Marco Perella

Life and career Perella was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Anthony Paul Perella and Edna Lee Drake. He then worked as a construction worker, firefighter, and musician, before auditioning for a role in West Side Story.

In 1984, he and actress Diane Perella were married in Texas. They have two children.

In the mid-1980s, Perella began to work in film and television. His debut was in Fandango (1985) starring Kevin Costner, but his scenes were cut before the theatrical release. He later took the role as a cab driver in D.O.A. (1988) starring Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. Other roles include a police sergeant in the made-for-TV movie Knight Rider 2000 (1991) starring David Hasselhoff, as the Mercer interrogator in Oliver Stone's JFK (1991) starring Kevin Costner, as a roadblock officer in A Perfect World (1993) starring Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, and Laura Dern, and as an Anglo father in Lone Star (1996) starring Matthew McConaughey and Kris Kristofferson.

Perella had a recurring role, as Cobalt, in TV's Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–1999) starring Chuck Norris; he also appeared in another episode of Walker, Texas Ranger entitled 'No Way Out' as Zeke, a mercenary working for Caleb Hooks (Michael Parks). He also worked with director Richard Linklater several times, playing Tom Watson in Fast Food Nation (2006) starring Greg Kinnear, Bruce Willis, and Catalina Sandino Moreno, as Donald in A Scanner Darkly (2006) starring Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, and Robert Downey Jr., and as Professor Bill Welbrock, the abusive alcoholic second husband, in Boyhood (2014) starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, and Ethan Hawke.

His autobiography, Adventures of A No Name Actor, in which Perella humorously recounts his struggles in the acting world, was published in 2001 and became a bestseller.

Perella lives in Onion Creek, Texas, with his wife, Diane. Besides being involved in acting, they offer on-camera acting classes and audition workshops in Austin.

Selected filmography D.O.A. (1988) as Cab Driver It Takes Two (1988) as Dave Cohen and Tate (1988) as FBI George Pancho Barnes (1988) (TV movie) as Maj. Cooper Night Game (1989) as Color Man Challenger (1990) (TV movie) as Dick Methia Black Snow (1990) as Charlie A Killing in a Small Town (1990) (TV movie) as Rick Slocum Knight Rider 2000 (1991) (TV movie) as Police Sergeant A Seduction in Travis County (1991) (TV movie) as Poge JFK (1991) as Mercer Interrogator Murder in the Heartland (1993) (TV Mini-Series) as Bob Von Busch My Boyfriend's Back (1993) as Townsperson Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald (1993) (TV movie) as 2nd Young Guy A Perfect World (1993) as Road Block Officer The Chase (1994) as Cop #2 Shadows of Desire (1994) (TV movie) as Man #1 Tall, Dark and Deadly (1995) (TV movie) as Waiter The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) (TV movie) as Col. Sirca The Man with the Perfect Swing (1995) as Chuck Carter Lone Star (1996) as Anglo Father Two Mothers for Zachary (1996) (TV movie) as Reporter #2 The People Next Door (1996) (TV movie) as Simms, Manager Deep in the Heart (1996) as Mickey / Coach Keys to Tulsa (1997) as Bedford Shaw To Live Again (1998) (TV movie) as News Anchor Home Fries (1998) as Good Ol' Boy in Pickup Varsity Blues (1999) as Dr. Benton Brothers. Dogs. And God (2000) as Buddy Hell Swarm (2000) (TV movie) as Brad Dempsey Picnic (2000) (TV movie) as Police Chief Miss Congeniality (2000) as Starbucks Guy Beyond the Prairie, Part 2: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder (2002) (TV movie) as Grady The Life of David Gale (2003) as TV Host No Pain, No Gain (2005) as Preppy Customer Friday Night Lights (2004) as Booster The Wendell Baker Story (2005) as Investigator Sin City (2005) as Skinny Dude The King (2005) as Chairman Fast Food Nation (2006) as Tom Watson A Scanner Darkly (2006) as Donald Infamous (2006) as Clifford Hope Elvis and Anabelle (2007) as Doctor Love and Mary (2007) as Vince Broke Sky (2007) as Paul Spirit Camp (2009) as Nikki's Dad Deep in the Heart (2012) as Fred This Is Where We Live (2013) as Doctor Benson Boyhood (2014) as Professor Bill Welbrock The Teller and the Truth (2015) as FBI Agent Carl Winstead My All American (2015) as Dr. Martin The Devil's Candy (2015) as Sgt. Davis A Room Full of Nothing (2019) as Steve

TV series Dangerous Curves (1992–1993) as Bruder Larry Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–1999) as Cobalt / Zeke Wishbone (1995) as Seymour LaVista Friday Night Lights (2008) as Big Shot Dallas (2013) as Mark-Oil Executive In an Instant (2015) as Koski's neighbor The Leftovers (2015) as Charlie Simpson American Crime (2016) as Senator Robert Butler Queen of the South (2016) as Sam The Son (2017) as Sheriff Graham Landman (2024−) as Hank

Video Games Crusader: No Remorse (1995) as Weasel