Detroit Rock City

Background:

Up-and-coming actor James De Bello started out with appearances in Burger King commercials and NBC’s hit medical drama “ER.” The attractive young actor has since starred in films like Detroit Rock City (1999), Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000), Scary Movie 2 (2001), National Lampoon Presents: Dorm Daze (2003), Cabin Fever (2003) and The Hillz (2005). He will soon complete his upcoming film, the musical comedy The Bliss, alongside Danielle Nicolet, Camille Solari, Elisa Donovan and Nick Steele.


Connecticut Native

Childhood and Family:

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, James De Bello spent his childhood outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At age 16, he moved to Los Angeles, where he currently resides.


Crime and Punishment in Suburbia

Career:

Shortly after his arrival to Los Angeles, James De Bello was spotted by a talent agent while attending a celebrity pool tournament. He soon landed his first acting job in Burger King commercials, followed by a guest spot in a 1997 episode of NBC’s hit medical drama “ER.”

De Bello subsequently could be seen in Adam Rifkin's musical comedy Detroit Rock City (1999). In the film, set in 1978, De Bello co-starred with Giuseppe Andrews, Edward Furlong and Sam Huntington playing four midwestern high schoolers trying to scam their way into the famed KISS concert.

That same year, De Bello had a bit part in the Weitz brothers' hit teen comedy American Pie, starring Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Shannon Elizabeth and Alyson Hannigan. He also appeared in the powerful miniseries "The '60s," which aired on NBC, alongside Josh Hamilton and Julia Stiles.

In the new millennium, De Bello was cast in Rob Schmidt's independent drama/thriller film Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, which was loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1866 novel. In the film that also stars Ellen Barkin, De Bello portrayed Jimmy. He also became Jonathan Tucker's philosophical roommate in writer-director Michael Davis' independent sexy, teen-comedy film 100 Girls (also featuring Jaime Pressly, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Ali Larter).

Afterward, De Bello played Tommy, one of Shawn Wayans' new friends, in Keenen Ivory Wayans' comedy/horror/sci-fi sequel to Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2 (2001). The next year, he returned to the small screen as a drummer called Danny Whitaker on The WB’s drama comedy show inspired by the hit British TV series, "My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star" before appearing in John Polson's drama/psychotic thriller film Swimfan (2002; starring Jesse Bradford, Erika Christensen and Shiri Appleby).

2003 saw De Bello in the Hillenbrand brothers' comedy film National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze (featuring Tatyana Ali in her first starring role in a movie), as Patrick Cavanaugh's punk friend Cliff, and in writer-director Justin Zackham's teen comedy film Going Greek. He was also cast in Eli Roth's horror/thriller film Cabin Fever, in which he co-starred with Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong, Cerina Vincent and Joey Kern. In the movie, James and his costars played recent college graduates who trek to a remote cabin deep in the woods only to become the victims of a horrifying flesh-eating virus.

Recently, in 2005, moviegoers could catch De Bello in writer-director Saran Barnun's teen drama comedy film The Hillz, alongside Rene Heger, Jesse Woodrow and Paris Hilton. He is currently on set of the upcoming film The Bliss, a musical comedy by Lauren Patrice Nadler, which stars Danielle Nicolet, Camille Solari, Elisa Donovan and Nick Steele.

Awards:
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