John Amplas, a talented and endearing actor, was born on June 23, 1949, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His remarkable portrayal of a troubled and disturbed teenager who believes he's a vampire in George Romero's "Martin" stands out as a highlight of his career. Amplas has worked with Romero on several occasions, taking on diverse roles such as a Hispanic gang member, zombie, and biker in the iconic "Dawn of the Dead." He also appeared as a jester in the quirky "Knightriders," a lethal shambling zombie in the entertaining anthology "Creepshow," and a nerdy scientist in the intense "Day of the Dead."
In addition to his work with Romero, Amplas has appeared in other notable films, including "Bloodeaters," where he played an FBI agent, and "Midnight," where he delivered a chilling performance as a vicious backwoods Satanist. He also gave a poignant portrayal of a weary single blue-collar guy in "No Pets." More recently, John played an evil, greedy priest in the offbeat "Daddy Cool."
Outside of his relatively sparse film work, Amplas has had a long and distinguished stage career as both an actor and director. He is a founding member and Associate Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse Repertory Company. Amplas received widespread acclaim for his performance as Ricky Roma in an Axiom Theater stage production of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross." His other notable stage roles include "American Buffalo," "The Lion in the Winter," "Breaker Morant," "On the Beach," "Colonel Bird," and "Morat/Sade."
As a director, Amplas has helmed productions such as "Hair," "Driving Miss Daisy," "The Threepenny Opera," "Quills," "The Prince," "Suburbia," and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Furthermore, John Amplas teaches acting as an Associate Professor with the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University.
