Danny Irizarry

Danny Irizarry was born in Quito, Ecuador, as Joseph Daniel Irizarry, Jr. At age four Danny relocated to the United States with his family, living in Chicago and the western suburbs. He competed in gymnastics, earning a state title, and then transitioned to studying taekwondo. Growing up, Danny always had a soft spot for movies, literature, and TV Shows from earlier generations. This led to some of his favorite memories such as watching Flight of the Navigator with his mom, listening to his dad reading Lord of the Rings at bedtime, and staying up late watching Family Ties with his sister. Danny started his theater training at the Theatre of Western Springs. He also studied improv at Second City, Chicago. Two of his favorite theater roles were as Puck in a Chicago theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and as Buddy the Elf in the stage musical. His first film role was in the student short, Moved by Love, directed by family friend and Biola student Elisa Logan. This led to a brief role in her next film, The Cure, and confirmed his desire to pursue acting professionally. His first TV role was as Colin Blake, the misunderstood swim-team student/murder victim in season 3 of Chicago P.D. He followed up with lead roles in films from various Chicago-area film schools, as well as the feature Don't Run, and the pilots for The Florist and Gone. These all helped point him to his decision to move to Los Angeles where he met his best friend & creative partner Reid Miller and in 2022 fulfilled the lifelong dream of not only meeting Family Ties' Alex P. Keaton, but stepped into the shoes of his childhood hero by starring in Apple TV's Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie as a young Michael J. Fox himself. His love for filmmaking has continued to grow and even expanded to include not only acting but also directing, editing, and cinematography for which Danny and his team have won numerous awards.

(Bonus) Danny's paternal grandfather was Puerto Rican, and his maternal grandmother was Czech. Both of his other grandparents can trace their roots in the United States back to the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, with British, German and Yugoslav branches on the family tree.