Luis Da Silva
Luis Da Silva | |
|---|---|
 Luis Trikz Da Silva Jr in 2008 | |
| Born | Luis Fernando Da Silva, Jr. August 3, 1982 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, basketball player, Author |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Website | www |
Luis Fernando "Trikz" Da Silva, Jr. (born August 3, 1982) is an American basketball player, actor, and author. He gained notoriety after headlining the 2001 Nike Freestyle ad campaign.[1]
Personal life
Da Silva was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He became a vegan in 2010.
Luis Da Silva Jr is an award-winning actor for Best Supporting Actor at the 2015 Maverick Movie Awards for his role in ‘The Devil Goes Down’.
Luis has a busy 2016 up ahead starting with the film, ‘Triple 9’, where he can be seen acting opposite Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus, Aaron Paul and Woody Harrelson. The film is set for release on February 26, 2016. Following ‘Triple 9’, Luis is set to star alongside John Travolta and Amanda Schull in the film, ‘I Am Wrath’ and then ‘Kickboxer: Vengeance’ with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey, Luis Da Silva Jr. has taken the world by storm with his talent to entertain people with his performances in both basketball and acting. Luis did not always have dreams of being in the spotlight. He grew up playing baseball and practicing Aikido, a form of martial arts. It was not until he turned 13 years old that he found his passion for basketball, which led to a successful career at the infamous St. Patrick’s High School where he played with Al Harrington and Samuel Dalenbert.
At the age of 18, Luis’ life changed forever when he walked into an open audition for a Nike commercial. They immediately recognized his talent and signed him to represent their “Freestyle” ad campaign, which is one of the most widely recognized commercials ever to air on television. The ad was later spoofed in Scary Movie 2 and became so successful that it was made into a video, which went number one for several weeks on 106 & Park, the BET Network, and MTV. Luis became the youngest and first professional athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Nike, having never playing for the NBA.
A Guinness world record holder for several basketball handling categories, Luis has been featured on the cover of Time Magazine and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has starred in platinum selling video games with MIDWAY Games. Over the years, he has had the opportunity to perform alongside Alicia Keys in NYC’s Niketown and Will Smith and Sean “Puffy” Combs in two different NBA Finals half-time shows. Moreover, at the age of 26, Luis became the youngest athlete to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in his hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey.
After years of success in the sports world, Luis’ talents have lead to acting opportunities in both film and television including co-starring alongside Academy Award winning actors in major motion pictures. On the silver screen, Luis is best known for playing the role of Diogo, a Brazilian race car champion, in Universal Pictures’ feature film, ‘Fast Five’. Diogo was a unique role to play, as Luis spoke Portuguese and English throughout the film. In 2007, Luis scored his first role in the film industry as Lee in Warner Brothers Studios’ ‘The Brave One’, in which he worked alongside Jodie Foster and Terrance Howard. Following this performance, he was cast in ‘Pride & Glory’, which featured actors Jon Voight, Edward Norton and Colin Ferrell. Additional film credits include ‘21 Jump Street’, ‘Convergence’, ‘American Heist’ and ‘Mr. Right’, a romantic comedy starring Anna Kendrick.
Luis’ TV credits include guest starring on HBO’s hit series ‘Girls’ opposite Lena Dunham, Starz’s ‘Power’, ‘Person of Interest’, ‘Graceland’, ‘Body of Proof’ and ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’. Additionally, Luis has had recurring roles on ‘America’s Most Wanted’ and has been featured on ESPN, Nickelodeon and Telemundo.
Apart from his acting and basketball careers, Luis enjoys writing and is the author of a children's book titled, "A Boy Named Boo", which is available at Barnes & Noble.
Acting career
Da Silva began appearing in such films as The Brave One and Pride & Glory in the late 2000s.
Da Silva has produced and directed an instructional DVD entitled Freestyle 101, which has been created into an Apple application available on iTunes and Apple store.[4] This DVD is a streetball tutorial that is devoted to inspiring children, adolescents and adults to use basketball in a creative and challenging way of physical fitness.
March 2011 marks the release of Da Silva's Freestyle 101 DVD onto Amazon.com, which is a full-length 47-minute instructional DVD designed to teach and motivate anyone interested in learning basketball's most extraordinary trick moves. This is exclusive DVD is only available for purchase at Amazon.com in a collaborative effect with Nightowl Productions and Freestyle Dreams Media.[5]
In 2011, Da Silva played in Fast Five and in the 2012 comedy 21 Jump Street, gaining increasing exposure. With the release of 2013's Dead Man Down, Da Silva had his biggest role yet, as Terrence Howard's righthand man, Terry.[6] This was followed up by a role in the 2013 summer hit The Heat featuring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy.
In 2014, Da Silva completed filming roles for several upcoming films, like Convergence, Aztec Warrior, American Heist, American Project, Triple 9, and Mr. Right. Da Silva is working on many guest star and co-star roles on episodic series like Graceland and Person of Interest.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Marvin | TV – 1 episode |
| 2007 | The Brave One | Lee | |
| 2008 | Pride and Glory | Dominican Bodega Customer | |
| 2009 | Clear Lake, WI | Jason | |
| 2010 | Mercy | Burned Prisoner | TV – 1 episode |
| Southern Fried Stings | Guy | TV – 1 episode | |
| America's Most Wanted | Various | TV – 9 episodes | |
| Burn Notice | Prison Gang | TV – 3 episodes | |
| 2011 | Loving the Bad Man | Alejandro Garcia De La Paz | |
| The Mortician | Benny | ||
| Fast Five | Diego | ||
| Treme | Brazilian Foreman | TV – 1 episode | |
| Remnants | Russ | Also associate producer | |
| In a Pickle | Latino toughs | ||
| CO2 | Latino gang member | ||
| 2012 | Dragon Eyes | Dash | |
| 21 Jump Street | Luis | ||
| BayTown Disco | Large Vato | Filming | |
| Hound Dogs | Orlando | Pilot episode | |
| 2013 | Dead Man Down | Terry | |
| Body of Proof | Oscar Ramirez | TV- 1 episode | |
| The Heat | Dealer #4 | ||
| Aztec Warrior | Chupacabra Leader | ||
| 2015 | Kickboxer: Vengeance | Stahl | |
| 2016 | Triple 9 | Pinto | |
| I Am Wrath | Charley | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | NBA Ballers | Trikz | |
| 2005 | L.A. Rush | Trikz Lane | Main role |
| 2006 | AND 1 Streetball | Trikz |
Writing career
Da Silva published his first children's book titled A Boy Named Boo, which he wrote and illustrated.[7]
References
- ^ Rovell, Darren (June 14, 2001). "Bedazzling ballhandlers make video a Stomping success". Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1534888/?ref_=nv_sr_1
- ^ http://www.monaloring.com
- ^ "The Trikz".
- ^ "Freestyle 101".
- ^ "The Premiere of FilmDistrict's 'Dead Man Down' at ArcLight Hollywood".
- ^ "A Boy Named Boo by Luis Trikz Da Silva, Jr".
External links
- Luis Da Silva at IMDb
- Official website
- Freestyle 101 DVD website. Retrieved on 2011-05-04.
- Living people
- 1982 births
- Male actors from New Jersey
- Sportspeople from Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Basketball players from New Jersey
- Street basketball players
- American male film actors
- American men's basketball players
- Guards (basketball)
- Point guards
- American male television actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American people of Portuguese descent