Tony Vella, a true San Francisco native, was born and raised in the city's Glen Park area, but his formative years were also spent in the vibrant Mission District, St Mary's Park, Excelsior, and other iconic neighborhoods. As a young child, Vella was captivated by the world of cartoon voices and initially aspired to pursue a career in this field.
In his early twenties, he embarked on a journey to hone his skills by studying with renowned voice-over artists and coaches in San Francisco. During this period, he had the privilege of meeting and befriending the legendary Lucille Bliss, the voice of Smurfette and Crusader Rabbit. After securing some initial voice-over work, his agent encouraged him to explore on-camera courses and audition for acting roles.
Vella subsequently enrolled in numerous workshops to refine his skills in cold reading, commercial acting, improv, and the traditional "method" at the esteemed Jean Shelton School of Acting. This comprehensive training enabled him to begin auditioning for small and featured roles, gradually building a foundation for his acting career.
As the need for more work arose, Vella discovered the world of stunts and leveraged his background in acting to combine both skills. Over the years, he has evolved into a skilled stunt coordinator, aerial rigger, stunt and commercial driver, seamlessly integrating his acting and stunt expertise.
His extensive actors training also facilitates his work as a stunt coordinator, as he is able to empathize with the complexities of actors' thought processes and effectively guide them in applying the required actions.
