Latino Celebrities
I'm in the process of making a roleplay set in Miami, Florida, so I decided to compile a list of as many Latino actors I can think of. Any comments with names I don't have will help immensely. If someone on here isn't Latino, please inform me. Please do not argue in the comments. All help is appreciated, and I thank you beforehand.
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- Born and raised in the Bronx, and spent most of his formative years hanging out in New York City, Kirk Acevedo, who is of Puerto Rican descent, received his BFA from SUNY Purchase and founded a theater company called The Rorschach Group. After guest-starring on several television shows like New York Undercover (1994) and Law & Order (1990), he landed his best-known role as Alvarez, a morose and violent prisoner struggling for redemption on HBO's notoriously gritty Oz (1997). Though he was nominated for a Cable Ace award and an ALMA award for his work on Oz (1997), it was Acevedo's role as Pvt. Tella in The Thin Red Line (1998) that won him an ALMA.
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From Jesus Christ and Johnny Ramone, to a violently brilliant billionaire and a libidinous priest, all the way to gritty cops, international drug lords, straight laced lawyers, gay hustlers, crooked doctors and razor sharp political animals, Julian Acosta has been a part of some of television's most talked about projects, which along with his mesmerizing performances on film, have shone a light on Julian's most distinguishing quality as an artist - RANGE
Julian was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to El Paso, TX as a teenager. After dropping out of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX drifting around the state and holding down every conceivable job in order to make ends meet, he enrolled at North Harris College in Houston. Both as a result of not knowing what to do with his life and in an effort to meet girls, it is there that he discovered acting. Thanks to this life course correction, Julian went on to earn a B.F.A. in Theater at Florida International University in Miami and an M.F.A. from RUTGERS University. Upon graduation, Acosta moved to New York where he was quickly cast in Denis Leary's heralded but short-lived comedy series "The Job" on ABC. Acosta has held recurring roles on "NCIS: New Orleans" on CBS, "Madam Secretary" on CBS, "Hand of God" on Amazon, "Being Mary Jane" on BET, "Dirt" on F/X, "Strong Medicine" on Lifetime, "The Defenders" on CBS, "Hollywood Heights" on NICK, "Franklin and Bash" on TNT, and "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" on ABC Family. He has made guest starring turns on "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders", "Elementary", "NCIS: Los Angeles," "The Mentalist," "The Unit," and "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service" [CBS], "The Librarians", "Proof" [TNT], "Grimm," "Law & Order," "Law & Order LA," "King Pin" and "The West Wing" [NBC], "Covert Affairs" [USA], "Castle," "George Lopez" and "Scrubs" [ABC], "Entourage" [HBO], to name a few. On the film front, Acosta has been seen in THE THREE CHRISTS directed by Jon Avnet, CBGB playing Legendary Punk Rock guitarist Johnny Ramone, THE LORDS OF SALEM directed by Rob Zombie, THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE directed by Chris Sparling, BOUND BY LIES with Stephen Baldwin and Kristy Swanson and TRUE LOVE directed by Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominee Henry Barrial. Julian is also set to appear in his first Spanish language film EL SECRETO DEL RETRATO, directed by Janet Alvarez Gonzalez. Julian is also the creator of several original series for Television currently in development through his company Broken Toy Works.
Acosta is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company in New York City. He last appeared alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John Ortiz, Liza Colon-Zayas, Gaius Charles and Jessica Chastain in the internationally acclaimed production of "Othello" directed by Peter Sellars. Additional stage credits include: "Penalties and Interest" and "Massacre (Sing To Your Children)" [both at the Public Theater in New York], "Piano" [at ART], "Lucy and The Conquest" [at the Williamstown Theater Festival], Pulitzer Prize Winner "Anna In The Tropics" and "Lover's and Executioners" [at South Coast Repertory Theater] for which Acosta was nominated for a Los Angeles Critic's Circle Award. Acosta's Theatrical Directorial debut "Short Eyes" by Miguel Pinero at the Los Angeles Theater Center was critically acclaimed by the Los Angles Times and selected by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs to represent the city of Los Angeles at the International Hispanic Theatre Festival in Miami [July 2012] where it was raved by both the Miami Herald and the Miami New Times.
Service is an important part of Julian's life with the trans-formative power of education at the forefront. Most recently he founded and financed a yearly scholarship in his native Puerto Rico with two, one male and one female, High School students receiving a scholarship to the University of Puerto Rico. The scholarship is named after his paternal grandmother who was one of many passionate educators in Julian's family and goes to students graduating from the same rural town in which she taught. For more information go to www.puertoricaneducationfoundation.org
Julian and his wife director Nina Lopez-Corrado split their time between Los Angeles and Islamorada in the Florida Keys. On his downtime he is an avid fisherman, scuba diver and accomplished ne'er do well.- Actor
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Kevin Michael Alejandro is an American actor and film director. He is known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the crime drama Southland, Forklift Mike in Parenthood, Jesús Velázquez in the supernatural thriller True Blood, Sebastian Blood / Brother Blood in the superhero series Arrow and as Daniel Espinóza in the comedy-crime drama Lucifer.- Producer
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Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III was born in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917. His father was the mayor of Santiago. The 1933 revolution led by Fulgencio Batista had landed his father in jail and stripped the family of its wealth, property and power. His father was released because of the intercession of U.S. officials who believed him to be neutral during the revolt. The family fled to Miami, Florida. One of Desi's first jobs in America consisted of cleaning canary cages. However, after forming his own small band of musicians, he was hired by Xavier Cugat, the "king" of Latin music.
Desi soon left Cugat, formed his own Latin band, and literally launched the conga craze in America. He was cast in the Broadway play "Too Many Girls" and then brought to Hollywood to make the film version of the play. It was on the set of Too Many Girls (1940) that he and Lucille Ball met. They soon married and approximately 10 years later formed Desilu Productions and began the I Love Lucy (1951) shows. Desi and Lucille had two children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr.. At the end of the I Love Lucy (1951) run, which included The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957), the two divorced. Desi later wrote an autobiography entitled "A Book." In 1986 he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died on December 2, 1986 at age 69.- Actor
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Desi Arnaz Jr. has lived in Boulder City, Nevada, since 1986, where he owns the Historic Boulder Theatre and helps direct non-profit Boulder City Ballet Company (BCBC) with his wife, Amy Arnaz. Boulder Theatre was built in 1932 during the construction of Hoover Dam and operated as a movie theatre until it could no longer compete with the new, modern movie theaters in Las Vegas. When it closed, Desi purchased the theatre and converted it into a live theatre where BCBC performs and where Desi has produced many shows including: "Ricci, Desi & Billy" (a new version of Dino, Desi & Billy), "An Evening with Linda Purl", Torme' Sings Torme', "The Legacy of Laughter", "An Evening with Lucille Ball" (starring Suzanne LaRusch as Lucille Ball), Michael Johnson, "A Tribute to Dean Martin" (by Ricci Martin), "Dam Short Film Festival", "Chautauqua", "The Nutcracker", "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake", annual children's dance recitals from Dance Etc. and many more shows. Haley Arnaz is his wife's child from her first marriage and Desi adopted her when they married in 1987. Desi also has an older daughter, Julia, who lives on the east coast. Recently, Desi has performed "Babalu" (a show dedicated to the music of his father) with his sister Lucie Arnaz in NYC, Miami and in Washington D.C. at the Library of Congress. Most recently, Desi & Lucie appeared at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills, discussing the music of I Love Lucy (1951) and performed two of their father's songs - "Old Straw Hat" & "Cuban Pete" - with the accompaniment of Ron Abel on the piano.- Actor
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Nelson Ascencio is from New York where he studied at The Academy of Dramatic Arts and HB Studios. Alumni of The Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. He is an Actor/Writer best known for his time on MADtv, as well playing Flavius in The Hunger Games franchise. He continuous to appear in various television episodes and on film. Nelson continues to write and produce his own material.- Actor
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Chosen as one of Variety's "Top Ten Actors to Watch" and part of the new breed of leading men in Hollywood, Laz Alonso is starring in Amazon Prime's series THE BOYS. He can also be seen playing opposite Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba in their new series LA'S FINEST. He previously starred opposite Debra Messing and Josh Lucas in NBC's THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA. Laz's extensive television credits also include leading roles in NBC's DECEPTION and A&E's BREAKOUT KINGS.
Theatrically, Laz recently played Carlos Jones in Guy Ritche's CASH TRUCK, opposite Jason Statham, Josh Hartnett and Holt McCallany. Previously he portrayed Congressman John Conyers, in the Annapurna critically acclaimed film DETROIT, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. He also starred opposite Paula Patton and Omar Epps in the independent Thriller TRAFFIK. Alonso previously starred opposite Patton in the hit romantic comedy JUMPING THE BROOM for Columbia Pictures, for which he received a NAACP IMAGE AWARD for Outstanding Actor In A Motion Picture . He has also been nominated for a BET Best Actor Award. Prior to that, he played the heroic role of "Tsu'Tey" in the highest grossing film of all time, James Cameron's AVATAR. Laz played the lead villain role of "Fenix Calderon" in Universal's FAST AND FURIOUS, which reunited the original cast and relaunched the successful franchise. His past movie credits include lead roles in the Sony/Screen Gems' hits STOMP THE YARD and THIS CHRISTMAS, a co-starring role in Sam Mendes' hit JARHEAD, for Universal Pictures opposite Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, and a supporting role in Rod Lurie's remake of the Sam Peckinpah classic STRAW DOGS. Laz also starred in Spike Lee's MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA, in which he played "Hector Negron", based on a true story of a black and Puerto Rican WWII Buffalo Soldier that witnessed something that he carried inside for over 30 years until his past meets him again.
Laz has also executive produced and starred opposite Danny Glover in Alan Jacobs' DOWN FOR LIFE, which ended up with a much-coveted position in the Toronto Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. He has directed a mini documentary that premiered at Art Basel titled I AM, which highlighted a Washington DC artist who paints homeless people in prestigious settings.
Born and raised in Washington DC, Laz always knew he wanted to be an actor. He graduated from the prestigious Howard University School of Business, earning a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. After college, he worked on Wall Street as an investment banker at MERRILL LYNCH and began his acting career simultaneously, doing NY off-Broadway theater. He credits his ability to tackle so many different types of roles by his theater training. He now splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City.
WINNER BEST ACTOR NAACP IMAGE AWARDS- Actor
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Daytime Emmy Award winning Actor Maurice Benard joined the cast of General Hospital in the role of Sonny Corinthos in August 1993. He briefly left the show for a year-long hiatus in December 1998. For his portrayal, Mr. Benard received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in 2003. He was also nominated in 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006 and 2011.
Mr. Benard's multi-cultural upbringing began in San Francisco, where he was born to parents from Nicaragua and San Salvador. Uninspired by the traditional education route, he gleaned an education in the open job market after high school. He began modeling in his early twenties. Following that, Mr. Benard took up acting in numerous theatrical productions in the Bay area.
After auditioning for a role on the ABC drama All My Children, Mr. Benard was cast as Nico Kelly. Two years later, he struck out to find new challenges and moved to Los Angeles, where he was cast as the lead in the much-publicized TV movie, Lucy and Desi: Before the Laughter. He later added a pivotal role in the feature film Ruby to several other prominent film and television credits.
Mr. Benard has been a popular voice in the battle against bipolar disorder. He has been very open about his personal battle with the illness, appearing on television programs such as The View, Entertainment Tonight, and Oprah. He has been featured in People and LA Life Magazines. He also began working with the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) on the "Bipolar Disorder: Do You Know It?" campaign to help educate Americans about the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.- Actor
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Cristián de la Fuente was born on 10 March 1974 in Santiago, Chile. He is an actor and producer, known for Basic (2003), Driven (2001) and In Plain Sight (2008). He has been married to Angelica Castro since 5 January 2002. They have one child.- Actor
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Javier Bardem belongs to a family of actors that have been working on films since the early days of Spanish cinema.
