Actor from Wantagh reflects on career

Wantagh native Chris Cardona has made it big by combining his two passions in his life — being a professional actor and a former pro fight trainer.

Cardona said his introduction to his two passions came from his father, Anthony.

“My father had two loves — film and boxing,” Cardona said. “So, I’ve always been involved in both since I was a kid.”

Cardona is originally from Wantagh, with his family having roots in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Cardona attended Mandalay Elementary School, Wantagh Middle School and Wantagh High School. He also enrolled at the Nassau BOCES Performing Arts High School.

When he attended 10th grade at Wantagh High School, Cardona was encouraged by a fellow student to audition for the school’s production of “Guys and Dolls.” He recalled being a little nervous at the audition. But when he saw the cast list the next day, he had been given the lead as Nathan Detroit. That is when the seed of acting was planted, he said.

Cardona did a number of shows at Wantagh High School, including “Camelot,” where he played Lancelot, and “Picnic,” where he played Hal Carter. David Dubin, a local legend who taught English in Wantagh schools for 35 years, mentored him.

“David taught both me and my two daughters, Courtney and Kayla,” Cardona said. “We are still very good friends. He waited to teach my girls before retiring.”

Cardona went to Queens College, where he received the “Best Actor Award” every semester, which paid his entire tuition. At Queens College, he both performed in and directed numerous plays. He received his bachelor of fine arts degree at the college, which is where he also met Mark Healy, editor of the Rockaway Wave. 

Cardona also studied at the Long Island Performing Arts High School, H.B Studio, The Atlantic Theatre Company, and the Master Class at The Barrow Group. His acting credits include such films as “Worth,” “God’s Pocket,” “Noah,” “The Bachelorette,” “A Most Violent Year,” “The Confession,” “Henry’s Crime,” “Blindsided” and “Who Shot Pat?”

Cardona also has an extensive list of television credits, including roles on “The Blacklist,” “Hightown,” “The Money,” “The Good Cop,” “Red Oaks,” “Blue Bloods,” “Law & Order SVU,” “Law & Order Criminal Intent,” “Orange is the New Black,” “Madam Secretary,” “Believe,” “Person of Interest,” “White Collar,” “Cop Files,” and “The Sopranos.” In addition, he has been an actor on several soap operas, including “All My Children,” “One Life to Live,” “The Guiding Light,” “As the World Turns,” “Loving,” and “General Hospital.”

Some of his many New York theatre credits include lead roles in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Burn This,” “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” “Lobby Hero,” “Total Abandon,” “Wait Until Dark,” “Italian American Reconciliation,” “Match,” “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” “Savage in Limbo,” “Welcome to the Moon,” “Danny and the Deep Sea,” “All My Sons,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Grease,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Wonderful Town,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

Cardona also has directed and written numerous film and television projects, including the crime-thriller pilot “Manhattan South,” the sci-fi pilot “I Am Karma,” the comedy pilot “Lifters,” and the film “Let Go Let God.” He has also been directing theatre in New York for more than 30 years.

In addition to his acting, Cardona has been boxing, kickboxing and training pro fighters for more than 35 years. He is a fight scene choreographer and is often called upon to do fight scenes in films, television and commercials. He has been the stunt double for Russell Crowe and Ray Winstone, among others. 

But Cardona was not content with only acting and experienced the other side of plays and movies as a director and coach.

“I’ve always been a working actor and director,” Cardona said.

He taught acting at various schools in Manhattan and Long Island, before opening up the Actor’s Workshop on Wantagh Avenue in Levittown in 2018.

The Actor’s Workshop caters to actors with all levels of experience. Cardona said he doesn’t like to tie himself to any one particular method of acting when it comes to instruction, but would rather teach a mixture of everything he has learned. Cardona added that he feels his job is to get organic responses out of actors as opposed to rehearsed ones, which comes from being in tune with one’s character.

“The most important thing in acting is listening,” Cardona said. “Once you do that, everything falls into place. I also tell my actors that the characters have to be 99 percent you. No actor can be you better than you can be yourself.”

Cardona also helps his students with the business side of acting, assisting them with obtaining agents or managers, and is constantly helping his students with their auditions for big TV and film projects.

One of his students, Johnny Olivia, has landed a role alongside Chazz Palminteri in “Gravesend.” Another one of his students, Heidi Hecker, has been on “Law & Order” and “FBI Most Wanted.” His other students include Frank Failla, Matthew Ventre, Ryan Wimbiscus, Natasha Landow, Kate Brady and Geo Carpio, all of whom have found varying degrees of success as actors, thanks to Cardona’s artistic and business mentorship. 

The Actors Workshop is located on 343 Wantagh Avenue, and its website is www.actorsworkshopli.com.