Cast Biographies
GENEVIEVE CORTESE as Kris Furillo
The tough outsider, Kris was recently released from a detention center and must now assimilate back into society. Luckily, because of her love for and skill with horses, she has been given a job on the Ritter family ranch, but she finds more than she bargained for with a new group of peers, some of whom don't have her best interests at heart.
Genevieve holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in drama and a bachelor of arts in English from the TischSchool of the Arts, New YorkUniversity. She has performed in regional productions of “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” “Crimes of the Heart” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Genevieve makes her television debut as Kris Furillo.
MICAH ALBERTI as Matt Ritter
More than anything, Matt wants to leave the Ritter family ranch and go to college…until Kris comes along. Suddenly he finds himself interested in the ranch, but he realizes there must be a professional line drawn with Kris since his family employs her. Matt doesn't want to reveal his feelings for Kris to his best friend Junior, who is also attracted to her.
Micah was formerly featured as James Edward Martin on the hit daytime soap "All My Children." He has also guest starred on such series as "8 Simple Rules" and "Smallville." In addition, Micah was photographed by Bruce Webber for L'Uomo Vogue.
RYAN SYPEK as Junior Davis
Junior is Matt's best friend, but is less grounded and takes his convertible Porsche for granted. He can't believe how lucky Matt is to have Kris working at the ranch, and wastes no time making his move on Kris.
Ryan received his bachelor of fine arts degree from BostonUniversity's College of Fine Arts and spent a semester in London at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts). While at BU, he performed in a wide range of classicsincluding “Merchant of Venice” and “The Grapes of Wrath.” He also played Jack in “The Rose Tattoo” at the Huntington Theater. He is making his television debut as Junior Davis.
NICOLE TUBIOLAas Danielle Davis
Danielle has led a very privileged life along with her brother Junior. She and Matt recently broke up, but she still has very strong feelings for him and is not in the least bit pleased when Kris shows up at the ranch.
Nicole was featured as Jen in "MTV's Undressed." She has also guest starred in "Boston Public," "The District" and "The Steve Harvey Show." Regional theatre productions include “Bye, Bye Birdie,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “The Nerd” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
NANA VISITOR as Jean Ritter
Nana Visitor plays Jean Ritter, an independent, single parent, who has some tough decisions to make in order to save the family ranch from financial ruin. Jean is the mother of Matt and Todd.
Nana Visitor grew up a third generation performer in New York City, following in the footsteps of her vaudeville headlining grandmother Caliope Charisse and mother, legendary dance instructor Nenette Charisse. In addition, her father is Robert Tucker, Broadway performer and choreographer of stage and film.
Nana started her stage work at age seventeen dancing in choruses on stage. In between dance gigs, she did year-long stints on the soap operas "Ryan's Hope,""One Life To Live" and "The Doctors."
Nana went on to do countless guest appearances on such shows as "CSI,""According To Jim," "Las Vegas," "Frasier" and "Dark Angel." Series work included "Working Girl" and seven seasons as Major Kira on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."
Recently,Visitor returned to Broadway to star as Roxie Hart in the revival of Bob Fosse’s “Chicago”. She can be seen in the soon to be released feature film “Mini’s First Time” opposite Alec Baldwin and Luke Wilson.
Nana is married to theatrical manager Matthew Rimmer and has two sons, Buster and Django.
GREG SERANO as Pablo Betart
Greg Serano plays Pablo Betart, a local trainer who recognizes Kris’ talent with horses and arranges a job for her at the Ritter family ranch. Pablo is Jean Ritter’s right-hand man and serves as the grounding force for Kris.
Greg Serano is a seasoned actor whose credits span film and television. Greg has appeared in the blockbuster hit “Legally Blonde,” and other film credits include “The Mexican,” “National Security,” “Frailty” and “The Postman.”
Greg has also had recurring roles on television’s “Kingpin” and “Dangerous Minds.” For the latter, he was nominated for a BRAVO Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. He took on the lead role in the USA movie of the week “Saint Sinner” in which he portrayed a 17th century monk who travels to the future on a mission from God. Other notable appearances include guest roles on “NorthShore,” “Eyes,” “CSI,” “ER” and “The Dead Zone.”
ANDREW HOEFT as Todd Ritter
Andrew Hoeft plays the youngest member of the Ritter family, Todd, who is wise beyond his years. Todd knows everything about horses, from racing to bloodlines, and takes a quick liking to Kris.
Prior to landing the role of Todd Ritter on "Wildfire," Andrew’s television credits included roles on “Threat Matrix” and the daytime soap “Passions.” His Broadway stage credits include Gavroche in “Les Miserables,” and Colin Craven in “The Secret Garden.”
JAMES READ as Ken Davis
James Read plays Ken Davis, the owner of the Davis Ranch which is much more successful than the Ritter Ranch. Ken has been trying to convince Jean to marry him and “merge” their ranches so she will not have any more financial problems. Ken is the father of Junior and Danielle.
James Read started out studying law but near graduation, he discovered his love for theatre and joined a theatrical group, launching his career in acting. One of his most notable television roles was as Murphy Michaels on the series “Remington Steele.” More recently, Read has had recurring roles on “Charmed” and “American Dreams” and has had guest roles on “Crossing Jordan,” “Sabrina, the Teenaged Witch,” “ 7th Heaven” and “ Fantasy Island.”
James also has extensive film credits, including the movie “A Lot Like Love” opposite Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet. He also played Reese Witherspoon’s father in the theatrical releases of “Legally Blonde” and its sequel. Among his other film credits are “Not Another Teen Movie,” “Beaches”and “Walking Thunder.”
Read lives with wife, actress Wendy Kilbourne and their son Jackson in California.
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