He was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, to actress Pilar Bardem (María del Pilar Bardem Muñoz) and businessman José Carlos Encinas Doussinague. His maternal grandparents were actors Rafael Bardem and Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, and his uncle is screenwriter Juan Antonio Bardem. He got his start in the family business, at age six, when he appeared in his first feature, "El picaro" (1974) (A.K.A. The Scoundrel). During his teenage years, he acted in several TV series, played rugby for the Spanish National Team, and toured the country with an independent theatrical group. Javier's early film role as a sexy stud in the black comedy, Jamón, Jamón (1992) (aka Ham Ham) propelled him to instant popularity and threatened to typecast him as nothing more than a brawny sex symbol. Determined to avert a beefcake image, he refused similar subsequent roles and has gone on to win acclaim for his ability to appear almost unrecognizable from film to film. With over 25 movies and numerous awards under his belt, it is Javier's stirring, passionate performance as the persecuted Cuban writer, Reynaldo Arenas, in Before Night Falls (2000) that will long be remembered as his breakthrough role. He received five Best Actor awards and a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal.- Actor
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The middle of five children, Bratt hails from a close-knit family. His mother, an indigenous Quechua Peruvian from Lima, moved to the U.S. at age 14. He grew up in San Francisco. He is known for his roles in the films Traffic (2000), Miss Congeniality (2000), and Despicable Me 2 (2013). He is married to actress Talisa Soto.- Actor
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Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson) is a Cuban-born American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on Qué Pasa, USA (1977-1980) and is perhaps most famous for his role as the Cuban drug lord Manny Rivera in the 1983 crime drama Scarface, in which he starred alongside Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. He also played the drug cartel leader Eladio Vuente in Breaking Bad and in Better Call Saul and as the retired Mossad agent Avi Rudin in Ray Donovan (2013-2020).- Actor
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Jaime Gomez was born and raised in the Southern California sunshine. College was for the studying of art history and literature as well the history of the world and his personal favorite, philosophy. Jaime has had a successful acting career spanning 20 years. He's best known for his role in the hit CBS series Nash Bridges playing young super cop Evan Cortez. Jaime has worked with major stars the likes of Denzel Washington, twice, (Training Day, Crimson Tide) to Harrison Ford (Clear and Present Danger) to Gene Hackman to Willem Dafoe. In addition to acting, Jaime has branched out into the producing/writing/directing side of the entertainment business, having completed his own feature film "In the Blink of an Eye", the documentary "Quincy Coleman: It's All in the Song" and other projects, many having screened in film festivals around the world.- Gonzalo Menendez was born on 8 November 1971 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Spectral (2016), Colony (2016) and Breaking Bad (2008).
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Adam Rodriguez has forged a creative path as an actor, director, and screenwriter across a broad spectrum of television and film. In addition to starring in iconic shows such as the international hit series CSI: Miami and Criminal Minds, Rodriguez is also an executive producer on multiple projects including HBO's The Real Magic Mike, a spin off of Steven Soderberg's original hit film in which he starred opposite Channing Tatum, as well as the CBS movie A Christmas Proposal in which he also stars. Rodriguez has appeared in a multitude of music videos and participated in "Yes We Can," a campaign song for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure on CSI: Miami, he also starred in the 2009 Tyler Perry movie I Can Do It All By Myself.
Adam can next be seen reprising his role as 'Special Agent Luke Alvez' for the highly anticipated Criminal Minds revival on Paramount +. Other notable credits include a heavily recurring role in NBC's drama series Ordinary Joe, in which he plays a charismatic and ambitious Congressman on the rise. A recurring arc in Showtime's critically acclaimed historical dark fantasy television series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels as 'Raul Vega,' a righteous union leader and advocate for his people. He portrayed Hilda's love interest 'Bobby' in the fourth season of Ugly Betty and recurred as Jane's professor in Jane the Virgin. Other recent TV spots include Gloria Calderon Kellett's groundbreaking Cuban-American family sitcom One Day At A Time, and FOX's hit drama Empire, among others.- Actor
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Hector Elizondo was born in New York City, New York, where he was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He is the son of Carmen Medina Reyes and Martín Echevarría Elizondo. Hector is of Basque and Puerto Rican descent, and "Elizondo" means "at the foot of the church" in Basque. His lifestyle in his days before acting was as diverse as the roles he plays today. He was a conga player with a Latin band, a classical guitarist and singer, a weightlifting coach, a ballet dancer and a manager of a bodybuilding gym. In his teens, he played basketball and baseball, and was scouted by the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates farm teams. After a knee injury ended his dance career, he switched to drama. Since then, he has frequently appeared on Broadway, most notably with George C. Scott in Arthur Penn's production of "Sly Fox" for which he received a Drama Desk nomination and for his role as "God" in "Steambath", which won him an Obie Award. Other theatre credits include; "The Prisoner of Second Avenue"; "The Great White Hope"; "Dance of Death" with Robert Shaw and "The Rose Tattoo" opposite Cicely Tyson. Countless starring roles in television include: Foley Square (1985); Medal of Honor Rag (1982); Casablanca (1983) (in which he recreated the Claude Rains role of police chief "Capt. Renault"); Freebie and the Bean (1974); Popi (1975) and as Sophia Loren's husband in the CBS special Courage (1986). Guest appearances include: Kojak (1973); Kojak: Ariana (1989); A Case of Immunity (1975); Baretta (1975); All in the Family (1971); The Rockford Files (1974) and Bret Maverick (1981). In addition, he also directed a.k.a. Pablo (1984), the first show to utilize seven cameras instead of the usual four. On the big screen, he has been seen in, among others, American Gigolo (1980); The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974); Cuba (1979); Valdez Is Coming (1971) and in four films directed by Garry Marshall: Young Doctors in Love (1982); The Flamingo Kid (1984); Nothing in Common (1986) and Overboard (1987). Elizondo starred with Dan Aykroyd and Michelle Pfeiffer in PBS' Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson (1987) (based on a collection of John O'Hara stories) and made his debut as a stage director with a production of "Villa!" starring Julio Medina. In addition, he performed in the 50th anniversary production of "War of the Worlds" co-starring Jason Robards and the TV-movie Addicted to His Love (1988) with Barry Bostwick.- Actor
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One of Hollywood's most private and guarded leading men, Andy Garcia has created iconic characters while at the same time staying true to his acting roots and personal projects.
Garcia was born Andrés Arturo García Menéndez on April 12, 1956, in Havana, Cuba, to Amelie Menéndez, a teacher of English, and René García Núñez, an attorney and avocado farmer. Garcia's family was relatively affluent. However, when he was two years old, Fidel Castro came to power, and the family fled to Miami Beach. Forced to work menial jobs for a while, the family started a fragrance company that was eventually worth more than a million dollars. He attended Natilus Junior High School and later at Miami Beach Senior High School. Andy was a popular student in school, a good basketball player and good-looking. He dreamed of playing professional baseball. In his senior year, though, he contracted mononucleosis and hepatitis, and unable to play sports, he turned his attention to acting.
He studied acting with Jay W. Jensen. Jensen was a South Florida legend, counting among his numerous students, Brett Ratner, Roy Firestone, Mickey Rourke, and Luther Campbell. Following his positive high school experiences in acting, he continued his drama studies at Florida International University.
Soon, he was headed out to Hollywood. His first break came as a gang member on the very first episode of the popular TV series Hill Street Blues (1981). His role as a cocaine kingpin in 8 Million Ways to Die (1986) put him on the radar of Brian De Palma, who was casting for his gangster classic The Untouchables (1987). At first, he envisioned Garcia as Al Capone's sadistic henchman Frank Nitti, but fearing typecasting as a gangster, Garcia campaigned for the role of "George Stone", the Italian cop who gets accepted into Eliot Ness' famous band of lawmen. Garcia's next notable role came in Black Rain (1989) by acclaimed director Ridley Scott, as the partner of police detective Michael Douglas. He then co-starred with Richard Gere in Internal Affairs (1990), directed by Mike Figgis. In 1989, Francis Ford Coppola was casting for the highly anticipated third installment of his "Godfather" films. The Godfather Part III (1990) included one of the most sought-after roles in decades, the hot-headed son of "Sonny Corleone" and mob protégé of "Michael Corloene", "Vincent Mancini". A plum role for any young rising star, the role was campaigned for by a host of actors. Val Kilmer, Alec Baldwin, Vincent Spano, Charlie Sheen, and even Robert De Niro (who wanted the role changed to accommodate his age) were all beaten out by the up-and-coming Garcia. His performance was Oscar-nominated as Best Supporting Actor, and secured him international stardom and a place in cinematic history. Now a leading man, he starred in such films as Jennifer 8 (1992) and Hero (1992). He won raves for his role as the husband of Meg Ryan in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) and gave another charismatic gangster turn in Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995). He then returned in Night Falls on Manhattan (1996), directed by Sidney Lumet, as well as portraying legendary mobster Lucky Luciano in Hoodlum (1997). In perhaps his most mainstream role, he portrayed a cop in the action film Desperate Measures (1998). Garcia then starred in a few lower-profile projects that didn't do much for his career, but things turned around in 2001, with the first of many projects being his role as a cold casino owner in Ocean's Eleven (2001), directed by Steven Soderbergh. Seeing his removal from Cuba as involuntary, Garcia is proud of his heritage which influences his life and work. One such case is his portrayal of renowned Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000). He is an extremely private man, and strong believer in old-fashioned chivalry. Married to his wife, Maria Victoria, since 1982, the couple has three daughters. One of the most talented leading men around, Garcia has had a unique career of staying true to his own ideals and thoughts on acting. While some would have used some of the momentum he has acquired at different points in his career to get rich off lightweight projects, Garcia has stayed true to stories and films that aspire to something more. But with a presence and style that never seem old, a respect from directors and film buffs, alike, Andy Garcia will be remembered for a long time in film history.- Actor
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Born February 24, 1947, in East Los Angeles, at The First Japanese Hospital to Pedro Olmos and Eleanor Huizar. Raised on Cheesebrough's Lane, he attended Greenwood Elementary and Montebello Junior High. He then graduated from Montebello High School in 1964. After which he received an Associative Arts Degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice at East Los Angeles College in 1966. Olmos since then has gone on to receive many accolades from the City of Montebello, including the Alumni of The Year from Montebello High School in 2014, and Man of the Year Award from The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in 2015.
He has achieved extraordinary success as an actor, producer and humanitarian. The Tony, Emmy and Academy Award® Nominated actor, is probably best known to young audiences for his work on the SYFY television series "Battlestar Galatica" as Admiral William Adama. Although the series kept the actor busy during its run from 2003 through 2009, it didn't stop him from directing the HBO movie "Walkout" in 2007, for which he earned a DGA Nomination in the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television category.
Olmos' career in entertainment spans over 30 years. In that time he created a signature style and aesthetic that he applies to every artist endeavor, often grounding his characters in reality and gravitas. His dedication to his craft has brought him attention across the industry, and with audiences worldwide.- Actor
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Benicio Del Toro emerged in the mid-1990s as one of the most watchable and charismatic character actors to come along in years. A favorite of film buffs, Del Toro gained mainstream public attention as the conflicted but basically honest Mexican policeman in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000).
Benicio was born on February 19, 1967 in San Germán, Puerto Rico, the son of lawyer parents Fausta Genoveva Sanchez Rivera and Gustavo Adolfo Del Toro Bermudez. His mother died when he was young, and his father moved the family to a farm in Pennsylvania. A basketball player with an interest in acting, he decided to follow the family way and study business at the University of California in San Diego. A class in acting resulted in his being bitten by the acting bug, and he subsequently dropped out and began studying with legendary acting teacher Stella Adler in Los Angeles and at the Circle in the Square Acting School in New York City. Telling his parents that he was taking courses in business, Del Toro hid his new studies from his family for a little while.
During the late 1980s, he made several television appearances, most notably in an episode of Miami Vice (1984) and in the NBC miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (1990). Del Toro's big-screen career got off to a slower start, however--his first role was Duke the Dog-Faced Boy in Big Top Pee-wee (1988). However, things looked better when he landed the role of Dario, the vicious henchman in the James Bond film Licence to Kill (1989). Surprising his co-stars at age 21, Del Toro was the youngest actor ever to portray a Bond villain. However, the potential break was spoiled as the picture turned out to be one of the most disappointing Bond films ever; this was lost amid bigger summer competition.
Benicio gave creditable performances in many overlooked films for the next several years, such as The Indian Runner (1991), Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) and Money for Nothing (1993). His roles in Fearless (1993) and China Moon (1994) gained him more critical notices, and 1995 proved to be the first "Year of Benicio" as he gave a memorable performance in Swimming with Sharks (1994) before taking critics and film buffs by storm as the mumbling, mysterious gangster in The Usual Suspects (1995), directed by Bryan Singer. Del Toro won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role in the Oscar-winning film.
Staying true to his independent roots, he next gave a charismatic turn as cold-blooded gangster Gaspare Spoglia in The Funeral (1996) directed by Abel Ferrara. He also appeared as Benny Dalmau in Basquiat (1996), directed by artist friend Julian Schnabel. That year also marked his first truly commercial film, as he played cocky Spanish baseball star Juan Primo in The Fan (1996), which starred Robert De Niro. Del Toro took his first leading man role in Excess Baggage (1997), starring and produced by Alicia Silverstone. Hand-picked by Silverstone, Del Toro's performance was pretty much the only thing critics praised about the film, and showed the level of consciousness he was beginning to have in the minds of film fans.
He took a leading role with his good friend Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), co-written and directed by the legendary Terry Gilliam. Gaining 40 pounds for the role of Dr. Gonzo, the drug-addicted lawyer to sportswriter Raoul Duke, Benicio immersed himself totally in the role. Using his method acting training so far as to burn himself with cigarettes for a scene, this was a trying time for Del Toro. The harsh critical reviews proved tough on him, as he felt he had given his all for the role and been dismissed. Many saw the crazed, psychotic performance as a confirmation of the rumors and overall weirdness that people seemed to place on Del Toro.
