Four years after his demise, actor Nick Cordero remains remembered for his performance in the long-running crime drama Blue Bloods. Though he starred for only three episodes in Season 8 of the show, Cordero left an indelible mark. The Canadian actor and singer has a lot of work to his credit, and today, we are exploring all of it and more.
Trending
Nick Cordero: the Broadway Star
Before his stint with Blue Bloods, Nick Cordero had already become a notable Broadway star. He started his career with Rock of Ages on Broadway in 2012 and was also seen in the off-Broadway production of The Toxic Avenger. However, his main breakthrough came with the critically acclaimed musical Bullets Over Broadway, where he played Cheech, a fierce gangster.
Woody Allen wrote the musical based on his 1994 film of the same name.
Cordero earned critical acclaim for his performance and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Features Actor in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. Though he did not win either, his role did win him the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and a Theatre World Award.
With more opportunities opening up to him following Bullets Over Broadway, Cordero starred in the Broadway adaptation of Waitress, where he played Earl, the abusive husband of the protagonist Jenna Hunterson. He made an even more impressive mark on the stage with his performance as Sonny in the Broadway premiere of A Bronx Tale in 2016. The role earned him another Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical in 2017.
That same year, Cordero joined the cast of Blue Bloods in its eighth season for three episodes, "Out of the Blue," "Heavy is the Head," and "Your Six." He played Victor Lugo, a crime boss who becomes a key antagonist and a major rival to Danny Reagen, one of the major NYPD detectives on the show.
His portrayal of Victor Lugo remains a fan favorite and is one of his major works on American TV.
However, that's not all he is known for on television. Playing central crime overlords, Cordero played notable roles in Don Juan (2011), Going in Style (2017), Inside Game (2019), and Mob Town (2019). He was also seen in an episode of the 2014 dark comedy crime drama series Lilyhammer. Quite a known face by now in various crime dramas, he also won his fandom over with his role as Anthony Marino in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He reprised his role with Robby Marino, one of Anthony's two sons, in 2019.
Nick Cordero: the Musician
Acting was not the only thing that Nick Cordero was known for. Cordero, a musician to the core, was the voice behind the soundtrack "Live Your Life" from the 2020 teen drama movie Unpregnant. Cordero was also the writer of the song.
Cordero's love for music is also reflected in his social media posts. He announced the opening night of Rock of Ages, the former Broadway musical, as a bar show in Los Angeles. Notably, he moved to Los Angeles for the production of Rock of Ages in March 2020, right before the pandemic began.
Following Cordero's untimely demise in 2020 due to complications arising from COVID-19, his wife, dancer, and fitness instructor, Amanda Kloots, wrote a memoir titled Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero. She often found a mention on his social media along with their son.
His long battle with COVID-19 and related complications was a much talked about news in 2020. Unfortunately, he passed away in July 2020 after more than 90 days of hospitalization at the early age of 41.
His work continues to live on, and fans still remember (and shudder) when they see Victor Lugo on screen every time a Blue Bloods rerun happens.
Reply
