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Michael Mando

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Michael Mando
Mando in July 2018
Born (1981-07-13) July 13, 1981 (age 43)
Quebec City, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Actor, writer, director, singer
Years active2000–present

Michael Mando (born July 13, 1981) is a Canadian actor, writer, director, and singer. He is best known for his roles as Vaas Montenegro in the video game Far Cry 3 (2012), Vic Schmidt in the sci-fi series Orphan Black (2013–2014), Mac Gargan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Nacho Varga on the AMC series Better Call Saul (2015–present).

Early life

Mando was born in Quebec City on July 13, 1981 and is of Mexican descent.[1] He was raised by his father and is the second of three brothers. The family frequently travelled, living in more than 10 cities across four continents and in more than 35 different homes, all before Mando's mid-20s.[2][3][4] His native language is French, and he also speaks English and Spanish fluently.[2][3][4] He grew up wanting to be a writer or an athlete.[3][5] In his mid-20s, he suffered a knee injury and consequently decided to change paths.[3] He 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.[3] Despite having no prior training, he went on to play the male lead in all five productions of the program.[3][4] He graduated in 2007.[2] His Dome credits included Orlando in Shakespeare's As You Like It, Professor Katz in David Edgar's Pentecost, and Valentine Xavier in Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending.[2][3] Steven W. Lecky, the chairman of the program, called Mando "one of the finest talents to emerge from the program in the past 25 years".[2][4]

Career

After playing the leading character in two award-winning professional theatre productions in Montreal,[2][4] Mando founded Red Barlo Productions.[3][4][6] The company’s first film, Conditional Affection[7] (which Mando starred in, directed and wrote) was released in 2010 and officially selected to Fantasia,[8][9] Bare Bones,[9][10] ACTRA Short Films,[3][9] and the New Hope International Film Festivals.[9][11]

Mando’s television debut simultaneously followed with a wide range of contrasting characters. His credits include guest appearances in the crime series The Bridge,[12] the medical drama mini-series Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures,[13] as an MS-13 gang member in The Border,[14] and as a close friend of the character Kenzi (played by Ksenia Solo) in the sci-fi series Lost Girl.[15]

Mando has had repeated collaborations with directors John Fawcett and Eric Canuel as well as producer David Barlow.[16][17] He had a starring role in the 2010 feature film Territories.[18][19] In 2011, he had a recurring role in Les Bleus de Ramville[18][20] and a guest appearance on the series King.[2][18] In 2012, he featured in Far Cry 3 where he voiced and inspired one of the main villains: Vaas Montenegro,[21] 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"[22] 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.[23] He played Vic, an abusive drug-dealer and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for his work on the series.[24] 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 Varga, a career criminal.[25]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Conditional Affection Jack Short film
Also director, writer and 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 and producer
2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming Mac Gargan
2018 The Hummingbird Project Mark Vega

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 Victor "Vic" Schmidt 9 episodes
2014 La marraine Alvaro Pessoa 5 episodes
2015–present Better Call Saul Nacho Varga Main cast; 31 episodes
2016 The Crossroads of History Gaum Episode: "Columbus"

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Shaun White Skateboarding Francisco Crystobal
2012 Far Cry 3 Vaas Montenegro Also motion capture

Web

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Far Cry Experience Vaas Montenegro 5 episodes

Accolades

Year Award Category Work Result
2012 NAVGTR Award Lead Performance, Drama Far Cry 3 Nominated
2014 Canadian Screen Award Best Guest Performance in a Dramatic Series Rookie Blue Nominated
2014 Canadian Screen Award Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Program or Series Orphan Black Nominated
2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Better Call Saul Nominated
2021 Pending

References

  1. ^ http://www.looper.com/74118/scorpion-spider-man-homecoming-looks-familiar/
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Michael Mando Biography". Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "GUEST: Michael Mando". Friday Night Live!. October 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Trivia". Michael Mando Official Site. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  5. ^ "Interview with Michael Mando – The Voice of Vaas". Unfinished Man. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Team". Red Barlo Productions Official Site. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  7. ^ IMDb,Conditional Affection
  8. ^ 2010 Fantasia Film Festival
  9. ^ a b c d "Conditional Affection". Red Barlo Productions Official Site. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  10. ^ Bare Bones Film Festival Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Profile: Michael Mando". Kim Vaincourt Site. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  12. ^ IMDb, The Bridge: Voices Carry
  13. ^ IMDb, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures: All Souls
  14. ^ IMDb, The Border: No Refuge
  15. ^ IMDb, Lost Girl: (Dis)Members Only
  16. ^ IMDb, John Fawcett
  17. ^ IMDb, Eric Canuel
  18. ^ a b c "Filmography". Michael Mando Official Site. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  19. ^ IMDb, Territories
  20. ^ "Backstage help needed on Francophone TV Series", Northern Life, August 20, 2010. Accessed December 30, 2010.
  21. ^ "Far Cry 3".
  22. ^ "The Far Cry Experience".
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "2014 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS Television Nominations". Canadian Screen Awards. January 13, 2014. pp. 1, 17, 20, 27, 28, 33, 40, 41, 44. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  25. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2014). "Patrick Fabian, Rhea Seehorn & Michael Mando Cast In 'Breaking Bad' Prequel Series 'Better Call Saul'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
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