Jerry Ferrara
was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He
began studying theater in the
College of Staten Island, Staten Island, NY. After moving to Los
Angeles, the 5'4" Ferrara made his professional acting debut in an
episode of TV's King of Queens. Jerry was soon cast in the
independent feature Cross Bronx (2004). His other
film credits include Brooklyn Rules (1996), Where God Left his
Shoes, (2008), and Eagle Eye (2008). He has also made guest
appearances on several TV series such as Grounded for Life, and
Leap of Faith.
Jerry is best known for his work as the pot-smoking Sal aka "Turtle" on the
long-running HBO comedy series Entourage, a role that for which
he was auditioned 17 times while he
was working at a Boston Market in Los Angeles.
When he told his
friends he had landed a major part in a television pilot, they asked,
"What's a pilot?"
The Turtle character was based on Entourage's executive
producer Mark Wahlberg's real-life assistant, Donnie "Donkey" Carroll.
who carried Wahlberg's bags for more than 14 years. Jerry
asked that Turtle's real name be "Sal" in tribute to a friend of his who
died at a young age. His character's full name "Salvatore Assante"
appears hidden under the boxlid, in the graffiti art, on the Nike Air
Force Ones that Fukijama custom made for Turtle in episode 11 of Entourage's
season 3.Jerry stunned many of his
fans when he dropped 55 pounds In
2009-2010 by going on a strict diet and exercise regimen and claimed
that he lost weight by trading, “burgers and fries for tofu, fresh
organic fruit and vegetables.”
In a September 1, 2011 interview in New York Magazine,
Jerry commented that, " When I
first started on this whole new regimen it didn’t really cross my mind,
because I didn’t really know how far it would go. But once I was into it
for about a year, that’s when it did start to kick in like, Uh,
maybe this will be a little bit jarring for people. Doug Ellin,
when I first walked back into the office after not having seen him for a
few months, he was like, “Dude, what did you do?" Fortunately, it fit
the way the character was going in terms of his evolution."
His dramatic weight loss may require Jerry to change the name
Fat Sal's deli in Westwood, CA which he cofounded to Slim Sal's.
So to celebrate Jerry's birthday, we suggest a night
of watching reruns of Entourage to see Turtle's evolution from a
slacker to a millionaire entrepreneur while enjoying a slimming bowl of
turtle soup. |