Taking a short break after the ordeal, 2000 proved to be the second "Year of Benicio". He first appeared in The Way of the Gun (2000), directed by friend and writer Christopher McQuarrie. Then he went to work for actor's director Steven Soderbergh in Traffic (2000). A complex and graphic film, this nonetheless became a widespread success and Oscar winner. His role as conflicted Mexican policeman Javier Rodriguez functions as the movie's real heart amid an all-star ensemble cast, and many praised this as the year's best performance, a sentiment validated by a Screen Actor's Guild Award for "Best Actor". He also gave a notable performance in Snatch (2000) directed by Guy Ritchie, which was released several weeks later, and The Pledge (2001) directed by Sean Penn. Possessing sleepy good looks reminiscent of James Dean or Marlon Brando, Del Toro has often jokingly been referred to as the "Spanish Brad Pitt".
With his newfound celebrity, Del Toro has become a sort of heartthrob, being voted one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" as well as "Most Eligible Bachelors." A favorite of film fans for years for his diverse and "cool guy" gangster roles, he has become a mainstream favorite, respected for his acting skills and choices. So far very careful in his projects and who he works with, Del Toro can boast an impressive resume of films alongside some of the most influential and talented people in the film business.- Actor
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Actor of Puerto Rican descent who gained fame making many memorable films in the 1980s and 1990s due to his villainous physical appearance. Guzmán was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico on August 28, 1956 and raised in New York City's Greenwich Village and the surrounding Lower East Side neighborhood. His mother Rosa worked in a hospital and Benjamin Cardona, his stepfather, was a TV repairman. Guzman presently resides in Vermont with his wife and kids.- Actor
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Raul Julia was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Olga Arcelay, a mezzo-soprano singer, and Raúl Juliá, an electrical engineer. He graduated from Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola High School in San Juan. Here he studied the rigorous classical curriculum of the Jesuits and was always active in student dramatics. Julia was discovered while performing in a nightclub in San Juan by actor Orson Bean who inspired him to move to the mainland to pursue other projects. Julia moved to Manhattan, New York City in 1964 and quickly found work by acting in small and supporting roles in off-Broadway shows. In 1966, Julia began appearing in Shakespearean roles, creating a deliciously conniving Edmund in "King Lear" in 1973 and a smoldering Othello in 1979. Julia also made his mark on the musical stage playing one of the "Two Gentlemen of Verona" during its run in 1971, and a chilling role of Mack the Knife in "The Threepenny Opera" in 1976 and as a Felliniesque film director in "Nine" in 1982. The stage successes led to his movie works where he is better known.
One of his best movie roles is a passionate political prisoner in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985). Julia also appeared as dramatic heroes and memorable villains in a number of films and made-for-TV-movies. His later roles included the crazy macabre Gomez Addams in two Addams Family movies. With his health declining from 1993 onward after he underwent a surgical operation for stomach cancer, Julia kept on acting, where he traveled to Mexico during the winter of 1993-1994 to play the Brazilian Amazon forest activist Chico Mendes in The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story (1994), for which he posthumously won a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. His last theatrical movie was filmed shortly after The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story (1994) when he traveled to Australia to shoot all of his scenes for Street Fighter (1994), based on the popular video game where he played the villainous General M. Bison. His last role was a supporting part in another made-for-TV movie titled Down Came a Blackbird (1995).
On October 16, 1994, the weakened and gaunt Raul Julia suffered a stroke in New York City where he fell into a coma a few days later and was put on life support. He was transferred to a hospice in nearby Manhasset, Long Island where his weakened body finally gave up the struggle on October 24, at age 54. His body was flown back to Puerto Rico for burial where thousands turned out for his state funeral to remember him. Two honoring ceremonies were held at Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola High School, and at the Headquarters of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture prior to his burial.- Actor
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Amaury Nolasco was born in Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for Prison Break (2005), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) and Transformers (2007).- Jon Seda's first passion was to be a championship boxer. After taking runner-up in the NJ Golden Gloves, the 1992 Olympics was the next goal. That's when fate stepped in; at his first audition, for Gladiator (1992), he was given a co-starring role! Since then he has branched off into numerous television and film roles. He has garnered critical acclaim for his roles in such films as I Like It Like That (1994), The Sunchaser (1996), Selena (1997), Undisputed (2002), and in television for his roles in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), UC: Undercover (2001), Third Watch (1999), Oz (1997), NBC Chicago PD, and he also starred as Marine Sgt. John "Manila" Basilone in HBO's award-winning mini series The Pacific (2010).
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Freddy Rodríguez was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Planet Terror (2007), Poseidon (2006) and Harsh Times (2005). He has been married to Maria Elsie Rivera since 23 December 1995. They have two children.- Actor
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John Ortiz was born on 21 November 1969 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Gangster (2007) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). He is married to Jennifer Ortiz. They have one child.- Actor
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Frankie was born in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, to Denise, a nurse, and Francisco Muniz III, a restaurateur. His father is of Puerto Rican heritage and his mother is of Irish and Italian descent. Frankie was home-schooled since Grade Six. He started his acting career performing the role of Tiny Tim in "A Christmas Carol" for three years. Nominations for his performances include "The Hollywood Reporter Young Star Award", as well as "The Young Artist of Hollywood Award". Frankie is quite a good golfer and has been playing since his grandfather taught him at the age of five. Frankie was raised in Knightdale, North Carolina. He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.- Actor
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Fast-talking and feisty-looking John Leguizamo has continued to impress movie audiences with his versatility: he can play sensitive and naïve young men, such as Johnny in Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991); cold-blooded killers like Benny Blanco in Carlito's Way (1993); a heroic Army Green Beret, stopping aerial terrorists in Executive Decision (1996); and drag queen Chi-Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). Arguably, not since ill-fated actor and comedian Freddie Prinze starred in the smash TV series Chico and the Man (1974) had a youthful Latino personality had such a powerful impact on critics and fans alike.
John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez was born July 22, 1960, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Luz Marina Peláez and Alberto Rudolfo Leguizamo. He was a child when his family emigrated to the United States. He was raised in Queens, New York, attended New York University and studied under legendary acting coach Lee Strasberg for only one day before Strasberg passed away. The extroverted Leguizamo started working the comedy club circuit in New York and first appeared in front of the cameras in an episode of Miami Vice (1984). His first film appearance was a small part in Mixed Blood (1984), and he had minor roles in Casualties of War (1989) and Die Hard 2 (1990) before playing a liquor store thief who shoots Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry (1991). His career really started to soar after his first-rate performance in the independent film Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991) as a nervous young teenager from the Bronx out for a night in brightly lit Manhattan with his buddies, facing the career choice of staying in a supermarket or heading off to college and finding out that the girl he loves from afar isn't quite what he thought she was.
The year 1991 was also memorable for other reasons, as he hit the stage with his show John Leguizamo: Mambo Mouth (1991), in which he portrayed seven different Latino characters. The witty and incisive show was a smash hit and won the Obie and Outer Circle Critics Award, and later was filmed for HBO, where it picked up a CableACE Award. He returned to the stage two years later with another satirical production poking fun at Latino stereotypes titled John Leguizamo: Spic-O-Rama (1993). It played in Chicago and New York, and won the Drama Desk Award and four CableACE Awards.
In 1995 he created and starred in the short-lived TV series House of Buggin' (1995), an all-Latino-cast comedy variety show featuring hilarious sketches and comedic routines. The show scored two Emmy nominations and received positive reviews from critics, but it was canceled after only one season. The gifted Leguizamo was still keeping busy in films, with key appearances in Super Mario Bros. (1993), Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Spawn (1997). In 1998 he made his Broadway debut in John Leguizamo: Freak (1998), a "demi-semi-quasi-pseudo-autobiographical" one-man show, which was filmed for HBO by Spike Lee.
Utilizing his distinctive vocal talents, he next voiced a pesky rat in Doctor Dolittle (1998) before appearing in the dynamic Spike Lee-directed Summer of Sam (1999) as a guilt-ridden womanizer, as the Genie of The Lamp in the exciting Arabian Nights (2000) and as Henri DE Toulouse Lautrec in the visually spectacular Moulin Rouge! (2001). He also voiced Sid in the animated Ice Age (2002), co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Collateral Damage (2002) and directed and starred in the boxing film Undefeated (2003). Subsequently, Leguizamo starred in the remake of the John Carpenter hit Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) and George A. Romero's long-awaited fourth "Dead" film, Land of the Dead (2005).
There can be no doubt that the remarkably talented Leguizamo has been a breakthrough performer for the Latino community in mainstream Hollywood, in much the same way that Sidney Poitier crashed through celluloid barriers for African-Americans in the early 1960s. Among his many strengths lies his ability to not take his ethnic background too seriously but also to take pride in his Latino heritage. He has opened many doors for his countrymen. A masterly and accomplished performer, movie audiences await Leguizamo's next exciting performance.- Actor
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Award-winning actor Esai Morales is a graduate of New York's High School for the Performing Arts. He was born in Brooklyn, to Puerto Rican parents, and began his acting career on the stage, first appearing in El Hermano at the Ensemble Theatre Studio and at New York's Shakespeare Festival In The Park in The Tempest. He had his feature film debut in Bad Boys and his breakthrough role as Bob Morales in La Bamba made him a star, contributing to making the film the most commercially successful Latino-themed Rock biopic of all time.
In 1997 Esai Morales co-founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, created to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications and entertainment industries. The NHFA has provided scholarships to hundreds of Hispanic students in excess of 1 million dollars. Theater performances include Oscar Wilde's Salome with Al Pacino (Broadway) Joe Papp's production of The Tempest with Raul Julia (New York's Shakespeare in the Park Festival) Tamer of Horses (Los Angeles Theater Center) The Exonerated, directed by Bob Balaban and his musical theater debut on The Mambo Kings. Film credits include Bad Boys, La Bamba, Rapa Nui, Mi Familia, Fast Food Nation, Paid in Full, The Line, Atlas Shrugged: Part II, Jarhead II: Field of Fire, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca and Gun Hill Road a film he starred and executive produced. The film was a grand Jury Nominee at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. Television credits comprise the Emmy award-winning series NYPD BLUE (ABC) Resurrection Blvd (Showtime) American Family (PBS) Miami Vice (NBC) Fame (NBC) Law and Order: SVU (NBC) The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story (HBO) Vanished (FOX) Burn Notice (USA) Jericho (CBS) Caprica (Syfy) Fairly Legal (USA) Criminal Minds (CBS) Major Crimes (TNT) and Saving Westbrook High. Morales plays the role of President of The United States on The Brink, HBO's dark comedy about a geopolitical crisis.- Actor
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Danny Pino was born on 15 April 1974 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Cold Case (2003), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Dear Evan Hansen (2021). He has been married to Lilly Pino Bernal since 15 February 2002. They have two children.- Actor
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Jesse Garcia
Garcia has been widely recognized for his role in the highly acclaimed "Quinceañera," winner of the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and Official Selection for the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. For his performance as Carlos, Garcia was nominated and won the prestigious ALMA Award (American Latino Media Arts) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture in 2007.
Garcia, can most recently be seen in Joss Whedon's "The Avengers." Number one opening weekend film of all time, with $200.7 and over $1billion worldwide, to date. Other credits include, "A Beautiful Life," opposite Angela Sarafyan, "Periphery," opposite Steven Grayhm, Tessa Thompson, and Jess Weixler, and "Days of Wrath," opposite Wilmer Valderrama, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Ana Claudia Talancon and Laurence Fishburne, where he plays Mario, the Kingpin of the Triple Sevens, in a story about the intertwining lives of a teacher, TV news crew and rival gang members. Also, in Hue Rhodes', "Saint John of Las Vegas,", opposite Steve Buscemi and Romany Malco. As well as, Youssef Delaras', "Bedrooms," with Julie Benz and Xander Berkeley, Mun Chee Yong's, "Where the Road Meets the Sun," Joshua Homnick's, "Los Foley Guys," with Rainn Wilson and Al Madrigal, the highly anticipated zombie flick "Re-Kill," the Broadway debut of the stage production of "The Pee-wee Herman Show."
Garcia also appears in The Sundance 2007 film, "La Misma Luna," also known as "Under the Same Moon," alongside Kate del Castillo and America Ferrera. In addition, Garcia starred in Twentieth Century Fox's, "The Comebacks," where he plays a tough "rich-street kid" football player with an attitude.
