John Magaro

Magaro was born February 16, 1983, in Akron, Ohio, the son of Wendy and James Magaro, and grew up in its nearby suburb of Munroe Falls. His father is of Italian descent and his mother is Jewish; he was raised in his mother's religion. His parents were teachers. While attending school within the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District, Magaro began acting in local theater, including shows at the Cleveland Play House and the Kent State Porthouse Theatre at Blossom Music Center, and Weathervane Playhouse in Akron, Ohio. As a youth, Magaro also appeared in television commercials, and had a role in a Rescue 911 episode.After graduating from Stow-Munroe Falls High School in 2001, Magaro went on to study theater at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. Among his acting highlights are The Big Short and Carol (2015). His early film work included The Brave One, the HBO film Taking Chance and a lead role in the horror film My Soul to Take. John also appeared in eleven episodes of Orange Is the New Black, spanning seasons 3-7. In 2008, Magaro starred in the popular Walmart x Coke holiday commercial, which played in movie theaters across the country. One of Magaro's earliest appearances was as an extra in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film Munich.

Magaro was the lead in the 2012 film Not Fade Away, which earned him the HFF Spotlight award. In 2019, he portrayed the lead role of “Cookie” in Kelly Reichardt’s critically acclaimed film First Cow, for which he was nominated for a 2020 Gotham Award as Best Actor.