In 2017 Filipe Valle Costa can be seen starring in John Singleton’s FX drama series “Snowfall.” Set to premiere in July, “Snowfall” is set against the infancy of the L.A. crack cocaine epidemic in 1983. Filipe shines as Pedro Nava, the heir apparent of one of the Mexican crime families dealing drugs in Los Angeles. Living under his father’s shadow, Pedro desperately moves through life longing for his dad’s attention and approval, and will stop at nothing to to achieve the American dream. In addition to “Snowfall” recent credits for Filipe include: “Blue Bloods,” “Gotham,” and “Unicornland.” Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, Filipe had dreams of becoming an actor from a very young age. At 17 years old he told his parents he wanted to come to the United States and further his chances of becoming an actor, they encouraged him to apply for a tennis scholarship so he could study acting with a student visa. Filipe landed a scholarship with Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. He went on to attend the University of Florida, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts in Acting. During his first year of school he applied for the Diversity Visa Lottery, which is made available to 50,000 permanent resident visas annually and aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States. He didn’t hear back the first year, so he applied again in his second year of school and was selected. After months of working alongside an immigration attorney, he was finally granted a green card and moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting full time. Upon moving to NYC Filipe immersed himself in theatre. Credits include: Lilia (Rising Circle Theater Collective), Good Grief (Intar), Henry V (The Shakespeare Forum), and End Days (Hippodrome), to name a few. He went on to launch The Saudade Theatre in 2015, celebrating and supporting the Portuguese voice in the arts throughout NYC. The company’s mission is to develop original work grounded in the Portuguese experience, as well as translating Portuguese playwrights. When Filipe arrived in NYC he quickly became aware of the lack of information and knowledge regarding Portuguese theatre in the US, and decided to lead the charge in making a new reality for his fellow artists. Filipe’s acting career is complemented by his athleticism, gained from years of competitive tennis in both Portugal and the US, as well as many years of coaching the sport. Some of his other passions include: the beach, traveling, music, hiking, soccer, wake-boarding, and spending time with his family. Filipe lives in the Los Angeles area, where he recently wrapped production on “Snowfall.”