Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Bellos.
Andre, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be an actor. Growing up in Chicago with blue collar parents, acting lessons were their last priority.
I participated in local plays, musicals, and talents shows, you name it, I did it! I graduated high school in 2005 and dabbled in music until I started college at the end of the summer. Two years later, I dropped out of college to pursue acting, my parents were disappointed, to say the least. I began to pay my dues and in 2011, I started working as an extra for about six years before I got my big break. In 2017, I was cast as, core on NBC’s Chicago Justice. I was hired for six months and became obsessed with my role. I was always on time, I never said no, brought my own wardrobe, and did my own hair and make-up in the bathroom. One day, I came to set and was randomly picked out of the background to deliver a couple of lines. I was given a glam squad, which included a make-up artist, hair stylist, wardrobe, and barber. I had my very own trailer with my last name on the door, and I went from background player #40 to State attorney Investigator, Billy Coburn. My entire world changed after that. I quit my day job, entered SAG, and hired an agent. Since then I have appeared in movies, commercials, & television. I have also created an Independent initiative called ‘Do the right thing ‘, where I have been traveling state to state volunteering and shedding light on non-for-profits. My career and life have really come full circle now, my mission is to pay it forward.
Has it been a smooth road?
I grew up being bullied by other classmates in school. As many of us who have been, it stays with you for a very long time. One of my biggest obstacles has been not believing what people say about me, but what I say about myself. Life is about creating yourself, you determine your destiny.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are most proud of.
I am most proud of my community work as a volunteer & leader. I have been able to help those not being able to afford their groceries. Planting food in a garden for a neighborhood. Rehabbing mobile homes for low-income families. Participating in the ‘Read for Literacy’ program, where I read to after-school youth, and much more! I have a very full life, my mission is to build a longer table, not a taller fence.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that our city of Chicago has given so many people like myself, who would otherwise have no shot at making it, a career in film. We live in arguably one of the best cities in the world, I am proud of that! On the other hand, the gun violence had gotten out of hand, not just in Chicago, but in the world. This is why I am dedicating myself to my humanitarian efforts.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.andrebellos.com
- Email: andreb_management@yahoo.com
- Instagram: AndreBellos
- Facebook: TeamAndreB
- Twitter: Andre_B87
Image Credit:
Ionu photography
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