American actor Francesco Pultro, was born in Philadelphia, PA, to Joe and Pudgie. He first appeared on stage when he was 7 years old in his younger sisters’ dance recital. They needed boys! He was drawn to the stage by the passion of his high school musical and theater director. His newly acquired love for the stage, plus his passion for dance, led to a successful 15 year career as a dancer.
After dancing in the movie Grease (John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John), he and his wife, Mary, chose to leave “the business” in order to raise their family. While working to stay in dancing shape, Francesco became an accomplished martial artist winning 4 national titles in forms, placing 13th in the 1997 USKA World Championships. In the interim Francesco received a calling to be a pastor and pediatric hospital chaplain. He has been an effective grief counselor for families who have lost children and a police chaplain for almost 3 decades. Francesco was also deployed as a crisis chaplain at several disaster sites including the WTC following 9/11, New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Amtrak #110 train derailment.
Francesco Pultro in Rocky Balboa
He continued to dabble in the fine arts by writing and directing, during his off years. As his children grew and moved out he took steps to reignite his acting career with roles in Rocky Balboa (2006), Attendance (2007), Hart’s Ridge (2008). Since that time he has been cast in several TV and film projects including ‘Pope: the Most Powerful Man in History‘ (CNN, 2018), as Stephen A. Douglas, in CNN’s ‘Lincoln: Divided We Stand‘ and Golden Globe nominated, Ageless Love (2022). He was also a religious tech advisor for the TV Series, ‘Mare of Easttown‘ starring Kate Winslett.
– IMDb Mini Biography By: Francesco Pultro
