About
Donald Joseph Cotrona (born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, known for his role in the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) and as Seth Gecko in the El Rey Network horror television series From Dusk till Dawn. He was cast as Pedro Peña’s superhero form in the DC Extended Universe film Shazam! and returned for the role in the 2023 sequel.
Cotrona was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His mother, Sheree, is a teacher, and his father, Donald, works for a recycling company. Cotrona has partial Italian ancestry. He began studying to be a lawyer at Northeastern University in Boston, but after doing a summer internship at a law firm, he realized that he did not like working with lawyers. In his sophomore year, he switched to acting. During his spring break, he went to visit a friend in Los Angeles and never returned to college.
After a few guest-starring roles, Cotrona was considered for the role of Ryan Atwood on the television series The O.C. but that role went to Ben McKenzie. Shortly after that, Cotrona was cast as the male lead in another of Fox’s new dramas of 2003, Skin, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Cotrona played Adam Roam, the son of the Los Angeles District…
Born On This Day
Bio and photo via Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons licensing.