Christian Meoli
Christian Meoli is an actor, writer, producer who runs Voltaire Media and film executive.
Early life
Christian Meoli was born on July 6, 1972, in Philadelphia, the son of Jerry Mayo, a band member of the group Freddie Bell and the Bellboys.He began his acting career in his early teens in regional-theatre productions. He is an alumnus of Stagedoor Manor. He graduated from Performing Arts School in Philadelphia and received a scholarship to Temple University.
He appeared in the Washington/Baltimore company of the musical Tony n' Tina's Wedding in the role of bandleader "Donny Dulce". In 1991, Meoli appeared opposite Jason Miller and Malachy McCourt in a production of the play Inherit The Wind that was staged in a court in the Philadelphia City Hall.
Career
Meoli's first film role was the movie Alive as Federico Aranda and directed by Frank Marshall. He was next cast in the movies The Low Life and Persons Unknown.He played the comedy-relief role of Boz Bishop for four seasons on the CBS television series Nash Bridges.
After his mother, Sandra Meoli, died from cancer, Meoli created the performance event The Big C, which annually plays for cancer survivors at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. The Big C Foundation was created to continue a focus of education and outreach on the subject of cancer.
He appeared in the pilot episode of the television series Dollhouse, Martial Law, the Masterpiece Theatre PBS presentation of The Song of the Lark, as well as Emmy Award–winning episodes of NYPD Blue, The Practice, and the telefilm production of Tuesdays with Morrie.
In 2003, Meoli wrote the play The Dadaists, a retelling about the Dada art movement and Cabaret Voltaire, which originated in February 1916, in Zürich, Switzerland, at Spiegelgasse 1, and led Meoli to create a modern Cabaret Voltaire in Los Angeles.
He is credited by the Los Angeles Times as being the first to initiate flash mobs in Los Angeles.
In 2004, Meoli was one of the co-directors and producers of the documentary film Beats for Baghdad, featuring Jerry Quickley.
In 2009, Meoli wrote the book and lyrics, acted, produced and directed Octomom the Musical, a parody of Nadya Suleman.
He produced The Singafest Asian Film Festival in Los Angeles, which showcased thirty new films from the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, China and Japan.
Meoli's company, Voltaire Media, also expanded its services to include sales and producer representation, handling distribution acquisition for companies such as Potent Media and American Motion Picture Company.
In 2012, Meoli's company began a new single-screen art house known as Arena Cinema Hollywood. The endeavor, in conjunction with Theatre of Arts, has run engagements of Academy Award–winning films and works with distributors including IFC, Tribeca Film, Phase 4 Films, First Run Features, Kino-Lorber, Breaking Glass Pictures, XL rator Media and Submarine.
In 2013, Meoli starred in the film Treachery opposite Michael Biehn, Sarah Butler and Caitlin Keats.
Meoli's Voltaire Media represented Bruce Ramsay's 2011 film Hamlet and the film was acquired by Breaking Glass Pictures, opening theatrically in January 2014 in New York City and Los Angeles.
Filmography
- Ray Donovan as Kevin
- Desperate Housewives, "What's the Good of Being Good" as himself
- Should've Been Romeo as Eddie
- The Girl with No Number as Mr. Johnson
- Apocalypse According to Doris as Apperson
- Dollhouse, "Ghost" as Thug 1
- Eli Stone, "The Path" as Janitor
- In Plain Sight, "Stan" by Me as Jason
- Everybody Hates Chris as himself
- Life-The Fallen Woman as Ron
- Final Approach as himself
- Alias as Semanko
- JAG, "Automatic for the People" as P.O. Dave Mooney
- Joan of Arcadia, "The Gift" as Ben Pollack
- The Division as Vinnie Praiser
- Crossing Jordan, "Devil May Care" as Seth Pale
- Cold Case, "Fly Away" as Angel Rivera
- Without a Trace, "The Bus" as Carl
- Looking for Jimmy as himself
- Wanderlust as Brian
- Nash Bridges as Boz Bishop
- Tuesdays with Morrie as Aldo
- The Practice, "Target Practice" as Charles Best
- Walker, Texas Ranger, "Livegirls.now" as Rolf Gaines
- V.I.P., "One Wedding and Val's Funeral" as Waiter
- The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer as Telegraph Operator
- Martial Law, "Shanghai Express" as Detective Jones
- Hitz, "Give the Drummer Some" as Jimmy
- Bongwater as himself
- Persons Unknown as himself
- L.A. Firefighters, "Fuel and Spark" as Freddy the Store Manager
- Boy Meets World, "Turkey Day" as Carl
- The Pretender, "The Paper Clock" as Marcus Whittaker
- Dogtown as Mickey Jenks
- NYPD Blue, "The Girl Talk" as Phil Farr
- The Naked Truth as Vanjacker
- The Low Life as Leonard
- Cleghorne!, "This Magic Moment" as Magini the Magician
- Chicago Hope, "Wild Cards" as Luigi
- Weird Science, "Quantum Wyatt" as Dangerous Felon
- Ellen, "The Christmas Show" as Grunge Guy
- Nunzio's Second Cousin as himself
- In This Corner as Julio
- Beverly Hills, 90210 as Pablo
- Alive as Federico Aranda