Luis Da Silva Jr.

Luis Da Silva Jr. is an American entertainment industry professional from Elizabeth, New Jersey. Raised in a loving, but humble environment allowed him to focus and nurture his love for sports and competition. It wasn't until the age of thirteen that he realized his passion for basketball. His enthusiasm for the sport led to a successful tenure, playing alongside Al Harrington and Samuel Dalembert, at the world-renowned St. Patrick's High School in Elizabeth. At the age of 18, Luis' life changed forever. After walking into an open audition for a Nike basketball commercial, he was immediately recognized for his talent. In the days following, he was signed to contract and became the focal point of the now iconic 'Nike Freestyle' campaign. To this day, this commercial visually represents one of the top-10 ad campaigns of all time. Not only was it profitable for Nike, but it also inspired a movement among those it touched. Some might even claim that they created, defined, or even influenced a whole culture. The popularity of this movement earned Luis the distinction of becoming the youngest non-professional athlete ever to receive a Nike endorsement. This made it possible for him to realize a number of personal goals, including appearing on the cover of Time magazine, setting a Guinness World Record, making the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and appearing in a number of hugely popular video games. The advertisement is still cited and used as inspiration for the hip hop and feature film industries today, 20 years later. Using his newfound Nike fame, Mr. Da Silva set his sights on Hollywood. It wasn't long before he found his second calling in life - acting. Right out of the gate, in 2007, Luis starred alongside Jodie Foster, and Terrence Howard, in Neil Jordan's 'The Brave One.' His performance led him to multiple projects over the next few years. Then in 2011 and 2012 he had his breakout year by landing the role of DIOGO in the fifth installment of 'The Fast & The Furious' franchise titled 'Fast Five.' Later that year he also played alongside Johnny Depp in '21 Jump Street.' Luis has since appeared in films with several of Hollywood's elite. From Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson, and Ruby Rose to Casey Affleck, Arron Paul, and John Travolta. With his no-nonsense approach and work ethic, which one can only develop from training as a top-tier professional athlete, Mr. Da Silva continues to develop, learn, and excite the industry. For Luis, another amazing year is just around the corner. In Andrew Baird's 'One Way,' he stars alongside Colson Baker (MGK), Kevin Bacon, and Travis Fimmel. Then, in the tenth entry of the 'Fast & Furious' series, 'Fast X,' Universal and Vin Diesel have brought him back to reprise his fan-favorite character of Diogo.