Actor / Director Profile

Born in October 1954, Ken Wahl was one of ten children. He left school at age 17 to drift through a variety of jobs before heading to California with a burning desire to succeed in the dramatic arts. Wahl was tall, handsome and athletically gifted, plus he oozed on screen appeal. Wahl's first key role was as the lead character of Richie Genaro, the head of a Bronx street gang, in The Wanderers (1979).Two movies later he appeared alongside his onscreen hero Paul Newman in the explosive cop drama Fort Apache the Bronx (1981) . Wahl headlined again in his next film The Soldier (1982), about a covert assassin tracking down stolen nuclear arms. He appeared with Cheryl Ladd in the Vietnam war romance Purple Hearts (1984). He had roles in a few films before landing the TV role of undercover FBI agent Vinnie Terranova in "Wiseguy" (1987). The series ran successfully from 1987 to 1990 scoring Wahl a Golden Globe Award and was resurrected for a TV movie in 1996.Unfortunately, Wahl had a motorcycle accident in 1992 and sustained life-threatening neck injuries and for many years battled addictions in an attempt to ease the chronic pain. He now manages his pain with professional medical assistance. He shares his life with third wife Shane Barbi and his four children: Louie, Raymond, Cody & Kyra.