Jeremy Luke

Jeremy Luke (born March 23, 1978) is an American actor of Italian, Puerto Rican, and Ashkenazi Jewish descent, born in Staten Island, New York, who rose to prominence through portrayals of complex characters in film and television, including gangster Mickey Cohen in the series Mob City and mob associate Thomas Andretta in Martin Scorsese's The Irishman.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} After attending the College of Staten Island and working as a nightclub promoter in New York, Luke began pursuing acting as a creative outlet, making amateur films before relocating to Los Angeles in 2000 to study with coach Joe Palese at The Actor's Space.^[2][1][7] His early career featured guest appearances on shows such as Bones, CSI: New York, ER, Desperate Housewives, and Hawaii Five-0, building toward breakthrough roles like the alcoholic best friend in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut Don Jon (2013) and the gangster Donnie in Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys (2014).^[7][8][9] Luke gained further acclaim for his lead performance as Mickey Cohen in Frank Darabont's noir series Mob City (2013), for which he gained 17 pounds to embody the historical mobster, and for recurring as Jack Pearson's friend Darryl in This Is Us (2017).^[5][7][10] In subsequent years, he appeared in high-profile films including Tom Hanks-starring Sully (2016) as pilot Victor Gaggero and The Irishman (2019) as Thomas Andretta, alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.^[8][6] More recently, Luke has starred in projects like the crime drama Mob Cops (2025) and the upcoming action thriller Foster with James Franco.^[11][8]

Early life and education

Family and upbringing

Jeremy Luke was born on March 23, 1978, in Staten Island, New York City.^[3] He is of Puerto Rican, Italian, and Ashkenazi Jewish descent.^[3][2] Luke was raised in the South Beach neighborhood of Staten Island, where he grew up as a native New Yorker in a supportive family environment.^[12] His father, Joseph George Hannan (1943–2020), worked as a Sandy Hook pilot and later retired as an entrepreneur and hotel owner.^[13][12] His mother, Esther Cruz-Hannan, served as a physician's assistant at Staten Island University Hospital and was involved in community health initiatives, including work with the Seamen’s Society, Community Health Action, and the Staten Island AIDS Task Force.^[13][14][2] He has a sister, Denise.^[3] The family's residence in South Beach provided Luke with a formative upbringing rooted in Staten Island's close-knit community.^[12][14] These early years shaped his initial interests before his transition to formal education.

Education and early career pursuits

Luke attended the College of Staten Island, where he pursued his early higher education after growing up on Staten Island.^[15] Following his time at college, Luke worked as a successful nightclub promoter in New York City, managing promotions and events in the nightlife scene.^[7][16] This role provided financial stability but proved demanding and stressful, leading him to seek alternative outlets for relief. In 2000, Luke relocated to Los Angeles to explore new professional opportunities beyond promotion.^[17] Upon arrival, he began acting studies with instructor Joe Palese at The Actor's Space in Sherman Oaks, initially viewing acting not as a career goal but as a therapeutic escape from the pressures of his prior work.^[17][16]

Professional career

Early acting roles

After relocating to Los Angeles in 2000 from his native Staten Island, New York, where he had worked as a successful nightclub promoter, Jeremy Luke transitioned to pursuing acting full-time as a creative outlet to alleviate the dissatisfaction of his previous career.^[7][17] He began studying acting intensively with coach Joe Palese at The Actor's Space, marking the start of his professional entry into the industry.^[1] Luke's early television career from 2004 to 2008 consisted primarily of minor guest appearances on major network shows, building his on-screen experience without securing recurring roles. Notable examples include his portrayal of J.J. Flaherty in the NYPD Blue episode "Only Schmucks Pay Income Tax" (2003, aired just prior to the core period but foundational), Eddie Bean in Bones season 2 premiere "The Titan on the Tracks" (2006), Randy Kern in CSI: NY episode "Murder Sings the Blues" (2006), Thomas Grasso in ER episode "Dying Is Easy..." (2007), and Mickey in two Las Vegas episodes, "2 on 2" and "Adventures in the Skin Trade" (both 2008).^{[18][19][20][21]} These frequent but brief roles exemplified the challenges of establishing a foothold in Los Angeles, where Luke described constant "hustling" through auditions and limited opportunities, including a three-year stretch from 2008 to 2011 with only one paid job and an unsupportive agent.^[7][1] Complementing his television work, Luke immersed himself in Los Angeles theater, producing and performing in over 20 productions to hone his craft and gain practical experience. Key examples include The Motherfucker with the Hat, Lobby Hero, and Replica, which allowed him to explore diverse characters in intimate stage settings.^[17]

