# James DeBello
**James DeBello** (born 1980) is an American actor known for roles in teen comedies and horror films of the late 1990s and early 2000s, most prominently as Trip in *Detroit Rock City* (1999) and Bert in [Eli Roth](https://www.edgepedia.org/eli-roth)'s *[Cabin Fever](https://www.edgepedia.org/cabin-fever-2002-film)* (2002).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/) • [2](https://taleventry.com/profile/james-debello) He is sometimes credited as James De Bello.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980, Hartford, Connecticut; raised near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980) |
| Breakout role | Trip, the KISS-obsessed teen in *Detroit Rock City* (1999)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/) |
| Film debut | "Enthusiastic Guy" in *American Pie* (1999)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/) |
| Horror signature role | Bert in *Cabin Fever* (2002), Eli Roth's directorial debut[2](https://taleventry.com/profile/james-debello) |
| Television | Guest role on *ER* (1997); Danny Whitaker in *My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star* (The WB, 2002); voice of A.J. in *American Dad!* (2006)[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980) |
| Recurring character | Cliff Richardson in *National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze* (2003) and *Dorm Daze 2* (2006)[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980) |
## Early life and start in acting
DeBello was born in [Hartford, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/hartford-connecticut), and raised near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980) He moved to Los Angeles at age sixteen and was discovered by an agent shortly thereafter.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debello/) His first screen role was a guest appearance as Danny Seeff in the "Ground Zero" episode of the NBC medical drama *ER* in 1997.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980)
## 1999 and the teen-comedy boom
**Two 1999 releases** established him. He appeared in the hit teen comedy *American Pie* as a character credited simply as "Enthusiastic Guy," then took a leading role in *Detroit Rock City*, Adam Rifkin's comedy about four 1978 Ohio teenagers determined to reach a sold-out KISS concert in Detroit.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debello/) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-13-ca-65206-story.html) DeBello played Trip, described by the Los Angeles Times as one of four high school seniors in a KISS cover band called Mystery, and by Time Out as the group's "resident pothead," a charmingly spaced-out character.[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-13-ca-65206-story.html) • [6](https://www.timeout.com/movies/detroit-rock-city) His performance of "Rock and Roll All Nite" appears on the film's soundtrack.[7](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-debello/bio/3030096490/) That same year he appeared in the NBC miniseries *The '60s* and was a celebrity contestant on the E! reality series *Search Party*.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980)
## 2000s work
In 2000 he played Jimmy, an affable football player drawn into his girlfriend's plot against her abusive stepfather, in *Crime + Punishment in Suburbia*, and Rod, a "misogynist in training," in the independent film *100 Girls*.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debello/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980) He played Tommy in the parody *[Scary Movie 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/scary-movie-2)* (2001) and Christopher Dante in the thriller *[Swimfan](https://www.edgepedia.org/swimfan)* (2002).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980)
**Cabin Fever.** DeBello played Bert, one of a group of college students facing a flesh-eating virus, in Eli Roth's directorial debut. IMDb dates the film to 2002,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/) while the Encyclopedia.com credit list places it in 2003.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980) The role is the one by which horror fans most often recognize him; Taleventry's profile reports that Roth chose him after a sharp, dismissive look he gave during his audition.[2](https://taleventry.com/profile/james-debello)
Through the 2000s he remained a steady presence in comedy, playing Cliff Richardson in both *National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze* (2003) and *Dorm Daze 2* (2006), and appearing in *The Hillz* (2005), *[After Sex](https://www.edgepedia.org/after-sex-2007-film)* (2006), and *Transylmania* (2009).[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980) • [8](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/35768/james-debello/filmography) On television he played Danny Whitaker, the drummer in a band, in The WB's midseason series *My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star* (2002), and voiced A.J. in a 2006 episode of the animated series *American Dad!*.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debello/) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980)
## Later career
His later filmography leans toward independent and cult projects, including *The FP* (2011), *Urge* (2015), and the horror films *Clinton Road* and *Masked Mutilator* (both 2019).[2](https://taleventry.com/profile/james-debello) • [8](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/35768/james-debello/filmography) IMDb lists two further projects, *Lost Media* and *60 Minutes to Kill*, in post-production.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/)
## References
1. [James DeBello, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004867/)
2. [James DeBello: Detroit Rock City Actor, Convention Guest & Fan Events, Taleventry](https://taleventry.com/profile/james-debello)
3. [DeBello, James 1980–, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/debello-james-1980)
4. [James DeBello, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-debello/)
5. [KISS Fanatics on Crude Mission to Get to 'Detroit Rock City', Los Angeles Times (1999)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-13-ca-65206-story.html)
6. [Detroit Rock City, Time Out film review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/detroit-rock-city)
7. [James DeBello Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-debello/bio/3030096490/)
8. [Filmography James DeBello, MovieMeter](https://www.moviemeter.com/celebrities/35768/james-debello/filmography)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames D to Di*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license