Jerry Ferrara (born November 25, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Turtle on the HBO comedy series Entourage, and starred on the Starz drama series Power as Joe Proctor.
Life and career Ferrara was born in New York City and grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He is of Italian descent.Q&A with Jerry Ferrara: Bringing Turtle Out of His 'Entourage' Shell. Accessed October 7, 2009
He graduated from New Utrecht High School. Ferrara began studying theater in college, where he was inspired by a teacher to pursue a career in acting. An agent he met at a talent showcase encouraged him to move to Los Angeles, where he quickly landed his first role on The King of Queens. Other television parts soon followed. Jerry was then cast in the independent feature Cross Bronx, which premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival.
In an interview about his breakout role on Entourage, Ferrara revealed that when he told his friends he had landed a major part in a television pilot, they asked, "How about you get a dog who becomes your best friend and you name him Awnold??" Kevin Connolly has said of his Entourage co-star that "Jerry's very domesticated. He's probably the most different from his character. He's like 180 degrees in the opposite direction."
Ferrara once made an appearance in character as Turtle for a DirecTV commercial. His dialogue was mixed with a clip from an Entourage episode for humorous effect.
Ferrara is also co-founder of Fat Sal's deli in West Hollywood, California. He also appeared in Series 19, episode 12 of "Diners, Drive in's and Dives", representing Fat Sal's deli. In 2010, Ferrara dropped weight and lost 60 pounds with a new outlook on health and fitness.
Ferrara currently co-hosts Throwbacks with Matt Leinart.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes2004Cross BronxVivo 2007 Where God Left His Shoes Vinny Brooklyn Rules Bobby Canzoneri Gardener of Eden Greek 2008 Eagle Eye Jerry's Friend #1 Uncredited 2011 Seven Days in Utopia Joe Buckner 2012 Think Like a Man Jeremy Kern Battleship Sampson JOOD Strodell A Band Called DeathProducer 2013 Empire State Jimmy Last Vegas Dean Lone Survivor Sergeant Hasslert 2014 Think Like a Man Too Jeremy Kern Flight 7500 Rick 2015 Entourage Salvatore "Turtle" Assante Club Life Johnny D 2016 Sully Michael Delaney 2017 Axis Himself Voice role 2021 Dating and New York Cole Also executive producer
Television Year Title Role Notes 2000 The King of Queens Joey Episode: "Strike Too" That's Life Student #2 Episode: "The Tutor" City Guys Delivery boy Episode: "El-Brain" 2001 Maybe it's Me Episode: "The Magic CD Episode" 2001–2002 Grounded for Life Drew 2 episodes 2002 Leap of Faith Kid Episode: "Pilot" 2004 NYPD Blue Danny Fatty Puglisi Episode: "Chatty Chatty Bang Bang" 2004–2011 Entourage Salvatore "Turtle" Assante Main role; 96 episodesCo-wrote episodes: "Whiz Kid" and "The Big Bang"Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2009)Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2008)Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2007)Nominated – Teen Choice Award Choice TV: Sidekick (2007)Nominated – Teen Choice Award TV Choice Chemistry (shared w/ Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Dillon, and Kevin Connolly) (2006) 2011 Vietnam in HD Raymond Torres Main role; 6 episodes 2015–2020 Power Joe Proctor Recurring (season 2)Series regular (seasons 3–6) 48 episodes 2017 Shooter Kirk Zehnder Recurring (season 2); 4 episodes2019–2020A Million Little ThingsTodd2 episodes2020SneakerheadsHimselfEpisode: "The Match"2022Power Book II: GhostJoe ProctorEpisode: "A Fair Fight?"
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