Background information on the stars of Blue Mountain State.
DARIN BROOKS
“Alex Moran”
Emmy Award winning Darin Brooks is an accomplished young actor starring in Spike TV’s comedy series, “Blue Mountain State.” Brooks was the recipient of a 2009 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor for his role as Max Brady on NBC-TV’s “Days Of Our Lives.” He was also recognized in 2008 with an Emmy nomination in the same category for his work on the NBC soap opera, on which he starred for three years.
Raised in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, Brooks found success very quickly after moving to Los Angeles. Through casting director Cathy Henderson, he was introduced and signed to a theatrical agent. Following a general meeting with “Days of our Lives” casting director Fran Bascom, Brooks landed the role following a meeting with the show’s producers.
Growing up in Hawaii, Brooks was an avid surfer who also excelled at athletics including baseball, soccer, football and skateboarding. Almost a toddler when his dad began teaching him to surf, his mom says that he learned to surf before he learned to walk. Brooks often still uses his skateboard as his mode of transportation to the “Days Of Our Lives” Burbank studios. During his high school years, he played guitar, bass and drums with a band and played local gigs. Drawn to performing, he began to pursue drama in high school, portraying the role of Rapunzel’s Prince in the musical “Into the Woods.” This led him to become more serious about acting and he enrolled in Cathy Henderson’s workshop in Oahu. Modeling and work in Japanese commercials soon followed and he scored his first acting work in film in the movie “Blue Crush,” starring Kate Bosworth.
Brooks continues to work on his acting chops, studying at the Ivana Chubbuck Studios. Currently, he is very involved with the charitable project, Tag the World, serving on the organization’s Honorary Board of Advisors. He hosted a recent benefit event for this non-profit, which raises money to aid children, cancer research, animals, Africa support and the eco causes of Go Green through the sale of their unique Tag necklaces.
ALAN RITCHSON
“Thad Castle”
Actor Alan Ritchson is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s hottest young stars. He is currently starring in a breakout role as overzealous team captain Thad Castle in Spike TV’s hit football comedy “Blue Mountain State” which premieres its second season on October 20th. The show centers on Thad and his fellow teammates as they try to adapt to the rigors of college life in their quest to bring another national championship to Blue Mountain State.
The talented Ritchson initially came to Los Angeles to pursue a music career and introduce his debut album, “This is Next Time.” However, within a matter of weeks, he found himself embarking on a completely different career path; he landed a lead role in the feature film “The Butcher.” He soon captured the attention of legendary film director Robert Zemeckis who chose him to provide the facial and physical image for the title character of “Beowulf,” the groundbreaking motion capture film.
Alan’s career roll continued as he next landed the highly sought after role of Aquaman in the WB hit television series “Smallville.”
Alan followed the success on “Smallville” with some grittier leading roles in the independent film market. He played the love interest of Ally Sheedy in “Steam,” a good guy turned meth dealer in the twisting drama “Rex” and Lucian Manet in the drama “Midnight Bayou.” He was able to show his comedic skills when he played an over-the-top jock character named Brad, in “Spring Break ’83” and had another prominent role in Sony’s Studios feature, “Fired Up.”
ROMANSKI
“Sammy Cacciatore”
Co-Creator, Executive Producer And Writer
Romanski was raised in Nashua, NH. After graduating from Nashua High School, he attended Emerson College in Boston, MA, where he met his writing partner, Eric Falconer. They quickly started writing together and performing at Comedy Clubs in Boston.
Then, in the Summer of 2000, Romanski moved to Los Angeles to pursue writing comedy, leaving Falconer back in Boston. Romanski landed an internship with Comedy Central, which led to his first job as a PA on “That’s My Bush!” From there he went on to PA on “South Park,” which, two years later, offered him a writer position.
He persuaded Falconer to come to Los Angeles that year so they could write together. After eating tuna fish, drinking whiskey from plastic bottles, and performing at Comedy Clubs for free for two years, they got a job writing an episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” From there, Romanski was hired to write on the “Sarah Silverman Program” and wrote himself a part on the show.