Breakthrough and notable projects

Jeremy Luke's breakthrough came in 2013 with dual standout performances that elevated his profile in both film and television. In Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut Don Jon, Luke portrayed Danny, the loyal friend of the titular character, delivering a charismatic supporting turn that showcased his ability to blend humor and authenticity in ensemble dynamics.^[22] Simultaneously, he landed his first series regular role as the notorious gangster Mickey Cohen in TNT's noir drama Mob City, created by Frank Darabont; the miniseries, set in 1940s Los Angeles, highlighted Luke's intensity in depicting the real-life mobster's ruthless ambition during a pivotal LAPD crackdown on organized crime.^[14] These projects marked a shift from his earlier guest appearances, establishing Luke as a versatile character actor adept at mobster archetypes. Building on this momentum, Luke continued to secure notable television roles that demonstrated his range across genres. In 2011, he appeared as Jimmy Manzani, a shady associate entangled in suburban intrigue, on Desperate Housewives, providing a glimpse of his knack for morally ambiguous characters.^[23] This led to a guest spot as Nicky Bova on Hawaii Five-0 in 2012, where he played a punk involved in a high-stakes terrorist plot flashback.^[24] By 2017, Luke reunited with Mob City co-star Milo Ventimiglia for a recurring role as Darryl Magee, Jack Pearson's childhood best friend, on NBC's This Is Us, contributing to the show's emotional exploration of family bonds and blue-collar life in episodes spanning multiple seasons. In film, Luke's supporting roles in high-profile productions further solidified his reputation. He played Donnie, a loan shark, in Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys (2014), capturing the gritty underbelly of 1960s mob life around The Four Seasons' rise.^[2] Eastwood cast him again as Victor Gaggero, a skeptical NTSB investigator, in the 2016 biopic Sully, adding tension to the real-life Hudson River landing drama.^[2] A career highlight arrived in 2019 with Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, where Luke portrayed Tommy Andretta, a Genovese family associate implicated in the Jimmy Hoffa disappearance, bringing understated menace to the epic mob saga.^[25] Luke's career has evolved to encompass more auteur-driven indies and genre fare, reflecting his Staten Island roots in stories of working-class resilience and crime. In 2023, he starred as Rocky Marciano in The Featherweight, a biographical drama about the boxer's turbulent life, earning praise for embodying the heavyweight's raw physicality and personal struggles.^[26] He also appeared in A Place in the Field (2022), a sports drama exploring redemption through baseball, and Jersey Bred (2024), a coming-of-age tale set in New Jersey's Italian-American community.^[8] In 2025, Luke starred in several projects, including the crime thriller Mob Cops opposite David Arquette, loosely inspired by the real Mafia Cops scandal; the psychological drama The Vortex; the noir-infused mystery Wages of Sin; the family-centric comedy Ciao, Mama; the action thriller Foster with James Franco; and Killing Them, a short film which he also directed and wrote, marking his expansion into behind-the-scenes contributions.^[1][11][27] These roles underscore Luke's ongoing focus on authentic portrayals of Italian-American experiences and moral complexity in contemporary storytelling.

Filmography

Film

Jeremy Luke made his film debut in independent projects before gaining recognition in major productions. His cinematic roles span genres from drama to thriller, often portraying tough, streetwise characters.

Television

Jeremy Luke began his television career with guest appearances on procedural dramas in the early 2000s, gradually progressing to recurring and series regular roles in the 2010s. His credits span a variety of genres, from crime thrillers to family dramas, often portraying tough or streetwise characters. Below is a chronological list of his television roles, including series titles, run dates for his involvement, character names, and episode counts where applicable.

• Judging Amy (2001) as Second Kid, 1 episode.
• NYPD Blue (2003) as J.J. Flaherty, 1 episode.
• Bones (2006) as Eddie Bean, 1 episode ("The Titan on the Track").
• CSI: NY (2006) as Randy Kern, 1 episode ("Murder Sings the Blues").^[19]
• ER (2007) as Thomas Grasso, 1 episode ("Dying Is Easy...").
• Las Vegas (2008) as Mickey, 1 episode ("Adventures in the Skin Trade").^[21]
• Desperate Housewives (2011) as Jimmy Manzani, 1 episode ("Putting It Together").
• Hawaii Five-0 (2012) as Nicky Bova, 1 episode ("I Ka Wa Mamua").^[28]
• Mob City (2013) as Mickey Cohen, 6 episodes.^[29]
• Blue Bloods (2014) as Det. Douglas, 1 episode ("Unfinished Business").^[30]
• Lethal Weapon (2017) as Tony Guzman, 1 episode ("Let It Ride").
• This Is Us (2017–2018) as Darryl Magee, recurring role, 2 episodes.

In addition to acting, Luke served as creator and executive producer on the web series Small Shots (2017), in which he also starred as a lead character across 10 episodes.^[31]

Video games

Jeremy Luke provided the voice, motion capture, and facial likeness for Paulie Lombardo, a key supporting character in the 2020 remake Mafia: Definitive Edition, developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games.^[32][33] Paulie, a loyal but volatile associate of protagonist Vito Scaletta, is central to the game's narrative set in the fictional Empire Bay during the 1940s and 1950s, drawing from the original 2002 game's storyline.^[34] In the motion-capture process for Mafia: Definitive Edition, Luke performed on-set alongside other actors to capture authentic interactions, including driving sequences and combat scenes, which were then integrated into the game's advanced animation system using performance capture technology.^[32] This role marked Luke's primary contribution to interactive media, showcasing his versatility from live-action performances in television and film.^[35] As of 2025, no additional video game credits for Luke have been announced.^[1]