Andre Royo

Best known for playing drug addict-turned-police informant Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins on HBO's "The Wire" (2002-08), Bronx native Andre Royo struggled for several years as a penniless stage actor in New York prior to landing his breakout role. He took a series of odd jobs to support himself, working as construction worker, bathroom attendant and doorman, before a chance encounter with John Singleton earned him a small part in the director's 2000 action film, "Shaft."

Other roles soon followed, including an appearance in 2002's "G," a hip-hop inspired remake of "The Great Gatsby," before acclaimed television writer David Simon offered Royo the part of Bubbles on his brand new series set in the gritty streets of Baltimore. Royo added layer and dimension to the down-and-out heroin addict known as Bubbles, and in just five seasons, managed to create one of the most talked-about television characters of the 2000s.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Andre Royo spent the early part of his 20s waiting to be discovered as an actor. Not until a friend brought him along to a drama class in Manhattan did Royo come to the realization that acting required just as much hard work and discipline as any other creative profession. He began taking acting classes at the renowned HB Studio in Manhattan, and before long was appearing in Off-Off-Broadway plays. He occasionally made extra money dancing in music videos and performing extra work for "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010), but never saw acting as anything more than a hobby.

By the late '90s, Royo was working as a doorman at The Cheetah Club in New York City. Everyone from A-list movie stars to high-profile rappers frequented the club, and on one such night, John Singleton, the Academy Award-nominated director of "Boyz n the Hood" (1991), just happened to walk in. While showing the director to his seat, Royo casually struck up a conversation and told Singleton he was an actor. Impressed with the young actor's boldness, Singleton told Royo to stop into his office the following day. He was directing a big-budget remake of "Shaft," and had a part in mind that he wanted Royo to read.

The seemingly impromptu meeting that followed signaled the start of Andre Royo's career as a professional film and television actor. Although Royo's role in "Shaft" was small - he played a thug named Tattoo - his work in the film exposed him to several high-level casting agents, one of whom thought Royo would be perfect for the role of Tre in an upcoming remake of "The Great Gatsby." The film was called "G," and Royo played a 21st century version of Nick Carraway, the original narrator of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel. The film failed to connect with audiences, but later that year Royo was offered what would prove to be the role of a lifetime as Bubbles in "The Wire."

In order to prepare for the role, Royo, who had never visited the city of Baltimore prior to being cast, spent long hours speaking with recovering heroin addicts at a local drug outreach clinic. Despite initially envisioning Bubbles as a minor character, David Simon became convinced enough by Royo's powerful performance as the shopping cart-pushing smack addict to expand upon Bubbles's storyline.

By the time "The Wire" aired its fifth and final season, Andre Royo had appeared in 49 of the show's 60 episodes. After "The Wire" ended in 2008, Royo continued his work on television with numerous guest appearances on procedural dramas like "CSI: NY" (CBS, 2004- ) and "Numb3rs" (CBS, 2005-10), as well as on the short-lived Starz comedy, "Party Down" (2009-10).

In 2013 Royo had a small role in the independently produced dramedy, "The Spectacular Now," which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.