Straight out of South Boston (aka Southie), Jay Giannone has dappled in, experienced, worked with and known more than any of us can hope to in our lifetime, and he's not even halfway there. The self-proclaimed "extreme artist" is just that; an actor, writer, producer and musician-and he has the resume to prove it. Within minutes of meeting him you feel like you've been taken into his world, honored and inspired to hear his story and in the end, thankful to have met him.

Yes-he's from Southie, but he's certainly no Matt Damon or Ben Affleck; he doesn't have their status, they don't have his heart. As an adolescent he brutally lost his father and, decades later, his brother in a similar tragic manner. But somehow he remains humbled by his losses and modest about his achievements. "I lost my father and brother violently to the streets, I have a really close connection to them," says Giannone. You can tell by meeting him, he's gone through enough to make him focus on the good in his life, but he'll never forget the bad.

There's no great answer to the question of why people haven't been acquainted with Giannone yet, but his involvement in so many aspects of the entertainment industry might be one explanation. The Boston native got his start here in his youth, first with a break-dance team called "Floor Lords" and then moved into music, signing a record deal at the age of 21 with the group "Urban Attitude" (who consequently never made it due to managerial misdirection). But it would be Los Angeles that truly enlightened him to the possibilities that were in store. He ventured out to LA on a whim after attending a friend's bachelor party in Las Vegas. Once in LA, he found himself not only befriending some very important contacts, but an inspiration he didn't have back on the East Coast. He trusted his instincts and soon found himself taking a job with old-time friend Mark Wahlberg, as an assistant, doing everything from driving him around, making his calls to reading scripts with him. Wahlberg, a family friend and fellow Boston kid, opened up the doors for Giannone in many ways and he doesn't take that for granted.

His life and working relationship with Wahlberg not only got him exposure to the entertainment business, but was used to create the acclaimed series Entourage. Most people know that the show is marveled after Mark Wahlberg's rise to fame, but did you know that Giannone himself is instilled into the show's main characters? As Mark Wahlberg's assistant, he admits to be the real-life "Turtle"-type role he played for nearly three years, however he said, "my life has been set in all four of the characters, not one in particular." In terms of the show, he made 'cameos' twice in the first season, the most infamous being when the real-life "entourage" met the show's. Creator and producer Doug Ellin also spent some time with Giannone to decide where a lot of scenarios would go and to get a better feel for what he went through. So, LA has treated him right, he knows so many people in the city now that he's known as "Hollywood Jay" to most.

Fortunately for us, Jay never denied the talent that was in his blood. His mother is a theatrical actress and musician, one whose close acquaintance with Angela Peri helped him get started in the business. His grandmother was a songwriter, whom he claims never got the credit she deserved, and great-grandmother was a painter; "the music business owes me something." He remarked. Hopefully the rap album he's in the midst of putting together will be a winner, both for him and his family. But along with his musical talents his more recognizable roles in movies includes: Three Kings (1999), I am Stamos (2004) and Jimmy Cummings' Southie (1998); Giannone spoke highly of Cummings saying, "he pushed me and brought me to a certain level." (Thank you Mr. Cummings.)

Giannone's role in the mush-anticipated file The Departed is something to watch out for, as he spoke of the film being "brilliantly written and directed." Director martin Scorsese, on of his biggest role models along with Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and the Wahlberg brothers, put Giannone in the film after an audition tape and some persuading with the help of friend, Leonardo DiCaprio. He knew his personality is could enhance the script and ended up putting him in the movie to play a detective. No doubt his addicting personality is what wins most over, it did with Scorsese. Once he was officially on the set he started to work with lead-star DiCaprio, soon becoming his consultant during the film's production. DiCaprio studied Giannone's characteristics because they were seemingly on the level of the character he was playing. Giannone has been friends with DiCaprio for over ten years now, but in terms of acting together, he said they learned a great deal from each other and had nothing but praises to say of him.

In many ways, Jay Giannone is like the Red Sox of acting-pre World Series win. You're rooting for him because he deserves every bit of the credit he gets, but we're still waiting on that major win. Luckily, the roster of things he has coming up are proof that he won't be overlooked. Along with the upcoming premier of The Departed on October 6th, his upcoming films include Ben Affleck's Gone, Baby, Gone and The Game Plan starring the Rock; he recently signed on to two film projects, Jimmy Cummings' Black and Blue and rap album hopefully to be out in the near future. He's also working on an autobiography that's an all positive tale of his journey from Southie to LA, and is currently editing a film he wrote, directed and starred in that he eventually plans on pitching as a series…

If there's anything else we could possibly share with you about Jay Giannone it's that he's an undeniable talent. Energized and passionate, his motto of "you gotta give it away tro keep it" has landed him on fair grounds thus far. Nevertheless, his career continues to grow and all of us Bostonians should take pride in a person who cares so much for his hometown city. So, Jay: we wish you luck… keep sporting that Sox cap in L.A.

By Michaela Burke