After that, he and Falconer went on to write and perform on a sketch show for “Acceptable TV” and got a small role on “How I Met Your Mother.”
ED MARINARO
“Coach Marty Daniels”
Ed Marinaro was born in New York City and raised in New Milford, New Jersey. It was there that his athletic career began. As a heavily recruited high school football and basketball player, Marinaro chose Cornell University, foregoing more than 50 scholarship offers and the rest, as they say, is history.
During his three year varsity career, Marinaro set almost every Ivy and N.C.A.A. record for running the football. A three-time All-American, Marinaro became the first player in college football history to gain over 4,000 yards in a career (4715) and set 16 other N.C.A.A. records for rushing, scoring and all-purpose running. His career average of 176.4 yards per game is still an N.C.A.A. record. Marinaro received the prestigious Maxwell Trophy, was the A.P. and U.P.I. player of the year and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting. In 1991 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and a year later voted the Ivy League Player of the Era.
Drafted in 1972 by the Minnesota Vikings, Marinaro became the first rookie to start for Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant. During his career with the Vikings, Marinaro helped lead the team to consecutive Super Bowls in 1973 and ’74. In 1975 his 54 catches ranked third in the N.F.C. and his 11 catches against the San Diego Chargers was a Viking record.
In 1976 Marinaro fulfilled a childhood dream and returned to his birthplace to play with the New York Jets. At mid-season he was leading the team in rushing, scoring and receiving and coming off two consecutive 100 yard rushing games when he sustained a career-ending foot injury and was forced into retirement.
Moving to Los Angeles in 1978, it didn’t take long for Marinaro to distinguish himself in his new career as an actor. His rugged good looks and charisma led to a role on the hit show “Laverne and Shirley,” but it was his portrayal of Officer Joe Coffey on the Emmy Award®-winning NBC Series “Hill Street Blues” that made Marinaro one of Hollywood’s most versatile leading men.
After “Hill Street Blues” 7-year-run, Marinaro went on to become one of the stars of NBC’s critically-acclaimed drama, “Sisters” which lasted for 6 years. He’s also guest-starred on the ABC comedy “8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter” and the USA Networks surprise hit “Monk.”
In addition to starring in over 25 feature films and television movies, Marinaro has been a sought after spokesman for such products as Miller beer, Fruit of the Loom and Healthy Choice foods, to name a few.
Despite his busy schedule, Marinaro takes time to lend his support to many charities, which include the Special Olympics, The Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, Big Brothers of America and hosts The Raymond James Palm Island Backcountry Fishing Tournament to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. An avid fisherman, Marinaro’s other hobbies include golf and skiing.
DENISE RICHARDS
“Debra”
Denise Richards earned her place in history and achieved word wide fame as bond girl Dr. Christmas Jones in MGM’s hugely successful film “The World Is Not Enough” opposite Pierce Brosnan. Richards came to attention in the thriller “Wild Things,” co-starring Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon and Neve Campbell. Richards made her big screen debut in Paul Verhoeven’s box-office hit “Starship Troopers,” showcased alongside a cast of fresh young talents.
Richards will be seen later this year in a recurring guest role in Spike TV’s series “Blue Mountain State,” which depicts the on and off-field antics of the fictional college football powerhouse. Richards plays “Debra” the contentious ex-wife of BMS football coach Marty Daniels, portrayed by Ed Marinaro.
Denise was most recently seen as “Laura” in “Finding Bliss,” a cutting edge romantic comedy that explores the adult film industry through the eyes of an idealistic 25 year-old award-winning film school grad. She was also recently seen in Season 8 of “Dancing with the Stars” where she partnered Maksim Chmerkovsky.
Richards starred in her own E! reality show, “Denise Richards: It’s Complicated.” The series followed the stunning high profile star as she navigated through Hollywood, romance, and motherhood. She was also seen in the independent film “Jolene” starring Michael Vartan and Donald Sutherland, and made a cameo appearance in “Edmond,” directed by Stuart Gordon and starring William H. Macy and Julia Stiles.
