Nathan Marraqua

Nathan Marraqua
Birth name	Nathan Benjamin Marraqua
Born	November 21, 1974 (age 34)
Birthplace	LePauc, Louisiana
Years active	1996-present
Spouse(s)	Paula Jean Matz (1997-presnt)

Nathan Benjamin Marraqua (born November 21, 1974) is an American-born actor best known for his role as Chris Mallino in the TV series West Pitts from 1999 to 2005. He had guest roles on such shows as Frank & Amos and Our War, and recently co-starred with Howard Baghotton of The Femley Brothers fame in The Robert & Buck Mini-Show.

Early life, family, and an early attempt at music

Marraqua was born in the small town of LePauc, in southern Louisiana, to Christina and William Marraqua. He was named after his maternal grandfather Nathan Schivey and his uncle Benjamin Marraqua. He seemed to have a passion for both acting and singing. At a young age, he got a small role in a school play. As a teenager, he formed a music band with his brother Louis and his friend Kevin Molnias (who later became the frontman of Marrias County). The group, called "Nathan Marraqua and the LePauc Hurricanes", hoped to belt out number-one hits that would cement Marraqua's status as a musician, but the band's music went no farther than their neighborhood.

Career

Marraqua began his career in 1996, starring with John Orange in The Three Great Coaches. He also made cameos in the films No Sunshine in Guarrville (1997) and O.R.D.E.R. II (1998).

West Pitts

Marraqua joined the cast of West Pitts in 1999, and stayed on the show until its cancellation in 2005. He played the role of Chris Mallino, a sometimes tough undercover agent who tried his best to rid the city of West Pitts from crime. Marraqua's character went through some changes easch season.

Season 1 (1999-2000)

Marraqua wore blue and green shirts on the show during this season. He played the partner of Will Galtrum's character Xavier O'Deans in this season. Marraqua's character was more lenient in this season than in later seasons. Before the season began, Marraqua was told that his character performs many stunts in the season. He had the choice to do these stunts himself or have a stunt double perform them. Marraqua told producers that he was not a stuntman, so the show's producers hired stunt double Larry Keshum. Marraqua's character usually went undercover as an average joe and would be sent to communities where criminals were located.

The script for the season's episodes called for Marraqua's character to smoke cigarettes. Marraqua, who did not smoke, requested that the show's crew make a "fake cigarette" so that he would not poison himself with the harmful ingredients in cigarettes.

Season 2 (2000-2001)

Marraqua wore mostly black shirts during this season. He was also required to learn Spanish, German, French, and Italian, as his character travels to other countries, and natives of those countries were cast as guest stars in some episodes. Marraqua's character Chris was described as "a West Pitts representative sent abroad".

For this season, Marraqua was coached by experts on how to speak the different languages. He also listened to computer programs designed to teach people to effectively speak foreign languages.