Celebrity Nooz: Richard Grieco

Richard Grieco (Actor) - 21 Jump Street

Updated: 10/27/20

Name: Richard Grieco

Born: March 23, 1965 in Watertown, New York, USA

Claim To Fame: Richard Grieco is an American actor and former fashion model, best known for his role as Detective Dennis Booker from the popular Fox series 21 Jump Street (1988-89) and its spin-off Booker (1989-90).

Family Life: In 1999 he had a son (Dylan Justice Sissons) with a ex-girlfriend, model and actress Kimber Sissons.

Info: Son of Richard and Carolyn Grieco.

Has two sisters Elizabeth and Laura, and one brother, David.

He is of Italian and Irish descent.

He graduated from General Brown Junior/Senior High School in Dexter, New York.

Grieco played football, hockey and lacrosse in high school. He was All-State in all three sports.

Attended Central Connecticut college and majored in Political Science. He played for their football team as a middle linebacker and fullback.

Worked as a model for Armani, Calvin Klein and Chanel.

Grieco began a singing career in 1994 with the Dunmore Band.

He signed to a German label and released a CD, Waiting for the Sky to Fall, in 1995; he re-released the album in 2011.

In 2004, he formed the band Wasteland Park.

Trivia: One Life to Live (1968) was his first acting audition.

On 21 Jump Street, the character of Booker (Richard Grieco) was supposed to be killed off at the end of the third season. However, he proved so popular that he was spun off onto his own show Booker (1989).

Has a black panther tattoo on his shoulder and a clover tattoo on his calf.

In 1991, Grieco was nominated for the Bravo Otto - Best Male TV Star Award and he won the ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.

In 2009, several years after being encouraged to do so by Dennis Hopper, Grieco publicly revealed that he has been painting since 1991. He calls his work "Abstract Emotionalism."

Where Are They Now: Grieco has several completely projects awaiting release - Stay Off the App and Anadellia Rises. And he has a lead role in the up-coming horror film Saints Among the Dead, currently in pre-production.

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