Richards’s additional film credits include “Blonde & Blonder,” “Scary Movie 3,” “Yo Puta,” “Empire,” “Undercover Brother,” “The Third Wheel,” “Good Advice,” “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” “Tail Lights Fade” and she made a cameo appearance in the hit romantic comedy “Love Actually.”
On television Richards starred in Lifetime’s romantic comedy movie of the week, “I Do (But I don’t)” alongside Dean Cain which garnered the highest ratings for the network that year. In addition, she starred in the UPN series “Sex, Love and Secrets” and made a memorable appearance on “Seinfeld.” She first garnered critical notice as a series regular in “Against the Grain” opposite Ben Affleck and in the television film “In the Blink of an Eye,” playing Mimi Rogers daughter.
PAGE KENNEDY
“Radon Randell”
Most commonly known for his portrayal as the charismatic drug dealer “U-Turn” on the Emmy-nominated comedy series “Weeds,” actor and music artist Page Kennedy returns to the small screen in the new Spike TV comedy “Blue Mountain State.”
Hailing from Detroit, MI Page lived in Los Angeles with his mother until he was six years-old, and then returned to live with his father in his Michigan hometown. Following the death of his father when he was just 16 years-old, Page found himself on his own, but driven to fulfill his father’s dream, that his only son would receive a college education. As a student at Western Michigan University (WMU), Page was introduced to the worlds of Shakespeare and theater. With the guidance of a mentor, Page grew to embrace Shakespeare with open arms and mastered the fine art of Shakespearean prose with ease and grace. Page’s dedication and hard work paid off when following an outstanding performance at WMU, Page caused a bidding war among 17 leading graduate theater programs. He chose the University of Delaware where he would be provided the opportunity to spend more time concentrating on Shakespeare.
After seven months of intense training in Delaware, Page returned to Los Angeles with a headshot and a dream. Although doors did not immediately open, Page was persistent. In 2001, he snuck onto the Sony Studios lot dressed as a messenger in order to deliver his headshot and resume – he ended up landing the role of “Roger” on CBS’s “The Kennedys.” After getting the attention of casting directors all across town, Page began to co-star on other numerous hit TV series. Some of his most notable appearances include “CSI,” “Justified,” “Raising The Bar,” “Six Feet Under,” “Boston Legal,” “NYPD Blue,” “Medical Investigation,” “Bones,” “Cold Case,” “Philly,” “Blind Justics,” “Pepper Dennis,” and was even a regular on “Desperate Housewives.” He has had recurring roles on “The Shield,” “My Name Is Earl,” and “Barbershop.”
In 2003, Page made his feature film debut opposite Coline Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Renner as the villainous “Travis Shipley” in S.W.A.T. Later that year, he also delivered a memorable performance in “Leprechaun: Back In Da Hood,” and in 2005, he starred as “Twizzie” opposite Usher in the Lionsgate release, “In The Mix,” and as “CW” in “Shackles.”. Page is most well accredited for his role in the urban street drama, 4 LIFE in 2007 in addition to his 2009 role starring as Craig in the comedy “See Dick Run” alongside Kel Mitchell and Todd Bridges. In 2009, Page made a hilarious appearance in the Wayne’s Brothers dance spoof “Dance Flick.”
FRANKIE SHAW
“Mary Jo Cacciatore”
Frankie Shaw is coming out in the independent feature, “The Freebie” opposite Dax Shepard. The film was written and directed by Katie Aselton and produced by the Duplass Brothers (CYRUS). She was also seen in the feature, “Explicit Ills,” directed by Marc Webber, for which she received a Best Actress nomination at the Down Beach Film Festival, and she voiced the role of ‘Victoria Primm’ on the animated PBS show “Nate The Great.” Frankie has also appeared on such TV shows as “Law & Order” and “One Life To Live.”
