Arthur Kade: Why the Rhawnhurst native left a lucrative career for acting

By Shannon McDonald

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He’s been featured on Gawker and Street Talkin’, Philebrity loves to mess with him, and Country of Cretins make it its personal philosophy to mock him. But Arthur Kade doesn’t care.

He left his career as a successful financial planner to pursue his dream of acting, and Kade recently opened up to NEastPhilly.com about his life growing up in Rhawnhurst and how the Northeast has influenced his acting career.

NEAstPhilly.com: You mention predominantly on your site that you’re from Northeast Philadelphia. What neighborhood did you grow up in? Where did you go to school? Arthur Kade: I grew up in Rhawnhurst on Algon and Borbeck, and went to Northeast High School. Class of ’96.

NP: Where do you live now? Do you still have ties to the Northeast? AK: I live in Center City Philadelphia – Rittenhouse Square – and am constantly traveling to New York for acting work, and will be heading to LA each month to work with my acting coach.

Continue reading to find out how much Arthur made as a financial planner, see a picture of him as a teenager and some videos of him.

NP: What was your favorite thing about growing up in the Northeast? Did you have any thing in particular you liked to do, or any place you frequented? AK: I loved the neighborhood feel of where I grew up. The Northeast was like a self-contained city, you never felt like you needed to leave it. I loved to play basketball at Jardel playground on Cottman Avenue as much as I could.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzSsVUbki0k]

NP: You talk openly about leaving a lucrative career in financial planning to pursue your dream. What did you do for a living? Do you care to disclose how much you made and how much you sold your business for? AK: I was a franchise owner/financial planner at Ameriprise Financial. I consistently made $250,000 or more. I cannot discuss the amount that I sold it for, but I will be taking three years off to pursue my acting dream.

NP: When exactly did you decide to leave your career to follow your dream? AK: I officially made the choice over New Year’s Eve this year, but had been contemplating it the last two years. It was time to move on from financial advisory; I was bored and felt like I was wasting my talents.

NP: How long has acting been a dream of yours? Is there a specific moment you realized it? AK: I have always been a very large personality, and I love playing other people, but I knew I wanted to be an actor when I did a play in middle school at Baldi and heard the applause at the end. Nothing has ever made me feel that type of rush. NP: Is there any particular form of acting you enjoy? AK: I love drama and playing dark, complex characters – think Meet Joe Black. Movie or TV is where I think I would be happy.

NP: Is there an actor, film or TV show you particularly admire that you’d like to work with? AK: I have always been a huge fan of Al Pacino. There is no role that I have enjoyed watching more than him in Godfather II. I also like Christian Bale; his darkness and mysteriousness makes the characters more real. Kade, Arthur: Author of this blog starting on Feb 12, 2009. A self-absorbed primate currently residing in Philidelphia who has delusions of stardom. There is considerable debate as to whether Kade is real or the work of a depraved and ingenious marketing team whose diabolical intentions are yet to be revealed. – Posted on Country of Cretins NP: You seem to be gaining popularity – and not just in Philadelphia. Do you think you’ll leave the city as your career gets bigger? AK: Yes, I am a transient, and love to travel, I would love to work all around the world on different projects.

NP: Do you think a movie or TV show will ever be set in Northeast Philadelphia? AK: I hope so…there is so much culture and life in the Northeast, and I think the area depicts everything Philly is about: hard-working, blue collar, loyal neighborhood feel.

You can next see Arthur Kade as an extra on Salt, a new movie starring Angelina Jolie and Liev Schriber, and look for him on episodes of Ugly Betty and Gossip Girl, he said.

He’s also auditioned for a QVC host job:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCXAujKk9lo]

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