Christian de la Cortina

Actor Christian de la Cortina worked steadily in features and on television in his native Canada while also pursuing a side career as a producer/director on such action-oriented projects as "Transit" (2008) and "Generation Wolf" (2016). Born Christian de la Cortina Castaneda in the Quebecois town of Cowansville, he initially studied commerce at the University of Sherbrooke before deciding to become an actor. Cortina honed his craft in classes while working as an extra in features and as a performer on cruise lines; the money he earned from the latter position allowed him to produce two short films, which allowed him into the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists - that country's union for English-speaking performers - and in turn, gain an agent. In 2005, Cortina decided to follow in the footsteps of hyphenates like Ben Affleck and Tyler Perry and study filmmaking in order to have greater control over his own projects. He earned his degree in cinema from the National Institute for Film Studies in Montreal and began work on "Transit," his first feature effort as actor, producer and director. The action-drama, about a car thief assisting the law in thwarting an auto theft ring, enjoyed international distribution and modest home video sales in Canada. Cortina returned to acting for the next few years, alternating between film assignments like the action-fantasy "The Four Soldiers" (2013) and the independent drama "Brooklyn" (2015) and recurring roles on Canadian television series like "O'" (Reseau TVA, 2012-). Cortina returned to the director's chair for "Generation Wolf," another crime thriller set in the automotive world, with Cortina as the owner of a struggling car company who turned to the marijuana industry to solve his financial issues.