Bryan Genesse is a Canadian actor and martial artist, perhaps best known for his action roles on the television series Street Justice, and in early productions of the Nu Image film company.
[5] The actor first gained notice playing womanizing types in raunchy comedies, making his feature debut as the lead in 1985's Screwballs II, followed by two antagonistic turns, as a British rock star in Blake Edwards' Skin Deep and a lecherous, conniving nightclub owner in California Casanova (wrapped in 1989 but belatedly released in 1991).
The shows' producers were taken aback at first, but found the irreverent style to be a welcome departure from daytime drama conventions, and wrote a brand new character to accommodate him, called Rocco Carner.
[5] While most press profiles at the time emphasized the sensitive image befitting of a soap star, his slightly edgier persona allowed for sporadic allusions to his martial arts background, and he did pose for a few glamour shots with traditional Asian weapons.
[7] While making B&B-related personal appearances in Italy, Genesse was called back to Los Angeles to audition for Stephen Cannell's next series to be shot in Canada, Street Justice, in a role that would take advantage of his interest for martial arts.
A few months later, Genesse received top billing in Human Timebomb, which Nu Image's U.S. distributor, New Line, chose to rebrand as a sequel to their 1992 film Live Wire in the territory.
[4] Genesse, who had contemplated writing since his early days as a performer,[1] scripted and co-produced 2000's The Alternate, in which he also acted alongside his wife Brooke Theiss, Eric Roberts, Ice-T and Michael Madsen.