BURST
Canadian actor Spencer Lofranco, best known for his starring role in Gotti with John Travolta, has died in B.C. at age 33, according to multiple reports including the L.A. Times and TMZ.
Postmedia has asked the B.C. Coroners Service for more information but at this time the cause of death is unknown.
Santino Lofranco posted about his brother’s death on Instagram before making his account private, calling him a legend who changed people’s lives, according to a report by TMZ.
Nicknamed Bear, Lofranco was born in 1992 in Toronto. His mother was a model and actress and his father was a lawyer, according to Lofranco’s IMDB biography.
He studied acting at the New York Film Academy and decided to pursue acting at 17 despite his father wanting him to be a hockey player and a lawyer.
His debut role as an actor was in the 2013 romantic comedy At Middleton playing Conrad Hartman. He then played James Burns, the lead role in the 2014 crime drama Jamesy Boy, about a young gang member.
Other roles include Harry Brooks in the movie Unbroken, a war drama directed by Angelina Jolie, Gotti and King Cobra.
His biography adds that in addition to his passion for acting, Lofranco also loved golfing, hockey and surfing.
In a 2014 interview with Interview Magazine , Lofranco said he was always trying to make people laugh and be the centre of attention. He said his mom would often take him to her auditions and then he decided at 17 to be an actor, landing a year-long placement at the academy in New York.
He told the magazine if he wasn’t an actor he would move to Africa and help support kids in need and “do my best to give my love to the unfortunate.”