Joey Pollari

{{Infobox person

|name = Joey Pollari

|occupation = {{flatlist|

Actor
musician
director}}

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|4|9}}

|birth_name =

|birth_place = St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

|years active = 2006–present

}}

Joey Pollari (born April 9, 1994) is an American actor, musician, and director who became well known for his role as Eric Tanner on ABC's second season of American Crime, and in 2018, appeared in the film Love, Simon, as Lyle, one of Simon's potential boyfriends. In 2020, Pollari released his debut album, About Men. A follow-up second album, I'll Be Romance, will be released on April 5, 2024.

Personal life

Pollari was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He started his acting career when he attended a scouting event in downtown Minneapolis with his mother. He received callbacks the next day from agents who wanted to represent him. Pollari has appeared in stage productions at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, and the SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development, also in Saint Paul.{{Cite news|last=Justin |first=Neal |title=A Twin Cities teenager hopes a new Disney movie will rocket him to fame |work=Star Tribune |date=November 26, 2009 |location=Minneapolis, Minnesota |url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/tv/73674407.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUvDE7aL_V_BD77:DiiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU |accessdate=November 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606124550/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/tv/73674407.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUvDE7aL_V_BD77%3ADiiUiD3aPc%3A_Yyc%3AaUU |archivedate=June 6, 2011 }} He is gay, having come out at eighteen to friends and family.{{Cite news|url=https://www.advocate.com/film/2018/3/13/love-simons-joey-pollari-every-love-story-coming-out-story|title=Love, Simon's Joey Pollari: Every Love Story Is a Coming Out Story|date=March 13, 2018|access-date=March 13, 2018|language=en}}

Acting

On April 30, 2006, Pollari appeared as a newsboy in "The Hen House", an episode of the police procedural television series Cold Case.{{Cite news|title=Cold Case - TV Series - Seasons and Episodes |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York City |url=http://tv.nytimes.com/episode/55790/Cold-Case/overview |accessdate=November 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330155336/http://tv.nytimes.com/episode/55790/Cold-Case/overview |archivedate=March 30, 2012 }} The Walt Disney Company cast him in Skyrunners, a 2009 Disney XD Original Movie about two brothers who stumble upon a spaceship that is sought after by the FBI agents and space aliens. The film, which was shot in New Zealand, premiered on Disney XD on November 27, 2009.{{Cite news |last=Bentley |first=Rick |title=Music is at center of two new Disney XD programs |work=The Tribune |date=November 27, 2009 |location=San Luis Obispo, California |url=http://www.sanluisobispo.com/entertainment/national/story/935953.html |accessdate=November 30, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Pollari was 15 years old when it first aired. His co-star in the film, Kelly Blatz, a long-time friend of Pollari,{{Cite web |title=Skyrunners Movies |work=Scholastic Blog |date=November 27, 2009 |url=http://blog.scholastic.com/ink_splot_26/2009/11/skyrunners-movie.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130203823/http://blog.scholastic.com/ink_splot_26/2009/11/skyrunners-movie.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 30, 2009 |accessdate=December 4, 2009 }} said Pollari grew "like a foot taller and his voice changed and everything" during the filming of Skyrunners.{{Cite news |last=Brious |first=Bill |title=Calif.-raised "Skyrunner" star Blatz settles in to life in Toronto |agency=The Canadian Press |date=November 26, 2009 |accessdate=November 30, 2009 |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iG2YEgJ0_a5Ja4tWsMg-nK8801cg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215193602/http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iG2YEgJ0_a5Ja4tWsMg-nK8801cg|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 15, 2009}}

In 2018, Pollari had a supporting role in the teen romantic comedy Love, Simon as Lyle, one of Simon's potential boyfriends.{{cite web|url=https://www.advocate.com/film/2018/3/13/love-simons-joey-pollari-every-love-story-coming-out-story|title=Love, Simon's Joey Pollari: Every Love Story Is a Coming-Out Story|date=March 13, 2018}} In 2019, he appeared in another gay-themed film, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson.

