Gino Anthony Pesi as Wayne Wolport in S.W.A.T.: Firefight
In S.W.A.T.: Firefight, released on March 1, 2011, Gino Anthony Pesi plays Wayne Wolport, one of the Detroit officers who make up the ensemble around Gabriel Macht’s Los Angeles instructor Paul Cutler. It is a supporting part in a direct-to-video action film, and it sits early in a career that later led to Shades of Blue and a place in the Marvel television universe.
Readers who know Pesi from those later credits, or from the short film Fifteen Digits in 2012, often trace him back to this film. It is a useful snapshot of an actor still working his way up, in a genre that rewards reliable character players.
| Born | November 3, 1980, Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | film actor and television actor |
| Known for | 42 (2013), The Fare (2018) and First Shift (2024) |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
Source: Wikidata, as of October 2026.
Who Wayne Wolport is in the story
Wolport belongs to the Detroit SWAT unit that Cutler is sent to train and certify. The film’s premise is simple: an elite LAPD specialist arrives in a new city, clashes with the local brass and a senior commander, Justin Kellogg (Nicholas Gonzalez), and then finds that the team he is drilling has become the target of a revenge plot. The plot is built around Walter Hatch, played by Robert Patrick, a government-trained operative who blames Cutler’s team after a hostage situation goes wrong.
Characters like Wolport carry the “team” half of that story. The film needs a squad that feels like a squad, so that when Hatch starts picking at it, the stakes read as personal. That is the job Pesi was hired to do.
The film around the role
S.W.A.T.: Firefight was directed by Benny Boom from a screenplay by Reed Steiner, with story credit shared by Steiner, Randy Walker, Michael Albanese and Ed Arneson. Neal H. Moritz and Amanda Lewis produced it, with Original Film, Stage 6 Films and RCR Media Group behind it, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released it on disc. It runs 89 minutes and was shot in Detroit.
It is a standalone follow-up to the 2003 film S.W.A.T., and none of that film’s main actors returned. The new cast was led by Macht, with Patrick, Carly Pope as Kim Byers, Giancarlo Esposito as Inspector Hollander, Kristanna Loken as Rose Walker and Shannon Kane as Lori Barton.
How the film was received
The film arrived without a theatrical run, and its audience found it on rental shelves and later on streaming. Home-video reviewers generally treated it as a modest, workmanlike action picture. Opinions among viewers have stayed divided, with some enjoying a straightforward cops-and-hostages thriller and others finding it generic. Performances in ensemble parts like Wolport’s were rarely singled out, which is typical for the format.
What the part meant for Pesi’s career
Born on November 3, 1980, in Pittsburgh, Pesi trained as an acting major at Point Park University’s conservatory. By 2011 he had television guest spots behind him, and the same year he also appeared in the studio feature Battle: Los Angeles. Firefight gave him a named role in a franchise title at a time when steady genre work was how many actors built their résumés.
What followed was a gradual rise. In 2012 he appeared in the short Fifteen Digits. Then came his best-known role as assistant district attorney James Nava in NBC’s Shades of Blue, which ran from 2016 to 2018. Deadline reported in June 2016 that he had been promoted to series regular. He later played Deo in the 2024 action film First Shift, and in 2025 he was credited as Viktor in Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again. A further credit, as Pliny in The Obelisk, is listed as completed.
FAQ
Who does Gino Anthony Pesi play in S.W.A.T.: Firefight?
He plays Wayne Wolport, a member of the Detroit SWAT ensemble that Sgt. Paul Cutler trains. The part is a supporting one.
Is S.W.A.T.: Firefight connected to the 2003 film?
Only by name and subject. It is a standalone sequel, and none of the main actors from the 2003 S.W.A.T. returned.
What is Gino Anthony Pesi best known for?
His most recognized work is James Nava in Shades of Blue, which ran from 2016 to 2018. More recent credits include First Shift in 2024 and Daredevil: Born Again in 2025.
The header image is an AI-generated illustration, not an actual photo or film still.
