The Biography of Tobias Truvillion (Winter 2014)
Actor. Director. Spokesmodel. Teacher.Tobias Truvillion is an award-winning actor from Queens, New York. Named a 2012 Essence magazine “Eye Candy of the Week” selection, Tobias is also a philanthropist, youth advocate, teacher and model. In 2013, he accepted a spokesmodel position with Gulder Nigerian beer, and currently stars in an international commercial for the notorious brand. Consistently committed to bringing quality entertainment to the masses, Tobias commandeered his latest guest-starring role as a “special agent,” on USA Network’s White Collar crime series (Season 5, Episode 4, "Quantico Closure”). In January ’14 he will appear as a guest star in award-winning actress Gabrielle Union’s BET comedy series Being Mary Jane. Tobias began captivating the public eye when he signed with Ford Models early on. As a top model, for many years Tobias demonstrated style, a poised delivery, sophistication and class on the runway. He became the face of an abundance of high profile print and commercial campaigns (“Got Milk?,” Enyce, Jordan 23 and Heineken “Double Nod”). Compelled to pursue his penchant for acting, in 1999, under the auspices of his mentor and acting coach, Penwah, Tobias enrolled in The National Black Theater of Harlem. In 2001, he experienced a major breakthrough when he was honored with a prestigious AUDELCO Award for his tireless dedication to his craft. In 2006, he joined the cast of ABC’s hit soap “One Life to Live.” His cunning role as “Vincent Jones,” a street savvy, ladies’ man, earned him a 2008 NAACP Image Award nomination for “Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series.”Additionally, Tobias dominated pivotal roles in films such as director Antwan Fuqua’s Brooklyn’s Finest (Millennium Films), acting alongside Will Smith in the box office record breaking romantic comedy Hitch (Overbook Entertainment/Columbia Pictures), and Paid in Full (Dimension Films). In the popular Russell Costanzo-directed independent feature film, The Tested (Shoebox Films), Tobias fell nothing short of spectacular in his portrayal of “James,” a ruthless leader of the treacherous Brooklyn-based “Black Knights” gang. (The Tested is now streaming on Netflix.) And in the third season of the riveting CBS police series Blue Bloods, he showcased histopnotch talent alongside Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg in his recurring role as “Uncle Otto.”
However, never one to stray from his roots, Tobias was enthralled to earn a role in acclaimed writer/director Layon Gray’s NAACP Award-winning playwright Black Angels Over Tuskegee. On March 24, 2011, Tobias appeared with Gray and cast at the New York Stock Exchange opening bell ceremony to promote the acclaimed theatrical production. During the 2011 New York Veterans Day Parade, Tobias was humbled at the opportunity to ride down 5th Avenue on a float with several of the original Tuskegee Airmen. In 2012, Tobias was equally humbled when he landed a role in the Pulitzer Prizewinning comedic playwright Top/Dog Underdog, written and directed by Suzan Lori Parks. Before the New Year, Tobias completed filming his lead as “Monti,” a rambunctious US Marine in the action-packed feature film, Cigarette Soup (2014). The movie centers on a young journalist who gets a very rare and highly intense opportunity to become embedded with a small band of US soldiers during Afghanistan war combat in 2006. Tobias, who enjoys coaching Pop Warner football, is a longtime advocate of youth empowerment through sports and the arts, and remains dedicated to promoting social change internationally. He is an avid supporter of Friends of The Congo, a global non-profit organization whose mission is to promote peace, lasting change, and bring awareness to the not often publicized phenomenal artistic culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo( DRC), formerly Zaire. Since 2009, Tobias has consistently worked with The Marion Bolden Center, in Newark, New Jersey. Despite the region’s often-negative public perception, he has been at the forefront of a successful effort to shed light on the community’s artistic diversity and burgeoning young talent. He helped implement a media and arts fused program to teach TV production, filmmaking, acting, and life essentials. He also assisted in establishing a partnership with Drew University, in which students retreat from inner-city life and live on the school’s Madison, New Jersey campus for three weeks throughout the summer. Every year, before departing from the university, his students produce and perform a play, followed by a graduation ceremony honoring their positive achievements. Although Tobias’ students often admit how much he inspires them, he says his students inspire him much more. WWW.TOBIASTRUVILLION.COM