Born in Rawlins, Wyoming, Garcia spent most of his childhood in Hanna, WY, a town with a population of just over seven hundred people. His acting debut came in 1987 when he was cast in the challenging role of Brown Bear. With a winter coat turned inside out (to look like brown fur) and construction paper ears pinned to his hood, Garcia recalls that he presented a striking likeness to a real brown bear. With his lines memorized, blocking mastered and adrenaline surging, Garcia (6) was well prepared. He heard his cue line and crawled out of his cave, violently thrashing his head from side to side. With teeth bared and tonsils flaring, he reared up on his hindquarters pawing the air; then he growled with all his might - "RRRAAAWWWRRR!" The first graders (sitting on the floor of their small classroom) giggled. It was not exactly the reaction Garcia was aiming for, but from the mouth of that cardboard cave, an actor was born.
Following this performance, Garcia took a 15-year hiatus from the show business industry to concentrate on his schoolwork. He received grants and scholarships for Co-Ed Cheerleading at Eastern Wyoming College and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
In the middle of his first year at U of N, a classmate of Garcia's, Jennifer Jerosik, told him that she was moving to Atlanta, GA to study acting with Judson Vaughn, a filmmaker/actor/teacher who she'd heard speaking at a convention in Chicago. Instantly Garcia's Inner-Bear growled again and he decided he wanted to join her.
After a 45-minute telephone interview, Garcia was accepted to study at WHAT Films, the film development/production company and training facility headed by Vaughn. A week later, Garcia dropped out of school, and he and Jennifer packed everything they owned into his 1993, burgundy Mercury Cougar and drove 1,580 miles southeast to Atlanta - not the quickest route to Hollywood, but his years in Atlanta prepared him well for what would become his profession. At WHAT Films he learned to act, write and to direct, and he got sound career advice from Vaughn and from writer/director Ben Taylor (Abgeschminkt!). Others at WHAT who were particularly helpful to Garcia included Roxzane Mims, Lavon Lacey, Chet Dixon and Ralph Price, to name a few.
While in Atlanta, Garcia honed his comedic skills performing in "Sketchworks," Bob Harter, Della Cole and Jen Kelly's sketch comedy group. Garcia's first feature film role came when fellow WHAT Films actor Chet Dixon (Cold Mountain, Days of Wrath) prompted director Stacey Childers to cast him her film "Delivery Boy Chronicles."
In Dec, 2003, he moved to Los Angeles in hopes of advancing his career. In 2005, he was featured in nine national commercials, including such major brands as McDonalds, Toyota, Avis, MGD, Bud Light, State Farm and others. His television and independent films included such projects as HBO's "Walkout," directed by Edward James Olmos, guest spots on FX's Sons of Anarchy, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, ER, The Shield, TNT's The Closer, Law and Order: CI, NCIS, Nickelodeon's Unfabulous, Jerry Bruckheimer's FOX series Justice and FX's Sons of Anarchy.
As well as keeping busy with his acting career, Garcia has taken on the challenge of directing and producing. Producer and lead actor in a short feature titled, "American Identity," directed by Stephen Rollins, he was honored with opening the Short Film Competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Also, he produced and was a lead actor in John Irwin's short film, "Sold," with an all-star cast and crew, a film about the reality of human trafficking. "Sold" premiered at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival in 2011 and has made the festival circuit around the world. The DBAC, PSA campaign with fellow filmmakers, Doug Spain, Jeremy Valdez, and Walter Perez.
Garcia recently wrapped principal photography on his directorial debut, short film, "The Price We Pay." A film about a scarred and depressed soldier coming home from war to find his relationship with his neighborhood, best friend and wife, not how he left it. Shot in a less than conventional manner, with subtle science fiction elements, the film is already stirring up attention in the film making and military communities.
As of 2013, Garcia is in post-production for his short, "The Price We Pay." He is also writing and has several projects in development as a producer, director and actor. He is also in development for his feature film directorial debut and is in search of projects to direct in the near future.- Actor
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He is most often recognized for his integral role in the series "Lost" as Richard Alpert, as well as his turn as Mayor Anthony Garcia opposite Gary Oldman in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight". He reprised his role as the Mayor in the box-office hit "The Dark Knight Rises".
Nestor can be seen starring in Universal's "Bates Motel" (2013-2017) as Sheriff Alex Romero, lover to Vera Farmiga's Norma Bates and nemesis to her son Norman. In the final season Nestor directed his third episode, which introduces Rihanna playing the role of Marion Crane from "Psycho". On the feature side, he will next be seen in the (2017) Sundance world premier of "Crown Heights". He most recently starred with Daniel Radcliffe and Toni Collette in Lion's Gates' release, "Imperium" (2016).
He has demonstrated his versatility through a variety of film roles including his turn as the emotionally tortured hitman Pasquale Acosta in Joe Carnahan's "Smokin' Aces", the socially conscious theater director Moises Kaufman in "The Laramie Project", the idealistic revolutionary Luis Fellove in Andy Garcia's "The Lost City", the pragmatic and ruthless Mayor Picazo in "For Greater Glory", and the womanizing and morally conflicted father in the title role of the Sundance indies, "Jack the Dog" and "Manhood".
Nestor was born in New York City and raised in numerous locales including, Mexico, Venezuela, Florida, Connecticut, the Bahamas and London. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English. It was during his time in college that a first-year drama course led to his interest in performing. Upon graduating he moved to New York and starred in the Off Broadway world premier of the two-hander, "A Silent Thunder". He continued to work in theater, most notably in Stephen Sondheim's premier of "The Doctor is Out" at The Old Globe in San Diego.
Nestor currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Shannon Kenny, and their two sons Rafa and Marco.- Actor
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Carrying talent, the requisite good looks, and plenty of on-screen charisma, Jay Hernandez was born in Morelia, Mexico and grew up in Los Angeles, California, to Isis (Maldonado), an accountant and secretary, and Javier Hernandez, Sr., a mechanic. He is of Mexican descent. Jay had a serendipitous experience that led to his career. While riding an elevator in a high-rise building in Los Angeles, the young man was approached by talent manager Howard Tyner, who suggested Hernandez had what it took to have a successful career in Hollywood. In 1998, he made his TV series debut as "Antonio Lopez", one of the high school basketball players in the NBC Saturday morning teen sitcom, Hang Time (1995), and stayed with the show for two seasons. Departing NBC, Hernandez moved to MTV with the short-term role of pizza delivery guy "Eddie" on the popular late-night serial, Undressed (1999), before segueing to the big screen. In 2001, Hernandez co-starred with Kirsten Dunst in the teen romance, Crazy/Beautiful (2001), portraying stalwart, straight-A high school student "Carlos Nunez", whose plans to attend the US Naval Academy are threatened by his growing attraction to a self-destructive rich girl, (Kirsten Dunst). He next appeared in Disney's surprise hit film, The Rookie (2002), as high school baseball team captain Joaquin "Wack" Campos. He also had a supporting role in the video-game-ish action flick, Torque (2004). Also in 2004, he was in the action-packed drama, Ladder 49 (2004), as "Keith Perez", and in the other action-packed drama, Friday Night Lights (2004). In 2006, he next starred in Eli Roth's Hostel (2005), a brutal horror flick about two American college buddies (Hernandez and Derek Richardson) lured to an out-of-the-way hostel in a Slovakian town rumored to house desperate, but beautiful Eastern European women. Following their wrong heads, both Americans get trapped in a truly sinister situation that plunges them into the dark recesses of human nature.- Actor
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Enrique Murciano was born in Miami, Florida, on July 9, 1973, but spent the first few years of his life in Mexico. He attended Tulane University and Boston Law School, but moved to Los Angeles to pursue his goal of becoming an actor. He brought with him his love of exotic cars and motorcycles. On his first audition, 1997, he landed the role of Alejandro in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997). The role only involved one line, but it took six months of shooting.
His big break came three years later, when a two-day stint on the set of the Academy Award-winning Traffic (2000) turned into several weeks work as the role of DEA agent Ricky, placing him in several pivotal scenes with Luis Guzmán and Don Cheadle. After the short-lived TV series Spyder Games (2001), Enrique landed the role of Sgt. Lorenzo Ruiz in the much-acclaimed Ridley Scott film Black Hawk Down (2001). It was during the shooting of that film that he was introduced to Jerry Bruckheimer, a meeting that led to his role in Without a Trace (2002).- Nicholas Gonzales is known for Destination: Outer Space (2010), The Giant Spider (2013) and House of Ghosts (2012).
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Jorge Daniel Pardo is an American actor. He is best known for playing Jack Toretto in F9 (2021), as well as the lead role of Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes in the television series Mayans M.C. (2018). Pardo was born in Panorama City, Los Angeles, California, his father is from Argentina and his mother from El Salvador JD also played "Nate"/Jason in the NBC sci-fi series Revolution, co-starring Billy Burke.
Previously he was best known for his role as Edward Araujo Jr./Gwen Amber Rose Araujo in the Lifetime Network movie called A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story. Pardo also had roles on FOX's Drive and The CW's Hidden Palms. Both series were canceled after their respective first seasons. Pardo played Young Santiago in the film The Burning Plain (2008) starring opposite Jennifer Lawrence with Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. JD played the half-vampire Nahuel in the second half of Breaking Dawn, and a member of a drug cartel in Snitch. Pardo also starred in The CW TV series The Messengers that aired during the 2014-2015 season.- Producer
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Was born and raised in the Wine Country of Napa Valley in Northern California. Kurt graduated from Napa High School as a standout All League football player and received a football scholarship to Sacramento State. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration (MIS) and Theatre Arts, as well as being a member of the prestigious Phi Delta Theta fraternity. A political and environmental activist, who's main fight is to preserve the Earth and her many endangered animals and wildlife sanctuaries.- Actor
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Raymond Cruz is perhaps best-known for his portrayal of the frighteningly lethal Tuco Salamanca in AMC's critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad (2008), a character he later reprised for the first two episodes of the spin-off Better Call Saul (2015). The role garnered him a Best Performance in a Television Series nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Cruz recently wrapped his sixth and final season of TNT's Major Crimes (2012) as Julio Sanchez, a detective within the Los Angeles Police Department's Major Crimes Division, a role which originated on TNT's The Closer (2005) and which offered Cruz a nomination of Best Supporting Actor from the Imagen Foundation Awards. Other TV work includes Cleveland Abduction (2015), the TV movie in which he starred as kidnapper Ariel Castro, a role he felt personally connected to having known the victims of his crime personally. Other TV work includes CSI: Miami (2002), Lauren (2012), White Collar (2009), and Los Americans (2011), among others. Cruz has appeared in numerous films, including the highly touted Collateral Damage (2002), Training Day (2001), and Alien: Resurrection (2000).- Actor
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Born in San Diego, California, on October 10th, 1973, to Mario and Elvira, Mario Lopez's first professional role was on the series, a.k.a. Pablo (1984). Mario is probably best known to youngsters, however, as A.C. Slater from NBC's popular 1980s teen comedy series Saved by the Bell (1989). Among Mario's other credits are several other popular television series, such as Pacific Blue (1996) and the movies Colors (1988), Depraved (1996) and Eastside (1999). Mario has proven himself as a talented and prolific presenter, having hosted such series as Name Your Adventure (1992), The Other Half (2001) and Pet Star (2002).- Actor
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Mark Consuelos was born in Zaragoza, Spain, to an Italian mother, Camilla, and a Mexican father, Saul Consuelos. He grew up in Lebanon, Illinois and Tampa, Florida. He attended Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, Florida and Notre Dame University. While living in Illinois, Mark appeared in "Hello, Dolly" at the Looking Glass Playhouse. Before joining All My Children (1970) in February 1995, Mark has guested on television shows such as Fortune Hunter (1994) and SeaQuest 2032 (1993). Mark enjoys traveling to Italy, which he does once a year. His hobbies include working out and playing many sports, particularly softball and soccer. He has one brother, who is a doctor, and a sister, who is a lawyer.- Actor
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William Levy was born on 29 August 1980 in Havana, Cuba. He is an actor and producer, known for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), Addicted (2014) and Montecristo (2023).- Ramon Franco is considered by many in the industry one of the finest character actors of his generation.In 2014 he made Grantland's list of "The 10 Most Underappreciated Actors on TV This Year" for his role as Fausto Galvan in the Peabody award-winning show "The Bridge". He's best known to movie audiences through his co-starring role in Heartbreak Ridge (1986) with Clint Eastwood.
Ramon received a baptism by fire in the off-Broadway Theatre during his early teen-aged years. Work with the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre and in the critically-lauded production of Sancocho at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in New York led to his first screen appearance in 1979's Boardwalk (1979) in which, at age 14, Ramon played opposite the legendary Lee Strasberg.
During the ensuing years, Ramon divided his time between stage work, television production and high school studies in the Bronx. Credits from that early portion of his career include the critically praised stage productions of Runaways by Elizabeth Swados, The Sun Always Shines for the Cool by Miguel Pinero, and We're Fighting Back (1981), a TV movie about the New York Guardian Angels.
