisode: "Die Fast, Die Furious"
The JuryVictor TorresEpisode: "Last Rites"
2004–2005Kevin HillDamian 'Dame' RuizMain role
2006Ghost WhispererJohn Gregory2 episodes
2006–2007Close to HomeRay BlackwellMain role
2008Hector SalazarEpisode: "Tipping Point"
2009HouseDonnyEpisode: "Brave Heart"
One Hot SummerAriel SilvaTV movie
Legally MadJoe Mattyunaired pilot[20]
2010CutthroatFrankieTV movie
Numb3rsLonnie MosesEpisode: "Arm in Arms"
The PacificSergeant John BasiloneMiniseries
Burn NoticeColeEpisode: "Center of the Storm"
The CloserDetective Frank VericoEpisode: "Off the Hook"
Hawaii Five-0Sergeant CageEpisode: "Mana'o"
2011–2013TremeNelson HidalgoMain role (Seasons 2–4)
2012–2019Chicago FireAntonio DawsonRecurring role
2014–2019Chicago P.D.Main role (Seasons 1–4, 5–6), guest (season 4)
2016Episode: "Nationwide Manhunt"
2017Chicago JusticeMain role
2021–2024La BreaDr. Sam Velez[21] Main role

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seda-jon-1970 Seda, Jon 1970– | Encyclopedia.com
  2. Web site: Jon Seda. HBO Connect . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141127092820/http://connect.hbo.com/events/treme/live-q-jon-seda/ . November 27, 2014 .
  3. Web site: HBO's 'The Pacific' behind-the-scenes: Sepinwall on TV. March 12, 2010.
  4. Web site: 'Homicide' alum is knocking them out. Articles.baltimoresun.com. April 4, 2022. November 29, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129012100/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-07-22/entertainment/0107220279_1_jon-seda-andre-braugher-undercover. dead.
  5. Moss, Linda. "Actor Jon Seda felt special connection to World War II hero John Basilone, in HBO's The Pacific", NewJerseyNewsroom.com, May 30, 2010, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 11, 2012. Accessed September 17, 2018. "Seda himself was especially moved by the reaction of Charles Tatum, who actually served with Basilone and was on Iwo Jima with him. Tatum, who is portrayed in The Pacific, visited the set of the miniseries when it was shooting in Los Angeles. Seda said that Tatum shook his hand and said, 'We're all in agreement: You're John.' The actor, a graduate of Clifton High School, was left speechless by Tatum's praise."
  6. News: Boxing Hall names TV and movie actor grand marshal. February 1, 2017. Rome Sentinel. April 21, 2015.
  7. Web site: A Bit More Dependence Than In the Past : Movies: Independent Spirit Award nods expand definition to encompass works financed by production companies owned by major studios.. RICHARD. NATALE. January 11, 1995. LA Times.
  8. Web site: Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Inc. March 28, 1998. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. Google Books.
  9. http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Seda,_Jon/Biography/ Jon Seda Biography
  10. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246890/ King Rikki
  11. Web site: Mustac. Frank. Veterans Day interview: Film actor Jon Seda humbly describes portraying Detective Antonio Dawson . November 11, 2009.
  12. Web site: Burn Notice Enlists Jon Seda for Guest Spot. TVGuide.com.
  13. Web site: Larry Crowne (2011). IMDb. July 2011.
  14. News: Chicago P.D. Exclusive Video: Whose Real-Life Daughter Is a Key Witness to the Crime?. TV Guide. May 4, 2015.
  15. Web site: Chicago P.D.: Jon Seda to Return as Series Regular for Season 5. Gelman. Vlada. July 12, 2017. July 13, 2017. TV Line.
  16. Web site: 'Chicago': Jon Seda, Colin Donnell & Norma Kuhling Exit NBC Drama Franchise. April 19, 2019. Deadline Hollywood. April 19, 2019.
  17. Web site: Jon Seda Joins Drama Pilot 'La Brea' In NBC Return. Andreeva. Nellie. March 4, 2020. Deadline Hollywood. en-US. March 5, 2020.
  18. Web site: 'La Brea': Eoin Macken To Star, Jon Seda To Return As NBC Series Also Casts Jack Martin & Lily Santiago. Andreeva. Nellie. March 4, 2021. Deadline Hollywood. en-US. March 4, 2021.
  19. Web site: Actor Jon Seda, age 45, talks about how he couldn't have made it in Hollywood without support from his wife and children . April 11, 2017 . April 11, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170411222150/http://hubmesh.com/actor-jon-seda-age-45-talks-about-how-he-couldn-t-have-made-it-in-hollywood-without-support-from-his-wife-and-children.html . dead .
  20. News: NBC passing on 'Legally Mad' . . Michael . Schneider . 2009-05-11 . 2019-12-28.
  21. Web site: Jon Seda Joins Drama Pilot 'La Brea' In NBC Return. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. March 5, 2020. January 12, 2021.