John Pollano
John Pollano
John Pollano is a renowned playwright, screenwriter and actor best known for his many successful plays. Additionally, he wrote the 2017 film Stronger which earned him international recognition.
Small Engine Repair follows three high school buddies who share a love of the Boston Red Sox, rowdy bars and Frank’s teenage daughter Crysal (Ciara Bravo).
But when Frank invites his friends to a whiskey-fueled evening and asks them for help on behalf of the daring young woman they all adore, events quickly spiral out of control. Starring Jon Bernthal and Shea Whigham, this captivating thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Early Life and Education
Pollano was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts and attended the University of New Hampshire where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1994. Upon graduation, Pollano relocated to Los Angeles where he pursued screenwriting part-time.
He got involved in the theater scene and founded Jabberwocky Theatre Company, later becoming Rogue Machine Theatre. His plays Small Engine Repair and Lost Girls premiered Off-Broadway in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
Early-life stress causes behavioral and cognitive adaptations to a challenging, unpredictable environment that shape future development trajectories. These changes may be morphological (e.g., increased flight speed or body size; improved foraging strategies); or cognitive (e.g., enhanced food caching memory or spatial associative learning; novel social learning strategies).
Professional Career
John Pollono has been an integral part of the Los Angeles theater scene, serving as playwright-in-residence at Rogue Machine Theatre and part of The Temblors playwriting collective. Additionally, he wrote the screenplay for Stronger as well as Small Engine Repair and Lost Girls which both premiered Off-Broadway.
One of his more remarkable accomplishments was writing the screenplay for Stronger, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman. Released in 2017, it earned critical acclaim. Additionally, his novel Small Engine Repair was adapted into a film starring Jon Bernthal and Shea Whigham that is being screened across America including Albuquerque and Santa Fe theaters. This funny yet poignant thriller blends high-tech with low-tech elements in an aptly named homage to modern-day male bonding and class struggles.
Achievements and Honors
John Pollano has an impressive list of accomplishments to his credit. As a lawyer, he practices as a partner at Phillips, Gerstein & Holber LLP in New York City and has extensive expertise in entertainment, media and general business litigation.
His most notable achievements include writing the play Small Engine Repair which was adapted for television in 2011, earning him the grand prize at the New York Drama Critics Circle awards. That same year, he also won an Oscar for his role as lead actor – becoming the only male to ever win such an honor. Furthermore, he was inducted into Yale School of Management’s deans list and became the first man ever to win an Emmy for a television show he both wrote and starled in.
Personal Life
Pollano is an accomplished writer, actor and playwright best known for his 2017 film Stronger as well as the Off-Broadway plays Small Engine Repair and Lost Girls which premiered in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
He is actively engaged in the Los Angeles theater scene as one of Rogue Machine Theatre’s playwrights-in-residence and a member of The Temblors playwriting collective.
Pollano has been working on “Small Engine Repair,” a play he has been developing for over ten years, in which he portrays Frank Romanowski, owner of his own small engine repair shop in Manchester, New Hampshire. His friends Swaino (Jon Bernthal) and Packie (Shea Whigham), two pivotal figures in his life, are based off people he met growing up.
Net Worth
John Pollono is an American playwright and actor best known for his roles on TNT’s Mob City and NBC’s This Is Us. He’s also the author of Stronger (2017), Small Engine Repair (2016), and Lost Girls (both premiered Off-Broadway in 2013 and 2015, respectively).
He made his television debut in 2013 as Pat Dolan on the TNT series Mob City, for which he received a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. From 2014 to 2016, he played Tyler, Randall’s co-worker on This Is Us from 2014 until 2016.
He is the founder and director of Rogue Machine Theatre, as well as being married to actress Jennifer Pollono and having two children with her. His wealth comes from his acting, writing careers, as well as his clothing line AurumRoma which launched on August 2, 2020.