Danny Pino is one of those handsome young Latino actors everybody recognizes but few can name. He was a regular on CBS’ Cold Case for a few years; he showed up on Burn Notice last season; he had a supporting role in a serious direct-to-video drama called Crossing the Line, coming to a VOD channel near you on July 1; he was one of the stars, along with Miguel Sandoval and Daniella Alonso (among many other Latino actors) in the NBC pilot called S.I.L.A., which was surprisingly un-picked-up this year.
Now he’s replacing Christopher Meloni on the last of the Law & Order franchises, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. And he’s not alone…He’ll be joined by Kelli Giddish, the only recoverable component from last season’s NBC cop-drama Chase, as the partner who’ll replace the departing Mariska Hargitay after a few episodes.
It may be cold comfort for Latino casting, given the loss of the excellent re-boot of Law & Order: Los Angeles and the ‘pass’ on S.I.L.A., but it does show NBC’s continuing commitment to diversity in its series.
Pino’s family is Cuban; he was born in Miami and has been acting for a living for more than a decade, since his recurring role as the memorably named “Armadillo Quintero” on The Shield, back in ’03. And our favorite credit: he played another well-loved Cubano, Desi Arnaz, in a CBS telebiopic back in ’03. How Latino is he? Take a look at his credits; you’ll see almost every role he’s played has a Spanish surname, but in recent years he’s been on the side of—so to speak—law and order, playing cops and heroes almost exclusively. IMDB.com still doesn’t quite know what to make of him; his bio is pretty thin, and their most insightful comment is—seriously—“he also speaks Spanish.” Nice goin’, IMDB.
Pino will show up with the new season premiere in September; Kelli will join him early in ’12.
