Actor / Director Profile

Tony Yalda was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Tony's upbringing is that typical of the Assyrian culture. His lifestyle has now somewhat changed, and he seams to be more like a member of Hollywood royalty than anything else. The Yalda family left Lebanon 7 days after Tony's birth due to the holy war. After living in Athens, Greece, for four years, the Yaldas made yet another move. This time to Chicago, Illinois -- the place Tony calls home.It was in Chicago that Tony caught the acting bug. His first theatrical experience was in high school (Amundsen) when he played Androcles in Androcles and the Lion. But, it was the role of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet that sparked Tony to pursue a career in the arts.Like most young aspiring actors, Tony enrolled in a college that would provide him with the skills necessary to develop a career in show business. He attended DePaul University's Theatre School where he studied Theatre for two years before transferring to Roosevelt University's Theatre Conservatory. At Roosevelt, Tony was trained in improv, Stanislavsky method, and Meisner technique under the guidance of Ted Hoerl. Once his course curriculum with Mr. Hoerl was completed Tony made the decision to dropout of college, move to LA, and pursue the next phase of his acting career.Tony arrived in Los Angeles on July 17, 2004. He landed in LA with no real connections, and like many bold aspiring actors before him, he turned to sheer determination as a means to accomplish his ambitions. He used to sneak into casting offices riding a Vespa and pretend to be a messenger service, dropping off his headshots.Tony's bold tactics and determination proved to be a success with the booking of his first major gig on The Comeback starring Lisa Kudrow in April 2005. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth Barnes (casting director for "The Comeback" (2005) recommended Tony to his then talent agency: GVA Talent. Tony signed with GVA a week before landing his first feature film, American Dreamz (2006), in May 2005.Tony is currently repped by Miles Levy of James Levy Management.