Childhood & Early Life
Danny Pino was born Daniel Gonzalo Pino, on April 15, 1974, in Miami, Florida, to parents of Cuban descent.
Danny was academically brilliant and attended ‘Rockway Middle School’ as a kid. He later graduated from the ‘Miami Coral Park High School.’ Following his high-school graduation, he joined the ‘Florida International University.’ During his university years, he was a member of the students’ fraternity named ‘Sigma Phi Epsilon.’
However, by then, he had gained a solid interest in acting. In order to take professional training in acting, he joined ‘The Graduate Acting Program’ of ‘New York University,’ at the ‘Tisch School of the Arts.’ He graduated from ‘Tisch’ in 2000, and following this, he began auditioning for TV and film roles.
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Career
In 2001, Danny made his acting debut with the role of ‘Clay’ in 13 episodes of the sitcom ‘Men, Women & Dogs.’ However, the sitcom was not a success and was canceled after a season, spanning 13 episodes.
In 2003, he appeared in a guest role in the series titled ‘The Shield.’ He essayed the character of ‘Armadillo Quintero’ in the series. It was a huge critical and commercial success.
In 2002, Danny made his film debut with a small role as a burn victim in the TV film titled ‘Point of Origin.’ The following year, he appeared as ‘Desi Arnaz’ in the TV film titled ‘Lucy.’ The film was welcomed with good reviews. He then appeared in the supporting role of ‘Eddie Vega’ in the TV film titled ‘NYPD 2069.’
In 2005, he appeared in a supporting role in the film titled ‘Between.’ The same year, he appeared in films such as ‘Rx’ and ‘The Lost City.’
In 2006, he bagged a huge opportunity when he was cast in the supporting role of ‘Jack’ in the family adventure–drama film ‘Flicka.’ The film received good reviews from critics and was a decent box-office success.
In 2008, Danny bagged yet another huge role when he was signed to play ‘Santiago Martinez’ in the drama film titled ‘The Burning Plain.’ The film was a disaster at the box office. However, some critics praised the film for its performances.
In 2009, Danny appeared in the neo-noir thriller ‘Across the Hall,’ based on a short film of the same name. The film received above-average reviews but was a box-office disappointment.
Following repeated failures on the big screen, Danny decided to focus more on TV, where he continued to get meatier roles.
After appearing in the series ‘Burn Notice’ in 2010, he appeared in a regular role in the series titled ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.’ Danny played ‘Detective Nick Amaro’ in the series, from season 13 to 16. Initially, he was signed on to play a recurring role, but as his character gained more popularity with the show’s loyal audience, his role was turned into a regular one.
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The long-running series ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ was already a huge commercial and critical success, and it helped Danny establish himself in the industry.
In 2014, the character ‘Nick’ made a cross-over appearance in the police-procedural series ‘Chicago P.D.’ His guest appearance was met with critical acclaim.
In 2016, Danny was selected to play one of the key roles in the political/satirical comedy–drama series titled ‘BrainDead.’ Danny played ‘Senator Luke Healy’ in the series. It was a huge critical success but failed to register the same level of success when it came to ratings and was canceled after a season, spanning 13 episodes.
The same year, Danny appeared in the recurring role of ‘Alejandro Vargas’ in the political thriller ‘Scandal.’ The series was a huge critical and commercial success and helped Danny gain another pivotal role. He was cast as ‘John Bishop’ in the police-procedural crime drama ‘Gone.’
‘Gone’ featured Danny as an ‘FBI’ agent. The series received some bad reviews and was canceled after a season.
In 2018, he was signed to play the supporting role of ‘Miguel Galindo’ in the crime drama ‘Mayans M.C.’ The series was met with good critical and commercial reception and was renewed for a second season.
Over the years, Danny has won two ‘Imagen Awards,’ one for ‘Cold Case’ and another for ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.’
He wrote two episodes of ‘Cold Case.’
