Francis Capra

A powerful talent, Francis Capra grew from a child star to a tattooed adult actor with world-class chops. Born April 22, 1983 in New York City, Francis Capra found an escape from his rough childhood when Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri cast him in "A Bronx Tale" (1993), for which he was nominated for a Young Artist Award. The child star went on to book leading roles as the foster brother of star Jesse James Richter in "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" (1995), a boy who discovers a genie (Shaquille O'Neal) in "Kazaam" (1996), and the brother of a young girl (Mara Wilson) who has an unusual fairy godfather (Martin Short) in "A Simple Wish" (1997). After recurring on "American Dreams" (NBC, 2002-05), he landed his most famous role, Eli "Weevil" Navarro, on the cult favorite "Veronica Mars" (UPN, 2004-06; The CW, 2006-07). Playing a bad boy whose tough, gangbanger exterior masked enormous depth and heart, Capra's Weevil became one of the most popular characters on the show, as well as a valuable ally to Kristen Bell's titular teen detective. When the series ended, the actor recurred on "Heroes" (NBC, 2006-2010) and continued to line up impressive guest spots on everything from "Sons of Anarchy" (FX, 2008-14) to "Bones" (Fox, 2005- ). In 2013, fans rejoiced over a possible Capra and Bell big-screen reunion when the long-desired "Veronica Mars" feature film was greenlit, thanks to a successful Kickstarter.com campaign, wherein fans helped donate toward the film's budget.