Adam Ferrara

Though he entered showbiz first as a comedian in the late 1980s, Andy Ferrara would demonstrate a mercurial set of dramatic chops throughout his career as well. The Long Island-born comic received his major television break by way of "Caroline in the City" (1996-98), and a few years later on the Denis Leary sitcom "The Job" (2001-02), with Ferrara co-starring as a young detective on the straight and narrow. He joined Leary again several years later on the critically acclaimed drama "Rescue Me" (FX, 2006-2010), this time as a Battalion Chief "Needles" Nelson. A national touring headliner and veteran stand-up comic, Ferrara performed across the country and internationally; appeared regularly on VH-1, MTV and Comedy Central; and headlined in his first full-length stand-up special, "Adam Ferrara: Funny as Hell," in 2009. The following year, Ferrara joined the History Channel to co-host the American edition of the BBC's "Top Gear." Though Ferrara consistently relied on his Italian heritage for roles and stand-up material, his talent for playing both meaty dramatic and fast-talking comic characters was anything but typical.