User:Jtbotka

John Timothy Botka

John Timothy Botka (born October 10, 1962) is an American actor.

Early life

Botka, the oldest of three children, was raised in Plainville, Massachusetts, the son of Sylvia and John Botka, amateur skaters. He attended King Philip Regional High School, graduating in 1981. Botka attended Chamberlayne Jr. College in Boston and graduated with an Associates degree.

Prior to becoming an actor, Botka worked as a freelance graphic designer and photographer in Boston. Some of his work has been featured in Stuff Magazine. In 1984, on a whim, he auditioned for Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Botka did not win a role, but his audition tape landed in the 2008 TV documentary Stanley Kubrick's Boxes. In 1986 Botka moved to Los Angeles to further his career in advertising.

Career

Botka’s first professional job came about when Joe Pytka cast him in a Miller Beer commercial with Peter Coyote. "Think when you drink", one of the first commercials to promote responsible drinking. More commercials would follow; Sprite (which featured one of his talents as a roller-skating waiter on a cruise ship), Chevy, GMC, and Blockbuster Video. His first television role was an appearance on the series Amen in 1990. Through the mid-to-late 90’s, Botka continued to work on television and feature films; Apollo 13, Veronica’s Closet (in which he played Todd, next door neighbor of Leo and Perry), End of Days, Watching Ellie, Without a Trace, Employee of the Month and on the Showtime series Brotherhood.

In addition to his acting credits, Botka has also doubled for actors Chris O’Donnell and Christian Slater on several films.

In 2008, Botka landed a role in Tell Tale as a police officer alongside Josh Lucas. Directed by Michael Cuesta, Tell Tale premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009.