Why Gabe Navarro From Law & Order: SVU Looks So Familiar
As the longest-running live-action scripted American primetime series ever, it's no surprise that "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" has had its fair share of recognizable actors and actresses from other popular television series. "Law & Order" and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" have historically served as a proving ground for some of the best up-and-coming actors the industry has to offer, and that hasn't changed over the years.
Michael Shannon, Adam Driver, and Viola Davis are just a few of the award-winning names that have landed cameos in the procedural franchise. If you watched the latest episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and thought the character of Gabe Navarro looked like one of those familiar faces from another television series, you'd be right. That's actor Rhys Coiro, and his new role on "SVU" certainly feels like a full circle moment after his first few of roles in Hollywood.
Coiro played compelling antagonists on CSI: Miami and CSI: NY
The Carnegie Mellon University graduate has been in the business for almost two decades. He first started landing minor roles on some popular series in the early 2000s. The first notable spot was a small part on "Six Feet Under," an Emmy-winning drama about a family of undertakers in Los Angeles. Coiro's episode notably included contributions from future stars Chris Pine and Jenna Fischer, so some casting director on that series certainly had an eye.
From there, he landed more small roles on "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: NY" as Diablo and Razor, respectively. Both characters were interesting antagonists. In the episode "From the Grave," David Caruso's Horatio Caine and the rest of the team investigate the Mala Noche gang after the death of a police officer and a rape that seem to be related. The team comes face-to-face with Coiro's Diablo of the Mala Noche gang, and — of course — ultimately brings him to justice for his crimes.
Coiro broke bad again on 24
After some more time in small roles on crime shows like "Numb3rs" and "Criminal Minds," Coiro's skills landed him a 10-episode run on "24" as FBI analyst Sean Hillinger. This was one of the first times Coiro really got to shine as a character with a deep and complicated backstory developed over a multi-episode arc.
On "24," Coiro's Sean Hillinger is actually a mole in the FBI, secretly supporting Iké Dubaku. Throughout the course of his story arc, Hillinger pretends to assist Bauer and the FBI agents in capturing Dubaku, although he's actually stalling them at every turn. Coiro's Hillinger ends up getting caught and taken to a holding room after attempting an escape from the building.
In an interview with the LA Times, Coiro recalled his character seeming like a pretty blank slate at the beginning of the show. Only after watching his own performance did he even spot his suspicious behavior in the role. Overall, Coiro ended up playing a pivotal role and a very convincing character during his time on the show.
Rhys Coiro is Billy Walsh on Entourage
"Entourage" was actually one of Coiro's big breaks way back in 2004 — even before "24." He plays the blunt and outspoken Billy Walsh alongside Adrian Grenier's Vincent Chase and Kevin Connolly's Eric Murphy. In fact, Coiro's time as Walsh was originally supposed to be short, but he became a recurring character throughout "Entourage" from 2004 to 2011, and even came back for "Entourage: The Movie" in 2015.
Coiro's Walsh goes through plenty of ups and downs over the course of his time on "Entourage," including directing an absolute bomb called "Medellín," which costs Vince and Eric dearly. He's gone for a while after that, only to return once more, reformed, to help Vince overcome a drug addiction. "Entourage" truly served as a proving ground for Coiro, and proved a crucial springboard to many of his roles on critically acclaimed shows throughout the 2000s and beyond.
He had reccuring roles on A Gifted Man and Hostages
The premise of "A Gifted Man" involves a competitive surgeon, Patrick Wilson's Dr. Michael Holt, who loses his ex-wife, but then finds out she can communicate with him from the afterlife. His wife then convinces him to volunteer at a clinic she was previously involved with, which is where we meet Coiro's Dr. Zeke Barnes. He resides as a physician at the clinic and helps Wilson's Holt recognize all the people that need help outside of his comfortable and wealthy life. Coiro served as a recurring cast member, although the show was canceled in 2012 after one year.
He then moved on to "Hostages," which involves the family of a surgeon swept up in a blackmailing effort to assassinate the President of the United States. Coiro plays Kramer Daly, one of the hostage takers, and provides a compelling villain for the show's unfortunately short run from 2013 to 2014. During this same phase of his career, Coiro also guest-starred on "Dexter" and "Longmire." While the actor clearly experienced a bit of a lull after his time as Billy Walsh ran its course, he was never hurting for work.
Coiro played Jed on The Walking Dead
On "The Walking Dead," Coiro plays a Savior named Jed. During his time with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan, Jed starts a small rebellion after the Sanctuary disbands. He and a group of former Saviors go off to live in the wilderness for years, and ultimately start robbing the other communities out of pure desperation for resources, which leads him to run into Melissa McBride's Carol for the second time in the series. He robs her and her community, but leaves her alive as a nod to her doing the same for him during his time with Negan. However, he is caught by Carol trying to rob again and ends up getting burned alive as punishment.
Only time will tell if Coiro continues to break into the larger cinema landscape alongside other famous "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" guest stars. It has been known to be difficult for actors to move from television to movies, but there are more opportunities to do so than ever before. We certainly have more to see from an actor with a range like his.