Biography

Born in Chicago and raised in Northwest Indiana, Tony's childhood was a far cry from the nurturing and stable environment in which all children should be raised. Taken away by DCFS from his biological parents at age 2 due to substance abuse, Tony and his older brother lived with their biological aunt for a short period before being taken away yet again. Tony and his brother were placed in several different foster homes before finally being adopted by Dr. Angelo and Kathy Bonaventura at the age of 9. But, as normal as Tony thought his life was, he still had his ups and downs. Tony's parents divorced when he was 13. Growing up, Tony found himself getting into trouble at school and with the law. He was kicked out of several different high schools; once at St. John's Military Academy for escaping in the trunk of a friends car. Tony also attended Valparaiso High School but was kicked out his senior year. During this tough time, Tony was incarcerated and finally got his GED. On November 4th, 1997 Tony's father, whom he was very close to, died of cancer. Although Tony's life was characterized by instability, one thing remained constant; he wanted to act. At age 21, Tony became the father to a beautiful baby girl named Michela. It was at this point he knew he had to focus on achieving his goals, and that meant making changes. Tony left Indiana and moved to Chicago when he was 23 hoping to get started on his acting career. Tony enrolled at Columbia College for two years majoring in Film and also took acting classes at the Audition Studio. He worked on several low budget films including The Guys (2004), which premiered at the Music Box at the Chicago Comedy Film Festival and I Was A Mathlete Until I Met Margo Marris (2003), which premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, Tribeca, Newport Beach, Dances with Films (Santa Monica, CA), and the Sidewalk Moving Film Festival. When Tony wasn't working on films he did some theater work at Navy Pier, one of Chicago's biggest tourist attractions. In This Town, Tony plays the role of Jimmy, a young man who has a one night stand with his adolescence alongside his childhood friends.
- IMDb mini biography by: Susan Hammoudeh