Leo Grillo
Birth placeLawrence, Massachusetts, US
Birth date1949 (age 77–78)
Birth nameLeo Francis Grillo, Jr.
OccupationActor, producer, activist
Years active1972–present

Leo Francis Grillo Jr. (born 1948) is an American film actor, producer, and animal welfare activist. He is best known for founding Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals Rescue, an animal welfare organization based in Acton, California. The not-for-profit organization was incorporated in 1981. The refuge has grown to become the largest care-for-life animal sanctuary of its type in the world.[1][2]

In 2024 D.E.L.T.A. Rescue lost a multi-million dollar judgment in a civil case for workplace discrimination, leading to its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025. In March 2026, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested and accused Grillo for an aleged plot to kidnap the plaintiff in the civil case.[3][4][5] Grillo plead "not guilty" to the charges.[6] As of May 2026 Leo Grillo is currently held in Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles awaiting trial.[7]

Early life

Grillo was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to Carmela de Lucia and Leo Francis Grillo, Sr., both Italian-Americans.[8] Grillo appeared in the 1972 television series Banacek. Grillo majored in theatre at Emerson College in Boston, MA.[8]

Career

In 1977, Grillo moved from Boston to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a film career. He appeared in the 1977 John Heard film Between the Lines. Grillo studied under the tutelage of Charles E. Conrad, an acting coach credited with launching the film careers of Dee Wallace and Diana Ross, both Academy Award nominees.[2][8][better source needed]

Grillo was the lead actor in Dierdre's Party, a feature film he produced in 1998. Grillo played lead actor, opposite Katherine Heigl, in the 2006 independent film Zyzzyx Road. In 2009, Grillo co-wrote, produced and starred in Magic, opposite Sammi Hanratty, Lori Heuring, Christopher Lloyd and Robert Davi, who directed the movie.[9]

Animal advocacy and shelter

Grillo and his staff of seventy care for more than 1,500 previously abandoned and abused animals on a daily basis at the D.E.L.T.A. Rescue sanctuary in Glendale, California. According to tax documents, Grillo takes no salary to run the 150-acre No-Kill refuge. Grillo founded Horse Rescue of America in 1988.[8][10]

In 2008, Grillo created "Animals on the Edge," a global project that allows animals from other nations to benefit from Grillo's initiatives. Grillo co-conceived with wildlife photographer and author Chris Weston a book by the same name. The book identifies those animals currently living on the frontline of extinction.[11]

Discrimination lawsuit and alleged kidnapping conspiracy

In 2024 a Los Angeles court ruled against D.E.L.T.A. Rescue in a wrongful dismissal and employment discrimination case. The court assessed $6.7 million in damages to the plaintiff. In 2025, D.E.L.T.A. Rescue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it contested the ruling.[3]

In March 2026, Leo Grillo was arrested and accused by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of paying for the kidnapping of the plaintiff in the civil case.[3][4][5] Grillo plead "not guilty" to the charges.[6]

As of May 2026 Leo Grillo is currently held in Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles.[7]

Family

Grillo is the father of Meguire Elizabeth Grillo and Erica Lee Grillo.[8]

Filmography

Actor

Self

Producer

  • Magic (2010) (film) – executive producer
  • Zyzzyx Rd (2006) (film) – executive producer
  • The Rescuer (2005) – executive producer
  • Deirdre's Party (1998) – executive producer

Writer

  • Magic (2009) (film)

References

  1. ^ "Is This The Place?,” Is This The Place?, 1995, by Leo Grillo. Retrieved on September 25, 2009.
  2. ^ "Gimme Shelter,” The Magazine of Santa Clarita, January 2003, by Elodie Ackerman. Retrieved on September 25, 2009
  3. ^ Mejia, Brittny (2026-03-04). "His animal rescue owed millions. Rather than pay, feds say he plotted to kidnap former worker". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  4. ^ "Founder of Acton-Based Animal Welfare Organization Arrested on Federal Charge that He Plotted Former Employee’s Kidnapping". Justice.gov. 2026-03-04. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  5. ^ "Complaint – #1 in United States v. Grillo (C.D. Cal., 2:26-mj-01215) – CourtListener.com". CourtListener. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  6. ^ Pettersson, Edvard (2026-03-23). "Animal welfare champion pleads not guilty to attempted kidnapping of former employee". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  7. ^ "Inmate Locator". www.bop.gov. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  8. ^ [1][dead link]
  9. ^ "DAVI: Our pets are family, too". Washington Times. April 21, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  10. ^ "Shelter Embodies Activist's No-Kill Philosophy,” Los Angeles Times, May 17, 2006, by John Spano. Retrieved on September 25, 2009.
  11. ^ "How it Started – About AOTE – Animals on the Edge – Together we can make a difference". Animals on the Edge. Archived from the original on September 4, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2010.

7. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-04/nonprofit-owed-millions-alleged-kidnapping-plot