{ SPECIAL FEATURE }
CARL MARINO:
More Then Just The Homicide Hunter BY JULIE M. MAY
If you’ve never seen Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda on the Investigation Discovery channel, you’re missing out on the work of up-state NY actor Carl Marino. For six seasons, Carl has played Joe Kenda, an extremely successful real-life Homicide Detective for the Colorado Springs Police Department. The show explores Kenda’s old cases while Carl reenacts his investigation. The real Kenda narrates his thought process along the way. Carl wants people to know he didn’t set out to be a star. In fact he never acted, not even in high school in Hornell where he grew up, although he did some lighting work in the theatre. “I was always terrified of being on stage or in front of the camera. I was, and still am to a certain extent, a very shy person. It’s something I still fight through on occasion. I actually always hated having my picture taken… and now look what I do for a living.” After he graduated, he attended the United States Military Academy at West Point for 2 years. Following West Point, and while studying Criminal Justice at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Carl became a Deputy Sheriff in New York. He served for almost 17 years on the force, most of the time at the Monroe County Jail. In 2009, Carl moved to San Francisco to be closer to some of his family that had moved there years before. Arriving in California, he signed with a modeling agency, having done some modeling on the side in Rochester. Soon after, he auditioned for a feature film, 68
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got the part, and made his big screen debut in the independent film Sedona’s Rule. Almost immediately after this, he was cast in the NBC show Trauma that was filming in San Francisco, and became a recurring guest star.
solved these heinous crimes and had to live through the nightmare of dealing with these evil people and the aftermath of the families of the victims. He was a fantastic detective and rightly deserves his own show.”
He says he enjoys his role playing Lt. Joe Kenda, because “he is a true hero. He actually really
Carl relates to the character having been a Sheriffs Deputy. “I understand what a thankless, tiring job it can be,” he said. “Kenda doesn’t sugar coat anything, and what you see is what you get. His dry humor and sarcasm are fantastic and I love bringing these traits into the character.” He admits that filming the tv series can be quite daunting. “We film in Knoxville, TN, which is where our production company is located,” Carl said. “We basically film every other week for about nine months out of the year. We film Monday through Friday, and sometimes Saturday for 10 hours each day. It takes the week to film one episode. “The hours we film vary each day, depending on if we have day or night shoots. It’s not uncommon to start filming at 9 p.m. and shoot until sunrise the next morning, depending on the script and if outdoor scenes need to be light or dark.” He is quick to add that he loves working with the crew. “They become like family, especially after working with them so closely for the past several years.” Homicide Hunter is the highest rated show on the Investigation Discovery channel and it airs in 193 countries. Carl is now often