About Gloria coco
Gloria Coco's Biography
Gloria Coco loves the opportunity to embrace challenging acting roles, from playing a tough FDA agent in the Amazon show UTOPIA, to a a fair-minded judge on SOUTHLAND.
When not acting, Gloria remains connected to her legal profession. Gloria is a retired Supervising Judge of the Domestic Violence Section, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. She's also an adjunct Professor, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois. And, serves as Deliberation Judge for Canamacproductions.com.
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Gloria is proud to hail from Chicago's South Side. She pulls from her experience as a retired Cook County Judge and former County Prosecutor. While on the bench, Gloria attended Northwestern University School of Communications, earning a second degree in Radio, TV, and Film.
At 3 years of age Gloria danced the "Can Can" for the Ethel and Gertrude Morgan Dance Studio in Chicago. Thus began her journey to pursue the performance arts!
By the time Gloria was 10, she had performed on numerous Chicago TV programs including THE LEE PHILLIPS SHOW, LUNCHTIME LITTLE THEATER and BOZO'S CIRCUS. She appeared in a number of high school plays, and, also minored in Theater in college.
Persuaded to pursue another career path, Gloria became a teacher for the Chicago Public Schools. While teaching, Gloria attended law school at night. After passing the bar, she became a Prosecutor for Cook County, the Illinois Attorney General,
and the City of Chicago. In 1991, she ascended to the bench
in the Circuit Court of Cook County., Illinois.
The performance bug never left her! She took evening classes at various Chicago acting schools, including Second City with
Del Close. She was an extra in a number of film productions shot in Chicago, including PUBLIC ENEMIES starring Johnny Depp.
Torn between two career paths, Gloria remembered her Mom saying, "You know Gloria, to be an attorney is to be an actor!"
In 1994, Gloria set her goal to attain the degree she always wanted. She went back to school at Northwestern University,
and in 2004 graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Radio/TV/Film.
Upon retiring from the bench, Gloria did on-camera, commercial, and theater work in Chicago. She also wrote and performed
a one woman show, FINDING UNCLE ALFIO in Chicago, New York, and Rome. This is a true story of her Sicilian family's tragedy at
Ellis Island in 1921.
At the encouragement of her Los Angeles agent, Gloria moved to California in 2009. She worked as a legal tech advisor for the pilot of THE DEFENDERS with Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell.
Gloria also a co-starred in SOUTHLAND with Regina King.
Gloria's LA resume includes numerous on camera, print, commercial, and independent film projects.
Gloria appears as the reoccurring character Toni Tambler in Amazon Prime's episodic UTOPIA, written and produced
by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, Widows), which premiered September 25, 2020.
Gloria is grateful for the lasting and inspirational encouragement of her Mom, Grace Coco, who advised "Gloria, age is irrelevant, you're going to be 28, 40, 54, etc., anyway...why not be that age and be whatever you want to be!"
Thanks Mom, thanks to you my journey still has a beating heart!