Danny A. Abeckaser
Actor Danny A. Abeckaser (The Irishman, Mob Town) appears alongside Sam Worthington and Harvey Keitel in the feature mob drama Lansky. He plays special agent Greg Kunz, an FBI agent alongside David Elliott and James Moses Black. John Magaro plays young Lansky, together with David Cade as Bugsy Seigel. AnnaSophia Robb, Minka Kelly and Alon Aboutboul also appear in the film. Written and directed by Eytan Rockaway, the story is based on actual interviews of Meyer Lansky by historian Robert Rockaway.
Producer Jeff Hoffman states: "We were thrilled that Danny was able to join our stellar cast especially given his recent role in The Irishman. He definitely brings a genuine authenticity to the role." Other producers include Rob Barnum, Lee Broda and Eric Binns.
Abeckaser also appears alongside Keitel in Scorsese's The Irishman, and Keitel starred in Abeckaser's 2018 directorial debut, the indie feature 'First We Take Brooklyn,' also in the mob genre.
Abeckaser appeared in Martin Scorsese's highly covered 2019 mob drama The Irishman alongside Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Anna Paquin, which was featured in the 2020 award show circuit with dozens of nominations. Abeckaser plays Louie, aka "Deadbeat," in scenes alongside De Niro and Bobby Cannavale. Abeckaser attended both the Globes and Oscars in support of The Irishman.
Selective when it comes to the projects he works on, Abeckaser's first foray into cinema was 2010's Holy Rollers. Directed by Kevin Asch, Danny stars alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha in a story about a young man from an Orthodox Jewish community who is lured into becoming an ecstasy dealer by a friend linked to an Israeli drug cartel. Danny also appeared in Kevin's short "Characters" from 2005, where his character is in tribute to Al Pacino, co-starring Lukas Haas and Sara Foster. The film appears in the 2020 Riviera West Film Festival as part of their out-of-competition screening room, originally slated to show during the French Riviera Cannes Festival before Covid-19.
Following the film's success, Danny went on to land one of his better known roles as Dino Lapron in The Iceman, appearing alongside Ray Liotta, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, and James Franco. To date, he regards the part as one of his favorite and most challenging roles. Abeckaser continued momentum completing a longtime project writing and co-producing the film Club Life, which was loosely based on his life as a New York nightclub power player. He gained much notoriety for the film Club Life.
With two successful films under his belt, Danny was able to fulfill a lifelong dream when he was given the opportunity to work with the legendary Martin Scorsese on The Wolf of Wall Street. Abeckaser will reprise his work with Scorsese in the upcoming film The Irishman, which will be released on September 27. 2019.
Abeckaser made his directorial debut in the 2018 film First We Take Brooklyn, co-starring AnnaLynne McCord, Harvey Keitel, Charlotte McKinney, Edoardo Ballerini, Stevie Gutman, and Kathrine Narducci. First We Take Brooklyn showcases the dark life faced by the lead character upon return to his hometown of Brooklyn and following an intense Israeli prison stint. First We Take Brooklyn premiered in NYC and LA this past February, followed by national distribution via Sony Home Box Office in May 2018.
In 2018, Abeckaser also brought the story of Robert Davi to life in a documentary, as Davi attempts to recreate Frank Sinatra's "The Main Event" concert that took place at Madison Square Garden in 1974. The documentary, Davi's Way, debuted at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Abeckaser guides him along the way and also co-stars in the hilarious and thoughtful tribute to Sinatra.
Under his 2B Films production company, Abeckaser directed his sophomore film Mob Town which he also stars in alongside David Arquette, Jennifer Esposito, PJ Byrne, Robert Davi and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. The film was released in December 2019 to much success, with a premiere held at Los Angeles Film School on December 13th, and distributed theatrically by Saban Films. After a successful theatre run, the film is buzzing across VOD and iTunes platforms, plus international distribution.
Abeckaser heads 2BFilms and 2BProductions, which has produced nine films to date since its founding in 2013. Film highlights include the documentary Davi's Way (starring Robert Davi), The Last Shaman, First We Take Brooklyn, Mob Town, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, and The Experimenter. He has several other projects in development.
Abeckaser just finished directing his third feature Blackjack, which chronicles the life and career of legendary New York City street basketball player Jackie Ryan in the 1990s. The film is in post production and filmed in Brooklyn, New York. The indie feature is set to debut late 2020.
Abeckaser splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. Aside from his film career, he is well known for his support in charitable initiatives such as Rhonda's Kiss (Rhondaskiss.org), where he is a committee chair, and Together1Heart.