David Zayas Movies
A former New York City police officer who was inspired to take up acting after seeing a performance of A Few Good Men on Broadway, David Zayas subsequently enrolled in Ernie Martin's acting classes and began honing his craft while he wasn't fighting crime. Later, Zayas would sign on with the Labyrinth Theater Company alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz and appear in a variety of groundbreaking productions including In Arabia We'd All Be Kings and Jesus Hopped the "A" Train. Thirty plays later, Zayas was discovered by Tom Fontana and cast in the hit HBO series Oz. Zayas would stick with the series for three seasons, his role as the leader of the Latino prison population gradually drawing the eye of such acclaimed filmmakers as Martin Scorsese and James Gray. While roles in Bringing Out the Dead, The Yards, Bristol Boys, and 16 Blocks all served well to advance Zayas' career on the big screen (where he could usually be found playing a detective or police officer), he remained faithful to the stage by appearing in a Broadway production of Anna in the Tropics at the Royal Theater and could later be seen opposite Michael C. Hall in the Golden Globe-nominated Showtime series Dexter. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
As season four of Oz begins, the experimental unit at Oswald State Correctional Facility known as "Emerald City" is not living up to manager Tim McManus' (Terry Kinney) hopes. Ever since he set up the unit, wherein convicts are given more freedom of movement, extra privileges, and the opportunity for advancement, McManus has been frustrated that his good intentions have not paid off in wholesale rehabilitation. In fact, things seem to have gotten worse, with too many murders and suicides occurring within the unit. Hoping to alleviate the situation, McManus' head guard, Murphy (Robert Clohessy), suggests that all the cons -- including those in solitary -- spend an hour each day indulging in healthy recreation. Again, however, the plan fails when a killing takes place during that special hour. With more episodes this season than in previous years (16, compared to the usual eight), Oz is able to devote extra time to a plethora of subplots. One of these involves convicted murderer Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe), who after losing her unborn baby under suspicious circumstances is sent back to death row. Also, a group of illegal aliens sequestered in Emerald City is the catalyst for a rash of violence; Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson) runs for lieutenant governor; an attempt to film a documentary in Oz ends in disaster; Busmalis (aka "The Mole") (Tom Mardirosian), manages to break out of prison, only to be recaptured as he stands outside the home of his favorite TV star; crooked evangelist Rev. Cloutier (Luke Perry) is tossed into the unit; and infirmary doctor Gloria Nathan (Lauren Velez) is raped. Tensions continue to mount as McManus is fired and convict Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) escapes (these plot twists were designed to allow Acevedo and his co-star Terry Kinney to take leaves of absence to appear in other projects); new unit manager Martin Querns (Reg E. Cathey) cuts a sinister deal with drug-dealing con Adebisi (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje) to put a lid on the violence; fired guard Clayton Hughes (Seth Gilliam) tries to assassinate Governor Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek); a plot is hatched to frame wheelchair-bound convict Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.) for a crime he hasn't committed; the children of inmate Beecher (Lee Tergesen) are placed in jeopardy thanks to orders from the "inside"; and incarcerated Muslim leader Said (Eamonn Walker) settles accounts with an old enemy. The season ends with a cliffhanger, sparked -- literally -- by a deadly gas explosion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney, (more)
- 1998
A youngster dies of a virus at a day-care center. As detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) trace the source of the illness, evidence is unearthed of embezzlement and an extramarital affair. Somehow these diverse elements are all bundled together when A.D.A.'s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Carmichael (Angie Harmon) target a drug manufacturer for prosecution. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1998
Frank Todaro scripted and made his directorial debut with this low-budget comedy about NYC flower-shop wholesaler Artie (Mike O'Malley) who swaps one-liners with co-workers at a refrigerated warehouse. Artie can't seem to make a commitment to his live-in girlfriend Jane (Jill Tracy), whose ex (Scott Bryce) is a car salesman with mob connections. A floral customer (J.K. Simmons) becomes a captive audience for talkative Artie when the two get locked in the warehouse freezer. This film was the first runner-up for the most popular film award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mike O'Malley, Jill Tracy, (more)
How long can a grown-up hold on to her childhood dreams? That's the question posed in this independent drama. Lena (Marlene Forte) is an actress who has just turned 32, and she doesn't feel especially good about it. Lena promised herself years ago that once she turned 30, if she hadn't become a success in her profession, she would quit the theater and get a "real" job. Two years after her deadline, she still clings to her dream, but with considerably less hope and enthusiasm. Her boyfriend Mike (Gary Perez) just packed in his own acting career for a job with a steady salary and health insurance, and he's pressuring her to do the same so that they can get married and raise a family. Lena's agent Jorge (David Zayas) doesn't seem to believe in her and doesn't send her out for important auditions, while casting directors find her too difficult to cast; a Cuban-American, Lena looks too ethnic for many roles, but she isn't dark enough to conform to the visual stereotype of a villain. Lena is forced to ask herself if she's willing to take the route of Mike's friend Johnny (Jeremiah Birkett), who has learned to be content doing a television spot every once in a while as he keeps up with a straight job, or if she should heed the warnings of Suze (Susan Peirez), who traded in a failing acting career for a good job with decent pay and stability -- and has hated every minute of it. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1996
Season Seven of Law & Order begins with the good news that Assistant D.A. Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) was not immediately killed in the car accident which took her out of commission at the end of Season Five (though actress Hennessy would not return to the show, necessitating a later episode which confirmed beyond doubt that Kincaid was never going to come back). New to the D.A.'s office is Jamie Ross (Carey Lowell), an ambitious young woman whose approach to her job does not always meet with the approval of her partner Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston). In the season's first episode, Ross intends to use a gruesomely graphic audiotape to put the noose around the neck of carjacker-murderer Fernando Salva (Victor Sierra). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1995
The reinstatement of New York's death penalty is the catalyst for this emotion-charged episode. Executive Assistant D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) insists upon using capital punishment to deal with the murderer of an undercover cop. But McCoy's more moderate associate Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) disagrees, citing a powerful argument against execution presented by defense attorney Helen Brolin (Maria Tucci). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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