Despite the professional activity that absorbed him during his teens, Ramon took a break from acting to work towards a bachelor of arts degree at Bard College. It was a brief hiatus. Ramon was enticed away from Bard's upstate New York campus when his agent called with several firm work offers. Academics were temporarily shelved in favor of a recurring role as Trimmer on the daytime drama Guiding Light (1952), appearances on Hill Street Blues (1981), Miami Vice (1984) and the pilot for _Stingray_, as well as roles in the features Deadly Force (1983) and Bulletproof (1996).
A return to the New York stage in early 1986 led to Ramon's most important break thus far. His performance as the troubled Marine Corporal Acevedo in the Chelsea Theatre production of Wasted drew rave reviews and attracted the attention of Clint Eastwood, who was then casting for young actors to portray a group of Marines who took part in the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1984. Ramon's vivid portrayal of Corporal Acevedo landed him the part of Private Aponte in Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge. Though demoted in military rank from Corporal to Private, Ramon was elated.
With Heartbreak Ridge behind him, many doors have opened for Ramon Franco. Filming Heartbreak Ridge in Hollywood and on locations in Puerto Rico also offered Ramon the opportunity to return to the town of Caguas, which he had left with his family during his early childhood. "It was very moving," he says, "the look on my father's face when I got off the plane with Clint Eastwood was priceless. It definitely made me feel I was on the right path." Indeed he was.
Upon completion of Heartbreak Ridge, Ramon relocated to Los Angeles and not only worked on episodes of Ohara (1987) and MacGyver (1985) but was cast as Private Alberto Ruiz in the CBS television series Tour of Duty (1987). Tour of Duty was the only TV show to have recognized Hispanic American involvement in the nation's armed conflicts through the character of Ruiz. From the years of Combat! (1962) to China Beach (1988), Hispanics had never been acknowledged in the form of leading characters. The EMMY Award winning show ran three seasons and enabled him to work on over fifty episodes garnering him international recognition.
Ramon has had the pleasure of working with many talented actors over the years: John Travolta in Chains of Gold (1990), Scott Glenn in Extreme Justice (1993), Gary Busey in Bulletproof (1996), Robert Beltran in Kiss Me a Killer (1991), opposite Robert Conrad in the TV movie Sworn to Vengeance (1993) and as a rookie FBI agent on Shattered Image (1994) with Bo Derek and Jack Scalia. One of his favorite roles was Mr. Cruz, a small town teacher in Search and Rescue (1994), starring Robert Conrad and Dee Wallace, on the NBC Network.
Over the span of his career, this ubiquitous and versatile actor has managed to guest star on nearly every popular TV show made over the last 25 years. From dramas like House (2004), The X-Files (1993), Cold Case (2003), Medium (2005) and NYPD Blue (1993) to comedies like Dead at 21 (1994), Bakersfield P.D. (1993), Seinfeld (1989), and Eagleheart (2011). In 2007, he played the role of Runty in the summer's #1 hit Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) and his excellent work as Arturo Padron, the man sent to assassinate Fidel Castro in the Golden Globe nominated mini-series The Company (2007) received great notices as well.
Ramon's most recent film work includes The Perfect Game (2009) a remake of Los pequeños gigantes (1960). He just wrapped the pilot for The Good Guys (2010) for 20th Century Fox and roles on CSI: Miami (2002) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000). Of most recent notoriety is his critically praised and fan favorite role of Dirty Man/ Sucio on the hit Showtime series Weeds (2005). A one time guest role was expanded to 7 episodes over seasons four and five. The episode where Sucio meets his ultimate demise is considered comic genius and honored his character with the title of Su-Su-Sucio.
By far his most critically acclaimed work has been as Fausto Galvan in the 2014 Peabody award-winning show The Bridge (2013). A breakout performance loved by critics and fans alike worldwide.Of his work critic Andy Greenwald wrote,"In the season's most remarkable scene, Fausto interrupted a village quinceañera - not to wreak havoc, but to lose himself in normalcy, if only for a moment. With elegant focus, Franco was able to reveal the twisted root of his character's evil: a gnarled hunk of something that once, just maybe, looked an awful lot like decency." In 2019 he became the first actor in history to play 4 roles in a Quentin Tarantino film when he was cast in the director's Magnum Opus 'Once upon a time in Hollywood'. Mr. Franco is the recipient of the Desi Arnaz Vanguard Award, given for being a strong role model and improving the image of Hispanics in the media arts. - Actor
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- Freddie Prinze was born Frederick Karl Pruetzel in New York City, New York, to a Puerto Rican mother, Aurea Elena Ruiz, and a German immigrant father, Edward Karl Pruetzel. Freddie grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City. As a chubby child, he was often bullied, but was quite creative and bright in his extracurricular activities (he was known to have handmade a ham radio, which he used regularly). Early on, he aspired to become famous, and, after enrolling at Fiorella LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, he obtained a job at the Improv Club, in New York, where people started to take notice of his comedic talent (but the long hours he worked at night, balanced by increasing absences in school, caused him to drop out of high school to pursue comedy full-time). He changed his name to Freddie Prinze (to indicate that he was "The Prince of Comedy"). In December 1973, he was invited to perform on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson", which proved to be a breakthrough performance, as he was invited to chat with Johnny after his performance (only two other comedians have enjoyed that privilege). Soon afterwards, he won the role of "Chico Rodriquez" in an NBC-produced TV series called Chico and the Man (1974)(he and co-star Jack Albertson forged a great friendship while working on the show). In 1975, he released a comedy album, titled "Looking Good", and further boosted his popularity with appearances on various TV shows (such as the "Tony Orlando & Dawn" show). In Las Vegas in August 1975, he married Katherine Cochran, with whom he had a son, Freddie Prinze, Jr. (born on March 8, 1976 in Albuquerque, New Mexico). He loved his role as a father, and his growing popularity. But all the fame had a downside to it: Freddie developed an addiction to drugs (namely Quaaludes and cocaine), and was subsequently arrested in Nov. 1976 for DUI. His marriage was dissolving, and he separated from his wife. He started to mention thoughts of suicide to many of his close friends and family including his friends singer Tony Orlando and comedian David Brenner. In January 1977, following his final public appearance at the Inaugural Ball for President Jimmy Carter, 22-year-old Freddie called his mother, friends and manager and announced that he was committing suicide. While his manager tried to stop him, he placed a .32 caliber pistol against his temple and pulled the trigger.He was rushed to UCLA Medical Center with a massive head wound. He was kept on life support until January 29, 1977, when his family decided to turn off the life support.
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Freddie Prinze, Jr. was born on March 8, 1976, in Los Angeles, California, to Kathy Prinze (née Kathy Elaine Barber) and comedian/actor Freddie Prinze. He is of Puerto Rican, German, English, and Irish descent. Freddie lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in his early life. He attended three different schools during his childhood: Eldorado, Sandia, and La Cueva. After graduating in 1994, Freddie moved to L.A. to focus on an acting career. He immediately garnered featured roles on several episodic series, one of which was an episode of The Gun (1995), in which Freddie had a four-line part playing a punk kid who brought a gun to school. "That was my big break, and I thought it was huge," says Freddie. He then went on to appear in a few after-school specials, including Too Soon for Jeff (1996) and Detention: The Siege at Johnson High (1997) co-starring Ricky Schroder and Henry Winkler.
Freddie is married to actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, with whom he has two children.- Actor
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Ramón Rodríguez was born on 20 December 1979 in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for Will Trent (2023), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Battle Los Angeles (2011).- Actor
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Hemky was born Hemky Louis Madera on January 26, 1977 in Queens, New York, to Dominican parents Luis and Gisela Madera. Moved to Santiago, Dominican Republic at the age of two months. Graduated from Santiago Christian School and after a series of different jobs, Hemky decided to give his long standing desire to act a go. His first move forward came to much acclaim on the widely known television production of "Grandes Series Dominicanas". He then garnered the lead for the mini-series "En La Olla", followed by "Trio en Alta Mar" *; both directed by renowned Dominican director and producer Alfonso Rodriguez. After a short stay in New York City, where he worked on the film production of "Bookies Lament", Hemky returned to the Dominican Republic to star in the mini-series "Asalto en la Lincoln". Immediately after, became a part of the Primetime television series production and cast member of both hit sitcoms "Los Electrolocos"(lead) and "Ciudad Nueva". His first theatrical performance was in "Pantallas", produced and staged at Santo Domingo's Great National Theatre. Then back to New York to be in the Inverse Theatre's production of "Icarus and Aria". After workshops and internships at The Actor's Studio and Gene Frankel Theatre, he was cast in "Life is a Dream", "The Mistress of the Inn" (reviewed by The New York Times), "Chronicles of a Death Foretold", "Blood Weddings", "Midnight Brainwash Revival", Feast of the Goat", ( a New York Spanish Repertoire's production), "Burning the Bridges", and "Belisa's Capriciousness". Television credits in renowned Primetime shows like "The Shield" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent". His recurring role as Ignacio on SHOWTIME's "Weeds" and HBO's "Luck", with Dustin Hoffman. Movie roles include performances with actors such as Harvey Kietel, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diana Bracho in the film "Dreaming of Julia", where he portrayed a young human rights crusader in 1950s Cuba. "The Lost City" with Andy Garcia, Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray. The Gore Verbinski film "Rango" with Johnny Depp and Ray Winstone.- Actor
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Award-winning actor, singer, songwriter, composer and TV personality, the multifaceted Carlos Ponce has enjoyed a storied career in the entertainment industry. Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Carlos made his acting debut at the age of six. Since then he has starred in numerous productions on small and big screens in his native Puerto Rico, Mexico and the U.S. The versatile actor is known equally for playing the dramatic lead in Latin telenovelas like Santa Diabla and Sentimientos Ajenos as he is for comedic turns in movies like Couples Retreat and recurring roles in sitcoms like 7th Heaven and Beverly Hills 90210. Ponce is also an accomplished voice actor, lending his vocal skills on movies like Rio and Ice Age: Collision Course.
Carlos's musical career took off in 1998, when his self-titled debut album went Double Platinum and reached the top spot on the Latin Billboards. He has released six albums, winning Best Pop Album in 1999 and scoring three songs that topped the Latin Billboards. He also recorded "Bella Notte," the end title song of the movie Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Emiliano Díez was born on 26 August 1953 in Havana, Cuba. He is an actor, known for Elena of Avalor (2016), George Lopez (2002) and Gang Related (2014).- Actor
- Producer
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Jimmy L. Smits is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama L.A. Law, NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama NYPD Blue, Matt Santos on the political drama The West Wing, and for appearing in Switch (1991), My Family (1995), and as ADA Miguel Prado in Dexter. He also appeared as Bail Organa in Star Wars. From 2012 to 2014, he joined the main cast of Sons of Anarchy as Nero Padilla. Smits also portrayed Elijah Strait in the NBC drama series Bluff City Law.- Actor
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Shalim Ortiz is a Puerto Rican artist that has been one of the few Latino actors of his generation to successfully establish himself both in the English and Spanish markets. Working throughout the arts, Shalim has received critical acclaim in acting (television & film), theatre & as a recording artist.
At a young age Shalim joined the Thespian Society of Performing Arts and developed an intense passion; theater has played a key role in his life ever since. As an adult, he landed the lead in Oliver Mayer's much acclaimed cabaret musical entitled 'Rocío In Spite Of It All'. The L.A. Times praised Shalim's performance proclaiming: "silken-voiced Shalim steals several scenes as a dazzled fan who befriends these dueling divas".
Shalim has starred in some major television series such as "CSI: Miami," and "Cold Case," with one of his most memorable acting roles on NBC's "Heroes," where he played "Alejandro Herrera." In addition, Shalim has built strong and long-term relationships with the Lifetime and Hallmark channels staring in the mini-series "Maneater" (Sarah Chalke, Judy Greer) and the feature film "Expecting a Miracle" (Teri Polo, Cheech Marin).
In addition to his love of theater, Shalim has enjoyed success in another of his passions; music. Produced by Emilio Estefan, Shalim has written and recorded two albums (Sony Records). Combining his Spanish roots with Latin beats he used influences from rock and ballads to create a unique sound that has led to gold album record sales in both Spain and Latin America.
Perhaps his most significant achievement has been breaking into the Hollywood mainstream market. Shalim has starred and played acting roles in "The Wingman" written by academy award nominee Jose Rivera, and "Bad ass" which premieres this year in which he shares credits with Danny Trejo and Ron Perlman. In the Spanish language market, Shalim is debuting as the lead in two Mexican films: "Sangre de Familia" which world premieres at the 2012 Guadalajara Film Festival, and "Abril y Mayo" which is expected to premiere in the second half of 2012.- Wilmer Calderon was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and moved to Brandon, Florida, near Tampa at the age of two. He learned to speak Spanish at home from his parents and English from watching Sesame Street (1969). At the age of five, he started playing baseball, a year-round sport in Florida, and it quickly became his major preoccupation throughout his school years. In his senior year in high school, he set a single-season record for stolen bases. Continuing on to Marshall University, it soon became apparent that another discipline was calling him.
