D.J. Cotrona

D.J. COTRONA

Date of Birth: May 23, 1980

Donald Joseph Cotrona was born in Wallingford, Connecticut. He took pre-law courses at Northeastern University in Boston but quickly realized he was majoring in the wrong subject. Cotrona made his escape from law studies during his second year, while visiting a friend in Los Angeles. He never returned from L.A. and decided to pursue acting instead.

His acting career had a slow start. He initially tried out for The O.C. and when that didn’t work, he landed a role on the television show Skin in 2003 when he was in his early twenties. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after only three episodes, leaving Cotrona without his starring-role break. A couple of years later, he managed to land parts in two horror films, Venom (2004) and Love is the Drug (2005), followed by a starring role as Sean on the NBC series Windfall in 2006.

Shortly after that, he was approached for the role of Superman in a Justice League movie alongside Adrian Brody. However, the movie was grounded before filming even began, falling victim to the writer’s strike of 2007 to 2008. Despite over a year of work trying to salvage the project, it was never made, much to Cotrona’s disappointment.

His next big screen appearance wasn’t until Dear John (2010). The romantic drama was a departure from Cotrona’s earlier horror movie roles and provided him with a key contact in his new friend, Channing Tatum. In 2011, after briefly starring on the show Detroit 1-8-7, he was offered the role of the rebellious Flint in G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) alongside Tatum, also starring Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. The role has allowed Cotrona to reconnect with his childhood fondness for G.I. Joes and has provided him with a monumental opportunity—and possibly the break he needed.

Filmography:

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Dear John (2010)
Love is the Drug (2006)
Venom (2005)