Jay Acovone

Born in 1955 just outside of New York City, Jay Acovone attended Mahopac High School, before attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1977. Notably, Acovone did not apply to the prestigious drama school until several years after his high school graduation, as he did not decide to become an actor until he was 19 years old. After AADA, he attended New York's Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, where he studied for eight months. His roles in the early 1980s were on rather unmemorable shows like "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," which has the odd honor of being the first show to be cancelled by the FOX television network, and the California cop drama "Hollywood Beat." His first major part came with the role of Deputy D.A. Joe Maxwell on the hit 1987 series "Beauty and the Beast," which starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman. Acovone has worked steadily as a character actor, and has appeared in a variety of productions from the sultry cop TV drama "Silk Stalkings," to the big-budget science fiction sequel "Terminator 3:Rise of the Machines," to the revamped horror entry "The Hills Have Eyes II." Showing a wide range of talents, Acovone has yet to garner awards, but has already managed over 100 appearances on television and film.