In his spare time, Calderon appeared in several school plays, and eventually he had to choose between following a career in baseball or giving himself full time to acting. He landed three lines in the Florida-filmed feature The Walking Dead (1995), earned his Screen Actors Guild card, and was off and running. He had a recurring role in the TV series Second Noah (1996) and appeared in the telefilms Summer of Fear (1996) and Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder (1997). Among Calderon's other television credits are guest appearances on Veronica Mars (2004), The Shield (2002), CSI: Miami (2002), 24 (2001), NYPD Blue (1993), ER (1994), and Profiler (1996). His feature credits include Wes Craven's Cursed (2005), and Venice Underground (2005).
Calderon is also active on stage, and has appeared with the Actor's Circle Theatre. His mentor has been another native of Santurce, Benicio Del Toro. - Actor
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Anthony Alvarez was born on 31 January 1970 in La Vega, Dominican Republic. He is an actor and producer, known for Minority Report (2002), The Lost City (2022) and Frida (2002).- Actor
- Director
- Producer
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Renoly Santiago was born in Lajas, Puerto Rico and he spent his childhood in Union City, New Jersey. Before establishing himself as an accomplished entertainer, Renoly started singing, acting, dancing and writing early on, following his calling while very young; earning a dance scholarship to the Ballet Hispanico and a place at The Professional Children's School in New York. At age 17, he became a lead character and writer on the Emmy-nominated television series 'City Kids'. Renoly made his film debut co-starring in the blockbuster hit 'Dangerous Minds' alongside Michelle Pfeiffer. He plays other major roles in Hollywood films, his credits including 'Hackers' with Angelina Jolie, 'Daylight' with Sylvester Stallone and 'Con Air' with Nicolas Cage and John Malkovich. He also appears in indie films such as 'Punks', 'The Street King' (aka 'King Rikki'), 'Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy' and 'Lavoe: The Untold Story', as Latin music legend Johnny Pacheco. Among his episodic television appearances are guest leads in 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', 'Touched by an Angel', 'Big Apple' and the one-hour television special, 'Stand-up'. Renoly has appeared in many off-Broadway productions under such notable directors as Liz Swados in Lincoln Centre and later, in workshops with Graciella Danielle in 'Blood Wedding' and Gabriel Barre in the Kander & Ebb musical 'Skin of Our Teeth' with Audra MacDonald and Sara Ramirez. Renoly was nominated for a Drama Desk Award by the press as Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical in his Broadway debut as leader of the Vampires gang, Tony Hernandez, in Paul Simon's Latin rock-opera 'The Capeman'. He starred alongside Marc Anthony, Ednita Nazario and Ruben Blades. His later writing credits include the book to the musical 'Bring in the Morning... A Wake-Up Call' at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, starring Lauryn Hill. As a singer, Renoly can be heard as back-up for recording artist India on her album 'Latin Songbird', in duets with Danny Rivera and Marc Anthony amongst others, having performed with many Artists of international renown. He is using his talents in 2011 on community Arts projects in New York; new acting, writing and production ventures across some exciting genres at home and abroad; writing new songs in English and Spanish and recording music in the studio for his debut album.- Actor
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José Guillermo Cortines (born December 5, 1973) is a Dominican actor and singer who is involved in films, telenovelas, musical theatre and television. Jose Guillermo studied in Santo Domingo. He graduated from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU) in 1996 having specialized in Graphic Design and Publicity. He took singing lessons with Frank Ceara, María Remolá and Nadia Niccola. He started his artistic career playing guitars in Rock bands. In the early 1990s, he entered television as host on programs such as, "Sin la Muela en Vivo" broadcast by "Mango TV", also hosted "Cocoloco Internacional", "Boulevard 37", "Bureo Café" and more. He played in the popular TV miniseries, "Hasta que la Muerte nos Separe", "Cuando llama el Amor", "El Planeta" and "Apartamento 402" for Mariasela Alvarez's weekly program, "Esta Noche Mariasela". He also appeared in Paraíso which aired in Spain. In 1997, his roles in the theater earned him popularity. Under the direction of producer Nuryn Sanlley, he played the role of Tony Manero on Saturday Night Fever", Rolf Grubber in The Sound of Music. In 1999, he worked in the musicals Los Tres Mosqueteros and Grease. In 2003 he worked with producer Amaury Sánchez, in "Sonido para una Imagen" and in 2005 in "Disco Forever". Other plays in which he appeared are La Bella y la Bestia, "Los Piratas de Barba Negra" and "Una Fiesta Inolvidable". In 2008 he played Marius Pontmercy in "Les Miserables" and in 2012 he took the role of Benny in "La Barbería" an off broadway show in New York city. He has played different characters in Telemundo's & Univision novelas like: Trópico, El Rostro de Analía, Amores de Luna, Más sabe el Diablo, Sacrificio de mujer, Eva Luna, Corazón Apasionado, Mia Mundo, Corazón Valiente, Mia Mundo 2, El Rostro de la venganza and Marido en alquiler. He then participated in "Buscando mi Ritmo" the reality show from Telemundo in which he became the show's winner. In 2014 he went back to DR to work in three different featured films. El Pelotudo, Codigo Paz and Pa'L Campamento. Now in 2015 he's back in the novelas with Telemundo. Actually recording.- Actor
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Manny Perez is becoming one of the most recognized Latino Actors in Hollywood. He has embarked into the most pivotal steps in his career. In the past few years he has been cast from leads to co-starring roles in over a dozen films; in major and independent releases.
He also won an Alma Award in 2008, for his performance in the film Bella (2006)
Manny is one of eleven siblings, born in a small town in the Dominican Republic. At the age of 10, he and his family moved to Providence, Rhode Island. By the time he was done with high school, Manny knew the stage was his natural home. He moved to New York majoring in drama at Marymount Manhattan College.
Manny Perez first got the industry's attention when he co-wrote, produced and starred in the critically acclaimed film Washington Heights (2002) an independent film set in his neighborhood. Manny's performance in the film garnered the praise of many film critics; The New York Times stated, "Mr. Perez has charisma to burn." He won the 2002 Best Actor Award at The Milan International Film Festival in Italy for his performance in that film.
His recent project La soga (2009) which had its world premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival in September of 2009 to standing ovations, sold-out shows and stellar reviews was produced, written and starred Perez. Variety stated, "Perez, puts plenty of guts into his script and performance".
It was the first Dominican film EVER to have screened at the prestigious festival. The film was released by 7-57 Releasing and so far has made over 1 million dollars worldwide.
Perez continues to write and co-write other scripts for future projects. In February of 2009, Perez co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the film titled, Forged (2010) shot completely in Scranton, PA. MAYA Entertainment will release it.
He has worked with such film directors as Sidney Lumet, Arthur Penn, Spike Lee, Leon Ichaso, Mike Newell, Ed Zwick, Takeshi Kitano, Bob Giraldi, Darnell Martin, among others.
With all the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, Manny has maintained loyal to his roots in the Latin community, both in the US and the Dominican Republic. He is the classic example of someone who has made the American dream happen. This kind of cavalier attitude is the reason he was honored by El Diario newspaper with the "EL Award", as one of the most prominent Latinos in New York. He recently received the Tony Bennett Excellence in Media Award, the Perry Ellis Humanitarian Award, and given the Key to the City from his hometown in Providence, Rhode Island. He was also honored with the Humanitarian Award in his native country of Dominican Republic for all of his charitable work during the devastation of Hurricane Noel.
All of his hard working ethics and talent has brought him to such great success, which will continue to take him to greater heights as he continues his career.
He has been featured in various magazines, newspapers and entertainment shows.
Manny currently resides between Washington Heights, New York City and Los Angeles. Manny is also a member of the LAByrinth Theatre Company in New York City.- Actor
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Alexis Cruz (SAG-AFTRA) is a veteran actor, and writer-director-producer. He starred in the title role in HBO's Emmy winning "P.O.W.E.R.: The Eddie Matos Story", in "The Old Man and the Sea" opposite Anthony Quinn, in Larry McMurtry's "The Streets of Laredo" with Sam Shepard and Sissy Spacek, as well as "Stargate" with Kurt Russell and James Spader; later recurring on the hit SyFy show "Stargate SG1" in his original role of, Skaara.
Alexis is a two time ALMA award nominee, and recurred as the angel, Raphael, on CBS' "Touched By An Angel" with Roma Downey and Della Reese before going on to play, Martin Allende, on CBS' "Shark" with James Woods. He has also appeared on "Castle" with Nathan Fillion, in Gregory Nava's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" With Larenz Tate, and in Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell".
In addition to his many film and television credits, Alexis Cruz narrated and produced the audio book series "The Catherine Kimbridge Chronicles" for Amazon, and is a creator of the graphic novel series "The Unprofessionals: A Sociopathic Bromance". Alexis lives in NYC, and is a Founding Partner for The Mythmaker Group, an IP development cooperative.- Actor
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Erik Estrada was born on 16 March 1949 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for CHiPs (1977), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) and National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002). He has been married to Nanette Mirkovich since 20 September 1997. They have one child. He was previously married to Peggy Rowe and Joyce Miller.- Actor
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In both career and in real life, Bobby Cannavale tends to choose the unconventional way of doing things. In the beginning, his decisions may have cost the dark, swarthily good-looking actor some acting roles and/or good-paying parts but, in the end, his strong work ethic and sense of self, despite a lack of formal training, allowed him to take a successful path off the crowded acting trail. From character goofball and cut-up, he has broken into the leading man ranks with his recent starring role as a reincarnated matchmaker in the TV series Cupid (2009).
Born Roberto M. Cannavale on May 3, 1971, in Union City, New Jersey, to an Italian-American father, Sal, and a Cuban mother, Isabel, he was involved in various activities at his Union City Catholic school, St. Michaels, while growing up. An altar boy, choir boy and lector, he also appeared in the church school's various musicals including his very first, "Guys and Dolls", in which he showed up as one of the gangsters, and "The Music Man", appearing as the lisping, scene-stealing tyke, "Winthrop".
Bobby's parents divorced when he was five years old and his mother moved the family to Puerto Rico for a couple of years. Eventually, they returned to the States and settled in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he attended high school. Restless and uncomfortable in any sort of regimented setting, he often got suspended for playing the class clown. Graduating in the late 1980s, and bitten by the acting bug, Bobby chose to return to the New York/New Jersey area in order to jump start an acting career. Working in bars to support himself, he again avoided the confines of an acting school and, instead, gained experience as a "reader" on occasion with the Naked Angels theatre company. During this time (1994), he met and married Jenny Lumet, the actress-daughter of director Sidney Lumet. They had son, Jake, the following year. The couple divorced in 2003.
Spotted by playwright Lanford Wilson while performing in an East Village production of Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart", Bobby was invited to join Wilson's prestigious Circle Repertory Theatre. As a "reader" for the company, he eventually earned stage parts in "Chilean Holidays" (1996) and in Wilson's "Virgil Is Still the Frog Boy." He also went on to serve as understudy to Mark Linn-Baker in a 1998 production of "A Flea in Her Ear" and later replaced him. A noticeable role in the company's play, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" by Paul Rudnick led to Bobby's being cast in the recurring role of a tugboat operator in the TV series Trinity (1998). Having only appeared in bit parts thus far in such movies as Night Falls on Manhattan (1996), directed by Lumet, and I'm Not Rappaport (1996), it was "Trinity" creator John Wells who caught Bobby's stage performance and handed him this career-making break on camera.
Bobby's "nice-guy" aura and blue-collar charm proved invaluable, if a bit restrictive. Once the "Trinity" series ended, Wells cast the 6'3" lug with the trademark caterpillar brows and crooked smile as lovelorn paramedic "Bobby Caffey" in his series Third Watch (1999). The character became quite popular but Bobby, again feeling restricted and wishing to broaden his horizon as an actor, asked to be released from the show -- but "in a big way". Creator Wells obliged and had the paramedic fatally shot in the chest and then experience a "beyond the grave" union with his character's deceased, ne'er-do-well dad.
Bobby next joined the cast of father-in-law Sidney Lumet's acclaimed TV courtroom drama 100 Centre Street (2001), starring Alan Arkin, cast against type as a brazenly opportunistic prosecutor. He subsequently earned recurring roles on Ally McBeal (1997) (in 2002) and Six Feet Under (2001) (in 2004). As for films, Bobby was featured in Gloria (1999), The Bone Collector (1999), Washington Heights (2002) and The Guru (2002) by the time he scored as the gregarious food truck driver in the critically-hailed indie film The Station Agent (2003), which paired him intriguingly opposite the diminutive actor Peter Dinklage.
