Michael Mando
| Michael Mando | |
|---|---|
 Michael Mando in 2015 | |
| Born |
July 13, 1981 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Actor, Writer, and Director |
| Years active | 2008—present |
| Website | www.michaelmando.com |
Michael Mando (born July 13, 1981) is a Canadian film and television actor, writer, and director with a background in contemporary and classical theatre. He is well known for his role as Vaas Montenegro, one of the main antagonists of the video game Far Cry 3, and for his role as Victor "Vic" Schmidt in the sci-fi thriller television series Orphan Black. He currently portrays Ignacio "Nacho" Varga in the AMC television series, Better Call Saul.
Early life
Mando was born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. He was raised by his father, and is the middle child of three brothers. He is of Spanish descent.[1][2] Their family traveled a lot, and lived in over 10 cities, across 4 continents, and in over 37 different homes all before he reached his mid-twenties.[1][3][4] His native language is French, and he also speaks English and Spanish fluently.[1][2][4]
Mando was enrolled in many fields, including International Relations at the University of Montreal, before discovering the performing arts at The Dome Theatre Program (Dawson College) in 2004.[2] Despite no prior training, Michael went on to play the male lead in all 5 productions at the program.[2][4] He graduated with excellence in 2007.[1] His Dome credits include, Orlando in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Professor Katz in David Edgar’s Pentecost and Valentine Xavier in Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending.[1][2] Upon graduation, Steven W. Lecky, the Chairman of the program proudly stated Michael to be “one of the finest talents to emerge from the program in the past 25 years.”[1][4]
Acting career
After playing the leading character in two award winning professional theatre productions in Montreal,[1][4] Mando promptly founded Red Barlo Productions.[2][4][5] The company’s first film, Conditional Affection [6](which Mando starred in, directed and wrote) was released in 2010 and officially selected to Fantasia,[7][8] Bare Bones,[8][9] ACTRA Short Films,[2][8] and the New Hope International Film Festivals.[8][10]
Mando’s television debut simultaneously followed with a wide range of contrasting characters. His credits include guest appearances in the crime series The Bridge,[11] the medical drama mini-series Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures,[12] as an MS-13 gang member in The Border,[13] and as a close friend of the character Kenzi (played by Ksenia Solo) in the sci-fi series Lost Girl.[14]
Mando has had repeated collaborations with directors John Fawcett and Eric Canuel as well as producer David Barlow.[15][16] He had a starring role in the 2010 feature film Territories.[17][18] In 2011, he had a recurring role in Les Bleus de Ramville[17][19] and a guest appearance on the series King.[1][17] In 2012, he featured in Far Cry 3 where he voiced and inspired one of the main villains: Vaas Montenegro,[20] a vicious and twisted antagonist who arguably became the main face of the video game. He also starred in a webseries called "The Far Cry Experience"[21] where he plays Vaas who captures and tortures a celebrity (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who has been challenged to survive the island.
In 2012, Mando was cast in the first season of the science fiction television series. Orphan Black, which began airing in 2013.[22] He played Vic, an abusive drug-dealer and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for his work on the series.[23] He reprised his role of Vic in the second season in a recurring role. In 2014, Mando joined the cast of Better Call Saul, the Breaking Bad spin-off, portraying Nacho, a "Spanish-speaking career criminal".[24]
Personal life
Mando grew up wanting to be a writer or an athlete.[25][3] In his mid-twenties he suffered a knee injury and consequently decided to change directions.[3] He then pursued an academic scholarship at the University of Montreal in International Relations, but shortly afterward decided to go into acting.[1][2][3]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Conditional Affection | Jack | Short film Also director, writer, producer |
| 2010 | Territories | Jalii Adel Kahlid | |
| 2011 | Abyss of the Mind | Johnny H. | |
| 2012 | The Good Lie | Orville | |
| 2013 | The Colony | Cooper | |
| 2013 | Make Your Move | Raphael | |
| 2013 | Elysium | Rico | Uncredited |
| 2016 | Wake Up | Johnny H. / Alter Ego | Short film Also director, writer, producer |
| 2017 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2010 | The Border | Mirza / Marco | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | The Last Templar | Necia First Mate | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Web of Lies | Danny Wilcox | Television film |
| 2009 | Flashpoint | Felipe | Episode: "Eagle Two" |
| 2010 | Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures | Dr. Manolas | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | The Bridge | K9 | Episode: "Voices Carry" |
| 2010 | Lost Girl | Neville | Episode: "(Dis)Members Only" |
| 2011 | King | Esteban Demarco | Episode: "T-Bone" |
| 2011 | Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays | Alain | Episode: "Unscripted Conversation" |
| 2012 | The Pregnancy Project | Javier Rodriguez | Television film |
| 2012 | Les Bleus de Ramville | Marc-Andre David | 8 episodes |
| 2012 | Psych | Chuy | Episode: "Let's Doo-Wop It Again" |
| 2012 | The Killing | Vasquez | Episode: "Off the Reservation" |
| 2013 | The Listener | Len Gazicki | Episode: "Buckle Up" |
| 2013 | Rookie Blue | Cesar Medina | Episode: "The Kids Are Not Alright" |
| 2013 | Covert Affairs | Eduardo | Episode: "Into the Blue" |
| 2013–2014 | Orphan Black | Vic | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | La marraine | Alvaro Pessoa | 5 episodes |
| 2015–present | Better Call Saul | Nacho Varga | 11 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Shaun White Skateboarding | Francisco Crystobal | Voice |
| 2012 | Far Cry 3 | Vaas Montenegro | Voice and likeness |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Far Cry Experience | Vaas | 5 episodes |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Michael Mando Biography". Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "GUEST: Michael Mando". Friday Night Live!. October 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 "GUEST: Michael Mando". Friday Night Live!. October 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Trivia". Michael Mando Official Site.
- ↑ "Team". Red Barlo Productions Official Site.
- ↑ IMDb,Conditional Affection
- ↑ 2010 Fantasia Film Festival
- 1 2 3 4 "Conditional Affection". Red Barlo Productions Official Site.
- ↑ Bare Bones Film Festival
- ↑ "Profile: Michael Mando". Kim Vaincourt Site.
- ↑ IMDb, The Bridge: Voices Carry
- ↑ IMDb, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures: All Souls
- ↑ IMDb, The Border: No Refuge
- ↑ IMDb, Lost Girl: (Dis)Members Only
- ↑ IMDb, John Fawcett
- ↑ IMDb, Eric Canuel
- 1 2 3 "Filmography". Michael Mando Official Site.
- ↑ IMDb, Territories
- ↑ "Backstage help needed on Francophone TV Series", Northern Life, August 20, 2010. Accessed December 30, 2010.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ "SPACE, BBC America, and Temple Street Productions Announce Canadian-Born Actor Tatiana Maslany as the Lead in New Original Series ORPHAN BLACK" (Press release). Bell Media. September 17, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ↑ "2014 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS Television Nominations". Canadian Screen Awards. January 13, 2014. pp. 1, 17, 20, 27, 28, 33, 40, 41, 44. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2014). "Patrick Fabian, Rhea Seehorn & Michael Mando Cast In 'Breaking Bad' Prequel Series 'Better Call Saul'". Deadline. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
- ↑ "Interview with Michael Mando – The Voice of Vaas". Unfinished Man. Retrieved 17 September 2014.