# Theo Rossi

John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in Luke Cage (2016–2018). In 2024, he portrayed Dr. Julian Rush on the HBO series The Penguin (2024). His film roles include Tino Hull in Red Sands (2009), Todd in Bad Hurt (2015), Francisco "Ghost" Alvarez in Lowriders (2017), Deuce in Vault (2019), and Youcef in Emily the Criminal (2022), the latter of which earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination.

## Early life

Rossi was born in Staten Island, New York City. He is of Italian, Spanish, Lebanese, and Syrian descent. Growing up, he loved to ride dirt bikes. He has openly admitted to dealing drugs for years before moving to California. He studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in New York, where he appeared in several theatre productions.

## Career

Rossi played Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy. His production company, Dos Dudes Pictures, produced its first feature film in 2014, Bad Hurt, Rossi acting alongside Karen Allen and Michael Harney.
Rossi has appeared in television shows such as The Penguin, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hawaii Five-O, Las Vegas, The Unit, Jericho, Bones, Without a Trace, Veronica Mars, NYPD Blue, CSI: Miami, Lie to Me and Lost. He has had recurring roles on Heist, American Dreams, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. His film credits include Cloverfield, Code Breakers, House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim, Red Sands, The Informers, Kill Theory, Fencewalker and Meth Head.
He played Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Luke Cage from 2016 until 2018.
In 2019, Rossi joined the Advisory Board of the Harlem Film House, which presents the Hip Hop Film Festival, an annual event that focuses on filmmakers from the global culture of hip hop, and promotes financial sustainability for independent filmmakers from marginalized communities.

## Philanthropy

Rossi gets involved with the men and women of the military, with fellow Sons of Anarchy actors Kim Coates, Dayton Callie and Ron Perlman. An Ambassador to the Boot Campaign, Rossi works with multiple organizations that raise money for wounded soldiers and those returning with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Throughout the off-season, Rossi has often traveled to different bases to visit US military personnel. He has helped to organize the yearly Boot Ride event that benefits the Boot Campaign, giving fans a chance to spend a day riding with the Sons of Anarchy cast while raising money for U.S. military veterans.
Shortly after Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island, Rossi, with friends and family, founded Staten Strong, a program administered by the Boot Campaign. Staten Strong rebuilt three homes for Hurricane Sandy victims on Staten Island.
He supports animal welfare and launched a campaign with The Humane Society of the United States to protect street dogs. He appeared in a PETA ad promoting pet adoption.

## Personal life

Rossi resides in Austin, Texas. He consumes a "mostly plant-based diet" and occasionally consumes eggs. He is married to Meghan McDermott. The couple's first child was born in 2015, and their second in 2017.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | The Myersons | Montilli | 2002 |
| 2003 | The Challenge | Anthony | |
| 2004 | Buds for Life | Teddy | |
| 2005 | House of the Dead 2 | Greg Berlin | |
| 2008 | Cloverfield | Antonio | |
| 2008 | Kill Theory | Carlos | |
| 2009 | The Informers | Spaz | |
| 2009 | Red Sands | Pfc. Tino Hull | |
| 2009 | Space | Mike | Short film |
| 2013 | Meth Head | Carlos | |
| 2016 | Bad Hurt | Todd | Also producer; Sunscreen Film Festival West Award for Best Narrative Feature |
| 2016 | When the Bough Breaks | Mike Mitchell | |
| 2017 | Lowriders | Francisco “Ghost” Alvarez | Nominated – Imagen Award for Best Actor - Feature Film |
| 2019 | Vault | Deuce | |
| 2019 | American Skin | Officer Dominic Reyes | |
| 2019 | Rattlesnake | Billy | |
| 2020 | Ghosts of War | Kirk | |
| 2021 | Army of the Dead | Burt Cummings | |
| 2022 | Emily the Criminal | Youcef | Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Performance |
| 2022 | Escape the Field | Tyler | |
| 2022 | Vendetta | Rory Fetter | |
| 2022 | Dear Zoe | Nick DeNunzio | |
| 2023 | Squealer | Danny D. | |
| 2024 | Bosco | Ramos | |
| 2024 | Carry-On | Mysterious Watcher | Completed |
| TBA | Come With Me | | Post-production |
Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001–2002 | Boston Public | Brandon Webber | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie | The Mook | Television film |
| 2002 | Malcolm in the Middle | Senior | Episode: "Humilithon" |
| 2004 | NYPD Blue | Pete Amici | Episode: "Chatty Chatty Bang Bang" |
| 2004 | Medical Investigation | Joe Vasquez | Episode: "Coming Home" |
| 2004 | American Dreams | Bobby Santos | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Blind Justice | Eric Fitzgerald | Episode: "Rub a Tub Tub" |
| 2005 | Veronica Mars | Norris Clayton | Episode: "Weapons of Class Destruction" |
| 2005 | Code Breakers | Desantis | Television film |
| 2006 | Jane Doe: Yes, I Remember It Well | Antonio Ruiz | Television film |
| 2006 | Without a Trace | Corey Williams | Episode: "Odds or Evens" |
| 2006 | Lost | Sgt. Buccelli | Episode: "One of Them" |
| 2006 | Heist | Vinny Momo | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | The Unit | Mike | Episode: "Unannounced" |
| 2006 | Bones | Nick Arno | Episode: "The Woman in the Sand" |
| 2006 | Jericho | Randy Payton | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Nurses | | Unsold Pilot |
| 2007 | Shark | Danny Vargas | Episode: "Here Comes the Judge" |
| 2007 | Las Vegas | Jason Scott | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Grey's Anatomy | Stan Giamatti | 2 episodes |
| 2008–2014 | Sons of Anarchy | Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz | Main role; 85 episodes |
| 2009 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Lieutenant Dietze | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | CSI: Miami | Jimmy Castigan | Episode: "Dissolved" |
| 2010 | Lie To Me | Officer Tressler | Episode: "Teacher and Pupils" |
| 2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | Sal Painter | Episode: "Mai Ka Wa Kahiko" |
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Sonny Burnett | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Enrique Rodriguez | Episode: "Presumed Guilty" |
| 2016–2018 | Luke Cage | Hernan "Shades" Alvarez | Series regular; 23 episodes |
| 2021 | True Story | Gene | Miniseries |
| 2022 | Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi | Senator Larik | Episode: "Choices" |
| 2024 | The Penguin | Dr. Julian Rush | 6 episodes |