Unwilling to shirk away from more controversial roles such as his gay drug dealer who has the hots for a fellow prisoner in the acclaimed series Oz (1997) or his closeted dancing neophyte in the film comedy Shall We Dance? (2004) starring Richard Gere, Bobby continued to elevate his status seesawing between film (Shortcut to Happiness (2003), Happy Endings (2005), Romance & Cigarettes (2005)) and TV assignments (the miniseries Kingpin (2003)). He earned big viewer points and an Emmy Award for his recurring portrayal of Will's dour cop/boyfriend on the hit sitcom Will & Grace (1998) in 2004. Elsewhere, on stage, he merited attention in such productions as "Hurlyburly" and earned a Tony Award nomination for his 2007 Broadway debut in "Mauritius."
After five consecutive failed pilots, Bobby has come front-and-center with his quirky starring role in the ABC series Cupid (2009), plus recurring roles in Cold Case (2003) and Nurse Jackie (2009), and his second Emmy-winning part in Boardwalk Empire (2010). He continues to rake up credits on the big screen with (The Merry Gentleman (2008), Diminished Capacity (2008), The Take (2007), 100 Feet (2008), Roadie (2011), Blue Jasmine (2013), link=tt2883512], Ant-Man (2015), I, Tonya (2017), Boundaries (2018) and The Irishman (2019), and with fascinating continuing/regular roles on such TV series as Cupid (2009), Cold Case (2003), Boardwalk Empire (2010), Nurse Jackie (2009), Vinyl (2016), Mr. Robot (2015) and Homecoming (2018), this dark, brutish character has plenty of staying power in both comedy and drama.- Matt Cedeño was born on 14 November 1973 in Moses Lake, Washington, USA. He is an actor, known for Power (2014), Z Nation (2014) and Devious Maids (2013). He has been married to Erica Cedeno since 31 July 2009. They have two children.
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Gene Gabriel studied at HB Studios in New York City. His first professional job was a small role as a gang member in Joseph B. Vasquez's (Hangin' with the Homeboys) film The Bronx War. While living in Miami he answered an ad for improvisers and auditioned for "Laughing Gas" Improv comedy troupe and was one of their fastest rising apprentices. He became a company member almost immediately. He also began finding work in television and film. He was cast as a killer on Walker, Texas Ranger, an INS agent alongside Eva Mendez and Ice-T in the TV pilot/movie The Disciples. He received critical attention for his performance in Luis Saumell's award winning Spanish language short film "Por Que'" . In 1998 he co-founded "Just the Funny" comedy Improv troupe in Miami. It has become South Florida's number one improv comedy troupe and training facility. He often performs with them when he visits Miami. Also in 1999 he returned to NYC where joined "Freestyle Repertory Theatre" in which he performed both long and short form improv. In 2002 he landed the role of "Rodriguez" one of a pair of Spanish speaking ball players in 'Richard Greenberg (III)''s "Take Me Out" which premiered in London's prestigious "West End". In 2003 the play opened on Broadway and won 3 Tony awards including best play for Greenberg and best director for Joe Mantello. He has continued to work in film and television with appearances on 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', The Sopranos, One Life To Live and a starring role in Clarke M. Smith's scifi thriller The Ethereal Plane.- Actor
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Raúl Eduardo Esparza is an American stage, screen, and voice actor. Considered one of Broadway's leading men since the 2000s, he is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Bobby in the 2006 Broadway revival of Company and for his television role as New York Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Rafael Barba in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he had a recurring role in Season 14 and was promoted to a series regular in Seasons 15 to 19.- Actor
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Guillermo Diaz was born in 1975 in New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Scandal (2012), Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021) and Weeds (2005).- Actor
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Jsu Garcia, DSS is an actor/director and minister who co-directed (along with John-Roger, DSS) the documentary Mystical Traveler, The Life and Times of Dr. John-Roger. Jsu got his start in acting in a lead role in the cult film A Nightmare on Elm Street which is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. He has since starred in over 40 films during the 26 years that he was living and working with John-Roger, including Along Came Polly, Collateral Damage, We Were Soldiers, Atlas Shrugged Part I, The Lost City, Traffic and many TV shows.
Jsu's biography is an interesting one, juxtaposing a life at the feet of a spiritual master against the backdrop of Hollywood. John-Roger, or J-R as he is affectionately called, is a man who seems ordinary, and yet is extraordinary to all those he touched. He is also known as a Mystical Traveler; a sound current master; one who connects his students into the path of love, light and sound.
Jsu has dedicated his life to telling the story of this unique man who brought forth the universal teachings of love and forgiveness through humor and practical spirituality, and imparted the keys of Soul Transcendence to many. John-Roger's work continues from the spirit after his passing on October 22nd, 2014, and Jsu celebrates J-R's life and message through sharing the "Mystical Traveler" documentary.
A modern-day spiritual Master...his flawed, yet devoted disciple...26 years of profound, practical, and deeply personal lessons with universal relevance.
For more than five decades, thousands of followers worldwide called Dr. John-Roger their Wayshower on the path to Soul Transcendence in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness. He wore the mantle of both the Mystical Traveler and the Preceptor-a consciousness that only appears on earth every 25,000 years.
Jesus Garcia was a proverbial struggling Hollywood actor when he first encountered "J-R"-astonished to recognize the embodiment of a mysterious figure that had appeared to him in childhood. Soon their lives intertwined as "Zeus" became J-R's live-in bodyguard, chauffeur, student, collaborator, and friend for more than a quarter century, until his passing in 2014.
Garcia's intimate memoir reveals the remarkable, day-to-day teachings of a wise and humorous Master to his all-too-human initiate, courageously shared with heart-rending transparency, vulnerability, and love.
"If you're looking for an account that honestly portrays the relationship between a True Master and one of his most devoted disciples, you have hit the jackpot. In this book you will find many examples, most of them quite unusual, occurring over a 26 year span of time, demonstrating the often arduous, but always Loving, experiences of two souls, J-R and Jsu, who have devoted themselves to the single purpose of the True Upliftment of all." Ron Hulnick, President, University of Santa Monica and co-author with Mary R. Hulnick, of Loyalty To Your Soul: The Heart of Spiritual Psychology, and, Remembering The Light Within: A Course In Soul-Centered Living- Actor
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Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker (1998), but probably more known later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost (2004) from 2004 to 2010. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian. He more recently starred in the FOX television series Alcatraz (2012), as well as playing a minor character on ABC's Once Upon a Time (2011). He stars as Jerry Ortega on Hawaii Five-0 (2010). Most recently Jorge Garcia can be seen in the Netflix original movie The Ridiculous 6 (2015).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
David Scott Lago was born on 18 January 1979 in Downey, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Young and the Restless (1973), Rendezvous (2019) and The Org.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
A graduate of UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television, Sanchez was born in Los Angeles to Cuban immigrants and raised in Palm Desert, California. In 1991 he co-founded Buffalo Nights Theater Company which consistently produced vibrant theater in Los Angeles for over 15 years.
In addition to his recurring appearances on CBS's top rated NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Get Shorty, his television work includes Series Regular roles on Steven Spielberg's SeaQuest DSV, and Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as numerous Guest Star appearances on shows such as Training Day, Lucifer and MacGyver,
His film performances include The Rookie (with Dennis Quaid), The Last Debate (directed by John Badham), and the J.J. Abrams directed: Super 8 and Star Trek 2: Into Darkness.
Marco currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, and daughter.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Tall, suave and sophisticated Cesar Romero actually had two claims to fame in Hollywood. To one generation, he was the distinguished Latin lover of numerous musicals and romantic comedies, and the rogue bandit The Cisco Kid in a string of low-budget westerns. However, to a younger generation weaned on television, Romero was better known as the white-faced, green-haired, cackling villain The Joker of the camp 1960s TV series Batman (1966), and as a bumbling corporate villain in a spate of Walt Disney comedies, such as chasing a young Kurt Russell in the fun-packed The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969). Fans and critics alike agreed that Romero was a major talent who proved himself an enduring and versatile star in an overwhelming variety of roles in a career as an actor, dancer and comedian that lasted nearly 60 years.
Cesar Romero was born of Cuban parents in New York City in February 1907. He attended the Collegiate School and Riverdale Country School before working as a ballroom dancer. He first appeared on Broadway in the 1927 production of Lady Do, and then in the stage production of Strictly Dishonorable. His first film role was in The Shadow Laughs (1933), after which he gave strong performances in The Devil Is a Woman (1935) and in the Shirley Temple favorite, Wee Willie Winkie (1937).
Critics and fans generally agree that Romero's best performance was as the Spanish explorer Cortez in Captain from Castile (1947). However, he also shone in the delightful Julia Misbehaves (1948) and several other breezy and lighthearted escapades. In 1953 he starred in the 39-part espionage TV serial Passport to Danger (1954), which earned him a considerable income due to a canny profit-sharing arrangement. Although Romero became quite wealthy and had no need to work, he could not stay away from being in front of the cameras. He continued to appear in a broad variety of film roles, but surprised everyone in Hollywood by taking on the role of "The Joker" in the hugely successful TV series Batman (1966). He refused to shave his trademark mustache for the role, and close observation shows how the white clown makeup went straight on over his much loved mustache! The appearances in Batman were actually only a small part of the enormous amount of work that Romero contributed to television. He guest-starred in dozens of shows, including Rawhide (1959), 77 Sunset Strip (1958), Zorro (1957), Fantasy Island (1977) and Murder, She Wrote (1984). However, it was The Joker for which his TV work was best remembered, and Romero often remarked that for many, many years after Batman ended, fans would stop him and ask him to chuckle and giggle away just like he did as The Joker. Romero always obliged, and both he and the fans just loved it!
With a new appeal to a younger fan base, Romero turned up in three highly popular Disney comedies: The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972) and The Strongest Man in the World (1975) as corrupt but inept villain A.J. Arno. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s Romero remained busy, and even at 78 years of age the ladies still loved his charm, and he was cast as Jane Wyman's love interest in the top-rated prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest (1981), playing Peter Stavros from 1985 to 1987.
Although Romero stopped acting in 1990, he remained busy, regularly hosting classic movie programs on cable television. A talented and much loved Hollywood icon, he passed away on New Year's Day 1994, at the age of 86.- Julio Oscar Mechoso was born on 31 May 1955 in Florida, USA. He was an actor, known for Planet Terror (2007), Jurassic Park III (2001) and Blue Streak (1999). He died on 25 November 2017 in Burbank, California, USA.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
Adam Irigoyen began his acting career at the age of 11. He appeared in multiple commercials and print campaigns before guest-starring on the Disney Channel's Emmy Award-winning series, Wizards of Waverly Place (2007), which eventually led to an audition for the role of "Deuce Martinez" on Shake It Up (2010). He has also appeared in the indie films "Flight", "Nickel or Dime" and "Electric Natural Safe".
Adam was born in Miami, Florida and lived there until the age of 11. Spanish is his first language. He attended an acting school where he was recognized for his talent. He was asked to perform in a showcase and, shortly after, moved to Los Angeles.
Adam comes from a family of educators - his Mom, Dad and Grandmother are all teachers. He relaxes by spending time with his family, which includes 2 brothers and 1 sister. His favorite subjects are Math and History. He loves creating music, singing, dancing and learning new instruments.
His favorite food is Cuban. He loves to travel and looks forward to visiting many foreign countries in the future.
One of his many goals is to work with Stan Lee and make a Marvel comic feature film as well as work with actors, Will Smith and Tom Hanks.
One of his favorite quotes by Michael Jordan sums up his state of mind, "Some people want it to happen, some people wish it to happen, others tear down the wall of resistance and make it happen."- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
A trained actor, Mario Lavandeira graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with honors and a degree in drama. He has appeared in many TV shows - most notably Glee; starred in various films - his favorite: the horror classic Most Likely To Die, and headlined two off-Broadway musicals, NEWSical and Full House The Musical.- Actor
- Producer
Michael Cardelle is known for House of Usher (2008), Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight (2008) and As the World Turns (1956).- Jordi Vilasuso was born on 15 June 1981 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for The Invitation (2015), Circle (2015) and This Modern Man Is Beat (2015). He has been married to Kaitlin Riley since 25 August 2012. They have two children.
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
As an actor Tony Plana has performed in more than 70 feature films. Recent films include Pain & Gain with Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg directed by Michael Bay, Roman J. Israel, Esquire starring Denzel Washington directed by Dan Gilroy, and the soon to be released, Bombshell, directed by Jay Roach starring Charlize Theron, John Lithgow, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie and Wasp Network, directed by Olivier Assayas with Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez.
His latest television projects include principal roles in Academy Award winner Paolo Sorrentino's The Young Pope with Jude Law and Diane Keaton for HBO, Jugar Con Fuego for Telemundo and the recently released Mayans MC on the FX Channel. Current recurring roles include the comedies One Day at a Time with Rita Moreno and Super Store with America Ferrera, as well as the dramas, The Affair with Anna Paquin. Start Up with Martin Freeman and Ron Perlman, The Punisher with Jon Bernthal, Madam Secretary, Lethal Weapon, Colony, Alpha House, Elementary, The Fosters, and The Blacklist.
