Actor

ACTOR/DIRECTOR

PAUL G. GLEASON

LA24 Films and Pedro Varela drew the support of several
professional personalities such as
cinematographer Michael Chapman
(Raging bull, Taxi Driver, The Fugitive, The Godfather, Primal Fear),
actress/director Joanna Gleason
(Boogie Nights, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanours, The West Wing,
Friends),
and actor Chris Sarandon
(Dog Day Afternoon, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas).

BENNY CIARAMELLO

Pedro Varela is an actor/director from Lisbon, Portugal. Pedro has been acting since the
age of sixteen. He has experience in theatre, film, TV and music. At the National Theatre in
Lisbon, he worked with such artist/directors as Carlos Avilez and Richard Cottrell. He
adapted, produced, directed and acted in the staged version of Irvine Welsh's
"Trainspotting," the riveting novel adapted by Danny Boyle for the big screen. Pedro has
also hosted, produced, directed and acted in many TV shows, series, short and feature
films and theatre productions.
He has been teaching and directing in such places as Lisbon, Portugal; Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil; Boston, New York and Los Angeles.
His style is thorough and distinct.

Director of LA24 since 2003 he created and directed the "LA24 Hour Short Film Marathon"
and the TV show "Inside the marathon" aired at the LA Channel 36 in 2004.
He keeps acting, writing and directing for TV and film between
Lisbon and Los Angeles.

ACMT and Mr. Gleason

Paul G. Gleason is one of the most brilliant acting coaches in Los Angeles.
First generation in Alexander technique
Mr. Gleason directed and coached half of the Hollywood talent. He has had a long history
on different sides of the entertainment business. Mr. Gleason runs the Paul G. Gleason
Theatre in Hollywood and was artistic director of the American Center for Music and
Theatre for over twenty years; he has privately coached actors such as Richard
Chamberlain, Mary Tyler Moore, and Ed Asner. To add to his illustrious career, Mr. Gleason
has also taught master classes in theatre, opera, musical theatre, and dance at many
schools around the world.

"He knows everything about the craft of acting and the creative process common to all
disciplines."

"Pedro Varela gave me one of the greatest tricks I have in my bag of acting magic...In
the middle of rehearsals on the play Ecstasy...where Pedro was Directing Jerome
Hawkins and I, he stopped us in middle of a scene and simply said..." there's 72 ways
to say Yea, I know"...He then went into a rant of colorful theatrical, dramatic, and
comedic variations of the simplistic phrase and blew my mind...." He was a genius like
that." A true mentor in his ability to make sense and get through to an actor because he
himself is a GREAT thespian.....and when a director is also a brilliant actor, then you
have a true master on your hands....someone who can translate and mold a piece at it's
very nucleus, and that's why Pedro is on of the best I've encountered, one of the great
directors and or teachers I've ever met.
Sincerely, Benny Ciaramello"

Benny also studied classical Alexander Technique under Paul G. Gleason during the
same time at the " John Raitt Theatre".

Filmography:
Friday Night Lights (NBC - 2008) The Fall (2007) The Guardian (2006) The Boys & Girls Guide to
Getting Down (2006) Filthy Gorgeous (2006) Saint Francis (2006) War of the Worlds (2005)

Star quality means a lot of things. Means hard work, intelligence, intuition,
humbleness, flexible mind and body and the most important thing...a desperate
need of escape.

ACTORS

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PEDRO VARELA