In 2023, he appeared as a pivotal guest star on SEAL Team for Paramount+, playing a grieving vet whose guilt comes with dire consequences. In 2024, his work will next be seen in the lead role of the upcoming gay rom-com "Things Like This" directed by Max Talisman, and in a recurring role for "Sugar" on AppleTV+ starring Colin Farrell and Amy Ryan.

Music

In 2020, Pollari released an album, About Men. In a June 2020 interview, Pollari said that he is still acting, but in his free time, he will be releasing more music and directing music videos.{{cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Daniel |title=Joey Pollari's Album About Men Is About 'Queer Loving and Seeing' |url=https://www.advocate.com/music/2020/6/01/joey-pollaris-album-about-men-about-queer-loving-and-seeing |accessdate=August 20, 2020 |work=The Advocate |date=June 1, 2020}} In 2023, he announced an EP, Last Evenings, that was released October 25. His first single, "Supine Soundtrack," was released September 15, and was followed by a second single, "Aliveness," which he self-directed a video for.{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw3TymzOiAZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==|title=Instagram|website=instagram.com}}{{Primary source inline|date=August 2024}}

In January 2024, he announced a second full-length album, "I'll Be Romance," with an accompanying first single and self-directed music video for "So Close." The video was called both "dreamy and rousing," and Pollari's songwriting was compared to "Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen, his baritone delivery fixated on enveloping the listener in a vivid and introspective narrative" by Wonderland Magazine.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2024/01/31/joey-pollari-so-close/|title=Joey Pollari Releases 'So Close'|first=Wonderland|last=Staff|date=January 31, 2024|website=Wonderland}} The album has been teased as "a sonorous balm that seems to touch on vintage tropes" by Clash Magazine, and will be released April 5, 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/joey-pollari-announces-new-album-ill-be-romance/|title=Joey Pollari Announces New Album 'I'll Be Romance' |first1=Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews &|last1=Interviews|first2=Robin|last2=Murray|date=January 31, 2024}}

Filmography

=Film=

class=wikitable style=text-align:center !style=background:#B0C4DE\|Year!!style=background:#B0C4DE\|Title!!style=background:#B0C4DE\|Role!!style=background:#B0C4DE\|Notes
2009	Skyrunners	Tyler Burns	Disney XD Original Movie
2010	Avalon High	Miles	Disney Channel Original Movie
2012	Profile of a Killer	David Jenks	Indie Thriller Movie
2014	Ethereal	Asher	Short film
2015	Eden	Georgie
2018 \|Love, Simon \|Lyle \|
2019 \|The Obituary of Tunde Johnson \|Charlie \|
2025 \|Things Like This \|Zack \|

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"\| Notes
2006 \|Cold Case \| Newsboy \| Episode: The Hen House
2012 \|Up All Night \| Mark \| Episode: I Can't Quit You
2012 \|The Inbetweeners{{Cite web\|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/02/joey-pollari-american-crime-interview\|title=American Crime's Joey Pollari on the Role of a (Young) Lifetime\|website=Vanity Fair \|date=February 18, 2016}} \| Will McKenzie \| Regular; 12 episodes
2014 \|Saint George \| Tanner Whitman \| 4 episodes
2014 \|Major Crimes \| Wesley Grant \| Episode: Party Foul
2016 \|American Crime \| Eric Tanner \| Season 2; Regular: 10 episodes
2022 \|SEAL Team \| Ben \| Season 6; Recurring Guest Star: 2 episodes

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable"| Notes

2006

|Cold Case

| Newsboy

| Episode: The Hen House

2012

|Up All Night

| Mark

| Episode: I Can't Quit You

2012

|The Inbetweeners{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/02/joey-pollari-american-crime-interview|title=American Crime's Joey Pollari on the Role of a (Young) Lifetime|website=Vanity Fair |date=February 18, 2016}}

| Will McKenzie

| Regular; 12 episodes

2014

|Saint George

| Tanner Whitman

| 4 episodes

2014

|Major Crimes

| Wesley Grant

| Episode: Party Foul

2016

|American Crime