Joey Pollari (born April 9, 1994) is an American actor, musician, and director who became well known for his role as Eric Tanner on ABC's second season of American Crime, and in 2018, appeared in the film Love, Simon, as Lyle, one of Simon's potential boyfriends. In 2020, Pollari released his debut album, About Men. A follow-up second album, I'll Be Romance, will be released on April 5th, 2024.

Personal life

Pollari was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He started his acting career when he attended a scouting event in downtown Minneapolis with his mother. He received callbacks the next day from agents who wanted to represent him. Pollari has appeared in stage productions at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, and the SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development, also in Saint Paul.^[1] He is gay, having come out at eighteen to friends and family.^[2]

Acting

On April 30, 2006, Pollari appeared as a newsboy in "The Hen House", an episode of the police procedural television series Cold Case.^[3] The Walt Disney Company cast him in Skyrunners, a 2009 Disney XD Original Movie about two brothers who stumble upon a spaceship that is sought after by the FBI agents and space aliens.^[1] The film, which was shot in New Zealand, premiered on Disney XD on November 27, 2009.^[4] Pollari was 15 years old when it first aired.^[1] His co-star in the film, Kelly Blatz, a long-time friend of Pollari,^[5] said Pollari grew "like a foot taller and his voice changed and everything" during the filming of Skyrunners.^[6]

In 2018, Pollari had a supporting role in the teen romantic comedy Love, Simon as Lyle, one of Simon's potential boyfriends.^[7] In 2019, he appeared in another gay-themed film, The Obituary of Tunde Johnson.

In 2023, he appeared as a pivotal guest star on SEAL Team for Paramount+, playing a grieving vet whose guilt comes with dire consequences. In 2024, his work will next be seen in the lead role of the upcoming gay rom-com "Things Like This" directed by Max Talisman, and in a recurring role for "Sugar" on AppleTV+ starring Colin Farrell and Amy Ryan.

Music

In 2020, Pollari released an album, About Men. In a June 2020 interview, Pollari said that he is still acting, but in his free time, he will be releasing more music and directing music videos. ^[8] In 2023, he announced an EP, Last Evenings, that was released October 25th. His first single, "Supine Soundtrack," was released September 15th, and was followed by a second single, "Aliveness," which he self-directed a video for. ^[9]

In January of 2024, he announced a second full-length album, "I'll Be Romance," with an accompanying first single and self-directed music video for "So Close." The video was called both "dreamy and rousing," and Pollari's songwriting was compared to "Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen, his baritone delivery fixated on enveloping the listener in a vivid and introspective narrative" by Wonderland Magazine.^[10] The album has been teased as "a sonorous balm that seems to touch on vintage tropes" by Clash Magazine, and will be released April 5th, 2024. ^[11]

Filmography

Film

Television