A regular in the movies of quirky indie-filmmaker Hal Hartley, actor D.J. Mendel first appeared onscreen in the Hartley-helmed project The Book of Life. In 2003, Mendel wrote, directed, and appeared in his own movie, Make Pretend, and then in 2006, he collaborated with Hartley once again in Fay Grim, the long awaited sequel to Henry Fool.He has also appeared on stage in New York in plays by legendary theater artist Richard Foreman. (Permanent Brain Damage, Panic, The Universe)