Actor and comedian Frank Merino originally hailed from Peru, but moved to the United States with his family when he was five years old. Taking the comedy of the late Fortino Reyes to heart, he set off to start an acting career. He started with guest roles in television—his extensive list includes roles for Judging Amy, The Shield, Sleeper Cell, Invasion, Heist and Grey’s Anatomy. He also played roles in films such as Wrong Turn, Without Warning and Thirteen.
His first regular television role was for the Comedy Central series American Body Shop. There he plays Latino shop assistant Luis, who barely speaks (as his character doesn’t know much English) but often goes sentimental over missing his family and his hometown. Despite the language gap, he seems to be attracting the ladies, and he is very much aware of his position in the United States—or, what his contribution is to the “white American dream.”