Born April 15, 1974, Pino fell in love with acting at an early age, following his portrayal of an elderly teacher in a sixth grade musical. His passion earned him a theater scholarship to Florida International University, where he played leading roles in a score of dramatic and musical productions. After graduation from FIU in 1996, Pino received a second scholarship to attend the graduate theater program at New York University. Pino followed this with appearances in NY productions at Lincoln Center, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the New York Shakespeare Festival. His first foray into television came with a leading role in the ill-fated WB sitcom “Men, Women and Dogs” (2001), which was canceled after one season. In 2002, Pino returned to the stage in London’s West End in a summer production of “Up for Grabs,” appearing opposite Madonna, who personally selected Pino to be her co-star.
Pino’s next television experience was a 360-degree turn away from his “Men, Women and Dogs” experience. In 2003, he played the brutal drug lord Armando “Armadillo” Quintero in four episodes of the second season of “The Shield” (FX, 2002- ). Quintero remained one of the cop show’s most loathsome villains – a casual sadist who sought to intimidate rival gangs through raping, branding, and burning his enemies at the stake. From there, Pino switched things up again by playing bandleader/sitcom star/pioneering television producer Desi Arnaz to fellow stage veteran Rachel York’s Lucille Ball in the 2003 TV-movie “Lucy.” He returned to series work in Stephen Bochco’s science fiction/police series “New York 2069” (2004), but the pilot was never picked up.
In 2003, Pino was cast as detective Scotty Valdes, who partners with star Kathryn Morris’s Lilly Rush in the CBS police drama “Cold Case” (2003- ). Valdes was introduced during the show’s sixth episode, “Love Conquers Al,” and quickly developed into something of a flashpoint amidst the Philadelphia homicide squad. In subsequent episodes, it was revealed that Valdes’ fiancée was schizophrenic (and her disappearance, labeled a suicide, became an obsession for Valdes). Later, he became involved with Rush’s sister, much to his partner’s disapproval.
While starring on “Cold Case,” Pino found time to play small roles in two independent features – the mystery-thriller “Between” (2005) and the gritty road trip flick, “Rx” (2005) – as well as the still-unreleased “The Lost City,” directed by and starring Andy Garcia, along with Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman.