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Antonio Sabàto Jr.

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Antonio Sabàto
Sabàto in 2018
Born (1972-02-29) February 29, 1972 (age 52)
Rome, Italy
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Actor, model, politician
Years active1990–present
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1992; div. 1993)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2012; div. 2018)​
Partners
Children3
Parent(s)Antonio Sabàto Sr.
Yvonne Kabouchy

Antonio Sabàto Jr. (born February 29, 1972) is an Italian-American model and actor. He rose to fame in the 1990s as an underwear model for Calvin Klein and playing Jagger Cates on the soap opera General Hospital from 1992 to 1995. By the early 2000s, most of his acting credits were guest appearances, reality television, and budget films. Sabàto ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress against incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Julia Brownley for California's 26th district in the 2018 elections.[1][2]

Early life

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Sabàto was born in Rome, Italy on February 29, 1972, a Leap Day. His father was Antonio Sabàto Sr., an Italian-born film star. His mother, Yvonne, was born in Prague (then part of Czechoslovakia), and of Jewish ancestry; her own mother was a Jewish Holocaust survivor.[3][4][5][6][7] He has one sibling, a sister named Simonne. Sabàto and his family moved to the United States from Italy in 1985 and he became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1996.[5] He received his high school diploma from Palisades Charter High School in Los Angeles.[8] His parents divorced, and his mother remarried, to California-based businessman George F. Kabouchy, in 1997.[9][10]

Career

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Modeling

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Sabàto was featured on the cover of erotic magazine Playgirl in April 1993.[11] Represented in Los Angeles by fashion agent Omar Albertto,[12] Sabàto first gained attention as a Calvin Klein underwear model in 1996. In 1990, he appeared in Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" music video along with actor Djimon Hounsou, who is also a former CK underwear model represented by Albertto. In 2013, Sabàto was named the international celebrity spokesperson for AnastasiaDate, an online mail-order bride website which connects wealthy American older men with Eastern European women.[13][14]

Acting

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Moving into acting, from 1992 to 1995 he appeared on the soap opera General Hospital, the science fiction series Earth 2, and the prime time soap opera Melrose Place. Throughout the late 1990s, he starred in various TV movies and direct-to-video films, as well as a supporting role in the 1998 feature film The Big Hit. In 2003, he played the protagonist's lover Pablo in the movie Testosterone, filmed in Argentina with Sonia Braga, David Sutcliffe, Jennifer Coolidge, Celina Font and Leonardo Brezicki. From 2005 to 2006, Sabàto played Dante Damiano on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, and in 2008, Sabàto reprised his role as Jagger Cates on the second season of General Hospital: Night Shift.[15] Sabàto made an appearance on Bones as a bouncer from a Jersey Shore club in season 6, episode 3, "The Maggots in the Meathead" in 2010.[16] In 2013, he played Father Zaragosa in the television series The League.[citation needed] Sabàto is set to direct, produce, and star in an upcoming project called Trail Blazers, which reportedly is the first in the line of other films he hopes to produce for his upcoming film studio called Trail Blazers Pictures. The film costars Kristy Swanson, Kevin Sorbo, Dean Cain, and Scott Baio.[17]

Other work

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Sabàto in 2007

In 2005, Sabàto appeared on But Can They Sing?, a celebrity reality singing competition on VH1, coming in 5th place. He competed in the 2008 NBC competition Celebrity Circus, which he won. He stated on the show that both his mother and her father were circus performers.[18]

In August 2009, Sabàto starred in My Antonio, a reality show on VH1 in which female contestants competed to win his heart. The show notably featured Sabàto's ex-wife, Tully Jensen, as one of the contestants (she came in 3rd place), and his mother also appeared on the show, providing advice. The show's winner was Brooke Barlow.[19]

Sabàto and his family appeared on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap on January 31, 2012. His then-fiancé Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes traded places on the show with WWE wrestler Mick Foley's wife Colette Foley. Sabàto competed on season 19 of Dancing with the Stars in 2014. He was paired with professional dancer Cheryl Burke,[20] and they finished in 8th place.[21]

Since 2014, Sabàto has served as the host of a 30-minute long syndicated home remodeling show Fix It & Finish It.[22][23]

In 2016, Sabàto was contracted to be a Chippendales dancer for a special engagement in June at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.[24]

Sabàto announced that he wants to start a Hollywood movie studio geared toward conservative content. The new company is called Trail Blazers Pictures and the studio's first upcoming film, Trail Blazers, is in the works for a release in 2022.[25]

Politics

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Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in California, 2018 § District 26

Sabàto ran for the 26th district Congressional seat in California as a Republican against incumbent Democrat Julia Brownley. He came in second place in the jungle primary with 22.4% of the vote, advancing to face Brownley in the general election.[26] He lost the election on November 6, 2018, by 24%.[2]

Regarding illegal immigration, Sabàto said, "There should be no shortcuts for those who don't want to pay or wait".[27] He supported Trump's wall on the southern border, saying, "We need a wall."[28]

Sabàto has made many controversial statements regarding former U.S. President Barack Obama, including saying he has "no guts," accusing him of destroying the U.S. economy, and asserting that Obama should be arrested and sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[29] The former Democrat has also implied that Obama is the reason he left the Democratic Party.[29]

For several years, Sabàto has maintained that, in his opinion, Obama is not a Christian but a Muslim.[30] The first instance of such a claim came in 2016, when Sabàto, after making a speech at the Republican National Convention, told ABC News "I don't believe he follows the God that I love and the Jesus that I love," and "If you follow his story, if you read his book, if you understand about Obama, I mean, that's not a Christian name, is it?"[31] When pressed for evidence to back up his claims, Sabàto answered that it's "in his heart."[32]

Two years later, in 2018, he reaffirmed his belief that Obama is a Muslim when appearing on The View, saying "If he's [Obama's] not a Muslim, we should call him President Barry," and claimed that "What I was saying was, he changed his name to Obama because he followed the Islam religion when he was growing up so, I felt that once you're in that religion, you stay for the rest of your life."[33][34][35]

Sabàto endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016.[36] He spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention in support of the party's presumptive nominee.[37] Sabàto claimed that after he expressed his support for Trump, he was blacklisted from Hollywood.[38] He later compared his struggle to find work in show business with that of being Jewish during the Holocaust and said celebrities mocked him on the social media website Twitter.[39][40]

Personal life

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Sabàto was married to Tully Jensen from 1992 until 1993.[41] He married Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes in 2012.[42] The two separated in December 2016[43] and their divorce was finalized in June 2018.[44] After Sabàto filed for divorce, Nunes alleged that Sabàto was abusing prescription drugs and had failed to complete even one month of a three-month-long drug rehabilitation program. Sabàto said that he was addicted to prescription sleep aids, not benzodiazepines as Nunes claimed, but admitted that he had a problem with substance abuse in the past, specifically crystal meth.[43][45] Sabàto has three children: a son with Virginia Madsen,[46] a daughter with Kristin Rossetti Biasi,[46] and a son with Nunes.[44]

Sabàto is a Christian but has, on several occasions, said that he also identifies as being Jewish.[47][48][49][6]

Sabàto had testosterone pellets injected into his buttocks as a treatment for low levels of testosterone.[50] Sabàto has several tattoos, including the Batman logo on his lower back and the yin yang symbol surrounded by Chinese characters on his arm.[51]

In a December 2018 tweet, Sabàto stated that he and his family were in the process of moving out of California to an undisclosed state, citing his frustration with the state's progressive policies as the primary reason. In March 2020, Sabàto moved to Florida, and now works for a construction company.[52]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1990 Il ragazzo delle mani d'acciaio Kevin Foster
1991 Fuga da Kayenta Emiliano
...Se non avessi l'amore Pier Giorgio Frassati TV movie
1993 Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? A.J. Treece TV movie
1994 Jailbreakers Tony Falcon TV movie
1995 Her Hidden Truth Detective Matt Samoni TV movie
1996 If Looks Could Kill John Hawkins TV movie
Padre papà Don Giuseppe TV movie
Thrill Jack Colson TV movie
Code Name: Wolverine Harry Gordini/Wolverine TV movie
1997 Circles Jeremy Bonner
1998 The Perfect Getaway Randy Savino TV movie
The Big Hit Vince
High Voltage Johnny Clay
1999 Fatal Error Dr. Nick Baldwin TV movie
Goosed Dr. Steven Stevenson
2000 The Chaos Factor Jack Poynt
Vola Sciusciù Tony TV movie
Guilty as Charged Sergeant Hawks TV movie
Final Ascent David TV movie
2001 Mindstorm Dan Oliver
Shark Hunter Spencer Northcut
Longshot Tommy Sutton
2002 Hyper Sonic Grant Irvine Video
Seconds to Spare Paul Blake TV movie
Dead Above Ground Sergeant Dan DeSousa
2003 See Jane Date Timothy Rommelly TV movie
Wasabi Tuna Fredrico
Bugs Matt Pollack TV movie
Testosterone Pablo Alesandro
2005 Jane Doe: Til Death Do Us Part Joey Angelini TV movie
Crash Landing Major John Masters
2006 Deadly Skies Richard Donovan TV movie
2007 Stolen Life Greg Vlasi TV movie
Destination: Infestation Ethan Hart TV movie
Sirens of the Caribbean Michael Pace TV movie
2008 Ghost Voyage Michael TV movie
2009 Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas Henry Lee Lucas
Princess of Mars John Carter
2011 Balls to the Wall Sven
God Reschedules Rapture - Short
Secrets from Her Past Dr. Shawn Tessle TV movie
2012 The Three Stooges Handsome Guy #1
Little Women, Big Cars A.J.
Little Women, Big Cars 2 A.J.
2014 All I Want for Christmas Mike Patterson TV movie
2015 Intikam Varol
2016 Dark Paradise Dario TV movie
Inspired to Kill Paul TV movie
2017 Hometown Hero Jason TV movie
2019 Dance Night Obsession Miguel
Santa in Training Eddie
2020 One Nation Under God Senator Viera
2021 God's Not Dead: We the People Mike McKinnon [53]
Carolina's Calling Martin Haas
2022 Trail Blazers John

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1992–1995 General Hospital Jagger Cates Regular Cast
1994–1995 Earth 2 Alonzo Solace Main Cast
1995 Melrose Place Jack Perezi Recurring Cast: Season 4
1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Bob Stanford Episode: "Bob and Carol and Lois and Clark"
1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Mario (voice) Episode: "Thumbelina"
1999 Ally McBeal Kevin Wyatt Episode: "The Green Monster"
Wasteland Jack Episode: "Double Date"
Tribe Jack Osborne Main Cast
2000 The Outer Limits Chad Warner/Sid Camden Episode: "Skin Deep"
Charmed Bane Jessup Recurring Cast: Season 2
2001 The Test Himself/Panelist Episode: "The Sex Etiquette Test"
Wild On! Bane Jessup Episode: "Wild on the Islands"
2003 Pet Star Himself/Panelist Episode: "Episode #2.10 & "#2.13"
E! True Hollywood Story Himself Episode: "Melrose Place"
2004 MTV Cribs Himself Episode: "September 22, 2004"
Half & Half Carlo Episode: "The Big Double Date with My Mate Episode"
Becker Linda's Boyfriend Episode: "DNR"
The Help Dwayne Main Cast
2005 But Can They Sing? Himself/Contestant Main Cast
Joey Kyle Episode: "Joey and the Tonight Show"
2005-06 The Bold and the Beautiful Dante Damiano Regular Cast
2006 E! True Hollywood Story Himself Episode: "Tori Spelling"
2008 Celebrity Circus Himself/Contestant Main Cast
Whatever Happened To? Himself Episode: "Playboys"
General Hospital: Night Shift Jagger Cates Main Cast: Season 2
NCIS Dale Kapp Episode: "Road Kill"
2009 My Antonio Himself Main Cast
Ugly Betty Himself Episode: "The Fall Issue"
Scrubs Himself Episode: "Our Drunk Friend"
2010 Iron Chef America Himself/Judge Episode: "Flay vs. Smith: Avocado"
CSI: NY Davi Santos Episode: "The Formula"
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Ross Matthews Episode: "Episode #18.89"
Rizzoli & Isles Jorge Episode: "I Kissed A Girl"
Bones Terror Episode: "The Maggots in the Meathead"
2011 The Traveler's Guide to Life Himself Episode: "Secret Lives"
After Lately Himself Episode: "Finding Jordan"
Hot in Cleveland Leandro Episode: "Dancing Queens"
2012 Celebrity Wife Swap Himself Episode: "Mick 'Mankind' Foley/Antonio Sabato Jr."
Femme Fatales Bart Episode: "Gun Twisted"
2013 Hell's Kitchen Himself/Restaurant Patron Episode: "5 Chefs Compete: Part 3 of 3"
Chopped Himself/Contestant Episode: "Celebrity Holiday Bash"
Baby Daddy Gerard Episode: "All's Flair in Love and War"
Castle Ramon Russo Episode: "Need to Know"
The League Father Zaragosa Recurring Cast: Season 5
2013-14 From the Mouths of Babes Himself Recurring Guest: Season 1
2014 Oprah: Where Are They Now? Himself Episode: "Candy Spelling, Knots Landing Reunion/Antonio Sabato, Jr."
Dancing with the Stars Himself/Contestant Contestant: Season 19
Heartbreakers Billy Mac Fleming Episode: "Shot Through The Heart"
2014–2016 Fix It and Finish It Himself/Host Main Host
2016 Cupcake Wars Himself/Contestant Episode: "Celebrity: Twister"
The Encounter Dr. Max Huber Episode: "Just Believe"
2017 Malibu Dan the Family Man Frane Calloway Episode: Filthy Poor
2017–2018 Hilton Head Island Jude Trisk Main Cast

Music Videos

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Year Song Artist
1990 "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" Janet Jackson

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mehta, Seema (May 9, 2017). "Actor Antonio Sabato Jr. to run for Congress against Rep. Julia Brownley". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Kathleen (November 7, 2018). "Election results 2018: Julia Brownley coasts to fourth term as Democrats take over House". Ventura County Star. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Carter, Alan (April 23, 1993). "Raising TV's Pulse Rate". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  4. ^ Lovece, Frank (July 21, 2008). "Reality Check". Newsday. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Elkin, Michael (April 18, 2013). "The Mysteries of a Mystery Woman". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  6. ^ a b Hoffman, Allison (August 13, 2009). "A Nice Jewish Boy: Hunky Antonio Sabato Jr. looks for love on TV, with help from his mother". Tablet. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  7. ^ "Nate Bloom writes a weekly column on Jewish celebrities | Tampa Jewish Federation". www.jewishtampa.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  8. ^ MENDOZA, N. F. (October 8, 1995). "WITH AN EYE ON . . . : Watch out: Amanda meets her 'Melrose' match in the hunky form of Antonio Sabato Jr". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  9. ^ "Star Tracks". People. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  10. ^ "Los Angeles County". Los Angeles Times. December 16, 1987. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  11. ^ Playgirl April 1993 - Soap Studs – via amazon.com.
  12. ^ "Omar Albertto on FASHION NET". www.fashion.net. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  13. ^ "Antonio Sabatob Jr Named International Celebrity Spokesperson for AnastasiaDate" (Press release). PRNewswire. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  14. ^ "Mail Order Bride Boom". Fortune. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  15. ^ "General Hospital: Night Shift Returns on July 22 with Antonio Sabato Jr". BuddyTV. July 11, 2008. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  16. ^ "Antonio Sabato, Jr. To Bring Some Jersey to Bones". TV Guide. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  17. ^ Trail Blazers (2021) - IMDb, retrieved August 8, 2020
  18. ^ Rocchio, Christopher (July 17, 2007). "Antonio Sabato Jr. wins NBC's Celebrity Circus reality series". Reality TV World. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  19. ^ Duncan, JJ (October 26, 2009). "'My Antonio' Winner Brooke Barlow Says She and Antonio Haven't Spoken for Months". Zimbio.
  20. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (September 4, 2014). "'Dancing With The Stars' Season 19 Cast — 'DWTS' Celebrities Announced". Hollywood Life. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  21. ^ Reiher, Andrea (October 27, 2014). "'Dancing With the Stars' Season 19 week 7 scores and elimination results". Zap2It. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  22. ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. | Fix It and Finish It". Fixitandfinish.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  23. ^ "Fix It and Finish It". Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  24. ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Is Joining the Chippendales!". People. March 30, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  25. ^ Trepany, Charles (July 16, 2020). "'No more blacklisting': Antonio Sabato Jr. announces plans for 'conservative movie studio'". USA Today. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  26. ^ "California Election Results: 26th House District". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 11, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  27. ^ "CNN on Twitter - Antonio Sabato Jr.: "There should be no shortcuts for those who don't want to pay or wait"". July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016 – via Twitter.com.
  28. ^ Stahl, Jeremy (July 18, 2016). "Here Are the Most Random, Oddest Speakers from the First Day of the GOP Convention". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  29. ^ a b Morrow, Brendan (May 8, 2017). "Antonio Sabato Jr.'s Political Views: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  30. ^ "The quiet impact of Obama's Christian faith". The Washington Post. December 22, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  31. ^ "Sabàto, after RNC speech, says Obama 'absolutely' a Muslim". Politico. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  32. ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Believes Obama Is a 'Muslim President'". Us Weekly. July 19, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  33. ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Insists Barack Obama Is Muslim On "The View" (VIDEO)". Gossip Cop. February 8, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  34. ^ "When Barry Became Barack". Newsweek. March 22, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  35. ^ "Trump on Birtherism: Wrong, and Wrong - FactCheck.org". FactCheck.org. September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  36. ^ Jonathan, Robert (April 8, 2016). "Antonio Sabato Jr. sounds off on Trump and Cruz". Inquisitr. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  37. ^ "Tim Tebow: Speaking slot at Trump convention 'a rumor'". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. July 14, 2016.
  38. ^ O'Neal, Sean (August 4, 2016). "Antonio Sabato Jr. says Hollywood has blacklisted him for supporting Trump". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  39. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (August 3, 2016). "Antonio Sabato Jr. Says Hollywood is Blacklisting Him for Supporting Donald Trump". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  40. ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr. Compares Being Blackballed By Hollywood To Holocaust: 'It's Happening to Me'". Mediaite. February 8, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  41. ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr". People. May 9, 1994.
  42. ^ Rizzo, Monica (October 26, 2012). "Antonio Sabato Jr. Marries Cheryl Moana Marie in Hawail". People. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  43. ^ a b Goldblatt, Daniel (May 15, 2017). "Antonio Sabato Jr.'s Estranged Wife Cheryl Alleges He Has Drug Abuse Issues Amid Divorce Filing". People. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  44. ^ a b Gray, Mark (June 18, 2018). "Antonio Sabato Jr. and ex settle divorce in midst of Congressional run". MSN.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  45. ^ Bell, Gabriel (May 15, 2017). "Congressional hopeful Antonio Sabato Jr. accused of drug abuse by wife". Salon. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  46. ^ a b "Antonio Sabàto Jr. Smooches His Sweetheart". People. May 22, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  47. ^ Bandler, Aaron (December 22, 2017). "Q&A with Antonio Sabato Jr., Republican Candidate for Congress — Jewish Journal". Jewish Journal. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  48. ^ Bell, Gabriel (February 8, 2018). "GOP candidate Antonio Sabato Jr. repeats claim that Obama is Muslim in bizarre interview". Salon. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  49. ^ Bloom, Nate (September 19, 2014). "Jews in the News : Ben Feldman, Taylor Mays and Marc Trestman". Tampa Jewish Federation. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  50. ^ Hein, Alexandria (May 10, 2018). "Antonio Sabato Jr. says testosterone pellets improve sex life, reduce stress". Fox News. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  51. ^ "Antonio Sabato Jr". TV Guide. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  52. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (March 3, 2020). "Antonio Sabato Jr. on How Supporting Donald Trump Ended His Acting Career". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  53. ^ Bond, Paul (July 14, 2021). "New "God's Not Dead" movie to star "blacklisted" Antonio Sabato Jr". Newsweek. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
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