Tony Plana also starred as Ignacio Suarez, the widowed father to America Ferrera's Ugly Betty, in ABC's landmark, groundbreaking hit series for which he received the 2006 Golden Satellite Award from the International Press Academy, an Imagen Award, and an Alma Award. Ugly Betty received the highest ratings and the most critical acclaim of any Latino-based show in the history of television, most notably 11 Emmy nominations and a Golden Glove Award for best comedy.
Previously, he also starred in Showtime's original series, Resurrection Boulevard, and was nominated for two Alma Awards for best actor. Resurrection Boulevard was the first series to be produced, written, directed and starring Latinos and awarded an Alma Award for the best television series of 2002.
Other feature film credits include JFK, Nixon, Salvador, An Officer and a Gentleman, Lone Star, Three Amigos, Born in East L.A., El Norte, 187, Primal Fear, Romero, One Good Cop, Havana, The Rookie, Silver Strand and Picking Up the Pieces with Woody Allen. He has also appeared in the action thriller Half Past Dead with Steven Segal; The Lost City, with Andy Garcia, Bill Murray, and Dustin Hoffman; and Disney's highly acclaimed GOAL, The Dream Begins.
He has produced and directed two feature film comedies, A Million to Juan with Paul Rodriguez and The Princess and the Barrio Boy, the first Latino family film to be produced by Showtime, starring academy award nominee Edward James Olmos and Maria Conchita Alonso. The film received two 2001 Alma Award nominations for Best Made for Television Movie and Best Ensemble Acting and won the 2001 Imagen Award for Best Made for Television Movie. Plana's television episodic debut was 2001's Resurrection Blvd.'s Saliendo, which garnered critical acclaim, receiving a GLAAD Award for best dramatic episode of the year and a SHINE Award nomination for sensitive portrayal of sexuality. He has directed several episodes of Nickelodeon's hit series, The Brothers Garcia, receiving a Humanitas Award nomination and winning the Imagen Award for its third season finale, Don't Judge a Book by its Cover. He also directed the season finale of Greetings from Tucson for the Warner Brothers Network and the Halloween episode of Desperate Housewives in its final season on ABC.
Plana was the Co-founder and served as Producing Artistic Director of the East LA Classic Theatre (ECT), a group comprised of multicultural, classically trained theatre professionals, for over 20 years. The EastLA Classic Theatre was dedicated to serving economically challenged communities through educational outreach programs for primary and secondary schools. As ECT's Producing Artistic Director, Plana defined its mission as 'educational' with a priority on creating access to classic dramatic literature for young minority audiences, emphasizing interpretations filtered through a multicultural, non-traditional perspective and presented with a contemporary, populist aesthetic. His provocative adaptations of classic Shakespearean plays were specifically conceived for students with little or no theatre going experience. He produced, directed and adapted these plays set against curriculum relevant historical backgrounds that served as catalysts for the investigation of personal and interpersonal psychology, race and cultural relations, socio-political issues and world history. Such as A zoot suit styled, musical Romeo & Juliet, was set during World War II with 1940's swing music and dance, featuring an East L.A. Latina Juliet and a West L.A. Anglo sailor Romeo struggling to define their love and identities in a wartime city sharply divided by racism, xenophobia, and economics and a Mariachi Musical production of Much Ado About Nothing set in early California.
Plana has continued to challenge the boundaries of teaching and learning language through an innovative approach called Language in Play (LIP). Working directly with language arts teachers, LIP utilizes the performing arts to impact literacy skills in academically at risk and bi-lingual students. Evolved collaboratively with educators over the last fifteen years, ECT's unique process of 'personalizing' language, through student play writing and play acting based on autobiographical experience, has proven more effective in achieving academic advancement and personal growth than established, traditional methods. It has consistently improved students' reading, writing and speaking skills resulting in higher attendance and lower drop-out rates, increased class participation and homework completion, as well as achieved better test scores, strengthened self-confidence and provided an engaging and meaningful school experience.
In 2005 he was honored as Educator of the Year by Loyola Marymount University's Department of Education. In 2008 he was awarded Loyola High School's Cahalan Award as a distinguished alumnus and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Imagen Foundation. In 2009 the HOLA organization honored him with the Raul Julia HOLA Founders Award for excellence. In 2010, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa selected him as worthy of one of the highest honors bestowed by the City of Los Angeles, The Dream of Los Angeles Award for his contributions to the media arts and education. He is the proud recipient of the 2013 ALMA Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of La Raza, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers' Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016, and the 2018 Nosotros Lifetime Impact Golden Eagle Award. He is currently an affiliate faculty member of the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University School of Education.- Originally from Artemisa, Cuba, Rene Lavan debuted on Broadway in 2005 with the critically acclaimed play "Latinologues", a comedy about life in America. Early this year he worked with Benicio Del Toro on the feature film "Guerrilla" directed by Steven Soderbergh. Rene plays the young lead in Revolution Studio's "Christmas With The Kranks" starring opposite Tim Allen, Jaime Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd and Cheech Marin. This film is directed by Joe Roth. Lavan plays the role of the Revolutionary, Carlos Suarez, on LGF/Miramax's "Havana Nights, Dirty Dancing". He has been a guest-star on CBS's "CSI Miami" and on NBC's "Las Vegas". He co-stars in "El Nominado", an independent film shot in Chile in October 2003, now playing at many international film festivals. Rene was chosen as one of The Top Ten To Watch In 2004 by the San Diego Latino Film Festival.
American audiences first knew Lavan when he played the role of Javier on "One Life to Live" for the ABC network. It was while working as a cast member on this series that he was offered the role of a lifetime as the lead in the critically acclaimed feature film "Bitter Sugar", directed by Leon Ichaso (Pinero). The film was inspired by true events of the oppressive Cuban regime governed by Fidel Castro. It chronicles the character of Gustavo (Lavan), an honor student and Castro supporter who could no longer tolerate the decay and repression in his beloved Cuba. Lavan received rave reviews and the film was very well received, both domestically and internationally.
Rene first gained recognition as an actor co-starring in one of the most popular Spanish telenovelas ever "Morelia". He has since starred in the very popular telenovelas (TV series) "Maria Belen" and "Enamorada". He has become an internationally re-known actor and is a household name in Spanish speaking homes around the world. His soaps and films have been seen in over one hundred countries. Fluent in both English and Spanish Rene has been working steadily in both the General and Spanish markets since receiving his education at the prestigious New World school of the arts, Performance and Visual Arts Center and with Uta Hagen.
Lavan co-starred in the half-hour sitcom pilot "Macio" for UPN and starred in the independent film "The Emerald Cut."
Rene has appeared in hundreds of television and radio commercials and has hosted the following TV shows: The Billboard Music Awards, Fox Sports and Suenos de Fama (Star Search) to name a few.
Lavan has graced the pages of American publications such as "Vanity Fair", "Harper's Bazaar", "Details", "W" and hundreds of Spanish publications such as "Vanidades", "Cosmopolitan", "Cristina" and recently was named "one of the 25 most Beautiful" of " People en Espanol Magazine".
Rene Lavan is a true crossover actor in every sense of the word, from film to television, from drama to comedy. He is one of the few actors that have successfully made a name in both the General and Spanish Markets. His latest challenge is starring and producing Latino theme television shows and films for his newly formed production company - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Roberto Sanchez is set to star in the highly anticipated APPLE TV+ series, Palm Royale as Pinky. The show stars Oscar winners Laura Dern and Allison Janney. He also recently wrote the story for the feature film "72 Hours," an action crime-thriller which was developed for the big screen by Christian Sesma and Sean Crayne and will co-star TRUE BLOOD'S Sam Trammell and THE OC's Cam Gigandet. Roberto is also set to star in the upcoming action film, AS GOOD AS DEAD opposite Michael Jai White and Tom Berenger.
Sanchez is well known for his scene-stealing TV roles on hit shows like THE RESIDENT, THE FAMILY BUSINESS, S.W.A.T., MACGYVER, LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, CHICAGO P.D. QUEEN OF THE SOUTH and over 100 other TV and film projects - including his breakout role in John Singleton's "2 FAST 2 FURIOUS" opposite Eva Mendes and Paul Walker. Additionally, he received a 2016 Imagen Award nomination for Best Actor for his lead role in the film, LAKE LOS ANGELES.
TRIVIA:
Roberto is a critically acclaimed theater actor who has starred as "Larry/Lola" in HOLLYWOOD & LEVINE; as "Rooftop" (a role originally played by Laurence Fishburne) in Gloria Gifford's stage adaptation of OUR LADY OF 121st STREET and as Scholar Paul Verall in Garson Kanin's play, BORN YESTERDAY
Served in the Navy during Desert Storm and competed professionally in the European League as a Naval basketball player
Was also a successful print model- David Fumero was born on 29 December 1972 in Havana, Cuba. He is an actor, known for One Life to Live (1968), Power (2014) and Trio (2010). He has been married to Melissa Fumero since 9 December 2007. They have two children.
- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actor
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Ricky initiated his singing career in the Latin all boy-band group Menudo. After leaving the group, he moved to New York to study acting. After finishing his studies, he relocated to Mexico where he performed as actor in "Mama ama el Rock", "Alcanzar una Estrella II". In 1991, he began to focus his career as a soloist singer, eventually becoming an international superstar with the release of his self-titled English language album in 1996.- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler was born in Madrid, Spain, to Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Spanish-Filipino socialite Isabel Preysler. In 1979, his parents' marriage was annulled. He was eight years old when he moved to the U.S., and at the age of 15, secretly began writing music. He studied business administration at the University of Miami for a year before he dropped out to pursue a musical career. Five years later, on September 25, 1995, he released his first album at 18 years of age. His second album, which was recorded in Spanish, was released on January 29, 1997.
Iglesias has made 10 albums. "Insomniac" was released 2008 and he did the official song for UEFA Europa League 2008, "Can You Hear Me", which he sang at the soccer league's finale. After "Insomniac" he made "Greatest Hits" and went on tour in 2009. His album "Euphoria" was his first bilingual album, featuring Spanish and English songs. His latest album "Sex and Love" was also bilingual.
Iglesias has sold over 137 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling Latin artists ever. He has more number-one songs on Billboard's charts, more than any other single male artist.
Iglesias has recorded advertisements or provided songs for major brands, including Salsa Doritos (2002), PepsiCo (2003), Viceroy (2004), Tommy Hilfiger (2005), Azzaro (2009) Atlantico (2011-present), Soap opera theme songs (2013, 2014), Coty (2014), and Kia Soul (2014-2015). He also had guest acting roles on Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Two and a Half Men, and How I Met Your Mother.
Iglesias has supported many charities, including City of Hope, Red Cross, Music for Relief, Habitat For Humanity, Help for Heroes, Live Earth, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Music for Relief, Special Olympics, The Salvation Army, Alex's Lemonade, and Hunger Relief.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Armando Christian Pérez, known by the stage name Pitbull or Mr. Worldwide, is an American rapper. His first recorded mainstream performance was on a solo track from Lil Jon's 2002 album Kings of Crunk. In 2004, Pitbull released his debut album M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records. It included production producers Lil Jon and Jim Jonsin. Pitbull later released his second album El Mariel, in 2006 and his third, The Boatlift, in 2007. His fourth album, Rebelution (2009), included his breakthrough hit single "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)", which peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Pitbull's 2011 album Planet Pit, featured the single "Give Me Everything", which was his first US number-one single. His 2013 track "Timber" from his Meltdown EP topped the charts in twenty nations, including the US and UK. He performed the song "We Are One (Ole Ola)" along with Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte, which served as the official theme of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Armando Christian Perez was born to Cuban expatriates in Miami, Florida. When he was 3, he could recite the works of Cuba's national hero and poet, José Martí, in Spanish. Growing up, he was influenced by the Miami bass genre of pop music and has cited Celia Cruz and Willy Chirino as sources of inspiration for his music. Pérez's parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother; he later spent time with a foster family in Roswell, Georgia. He attended South Miami Senior High School before graduating from Miami Coral Park High School, where he focused his career on rapping.
He said he chose his stage name of Pitbull because the dogs "bite to lock. The dog is too stupid to lose. And they're outlawed in Dade County. They're basically everything that I am. It's been a constant fight". After meeting Lil Jon in Miami, Pitbull was featured on Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz' album Kings of Crunk in 2002. Pitbull's song "Oye" was featured on the soundtrack to the film 2 Fast 2 Furious the following year. In addition, Pitbull released several mixtapes, composed of freestyles and remixes of popular rap music. Campbell featured Pitbull in his single, "Lollipop".
n 2001, Pitbull was signed to Luther Campbell's Luke Records by Jullian Boothe, then the label's vice-president of A&R. In 2001, Pitbull was introduced to Robert Fernandez of Famous Artist Music & Management, an independent label and management company specializing in developing artists, by the Diaz Brothers, a producer duo signed to the company. Fernandez "saw the eagerness and hunger he had" and, with the Luke Records deal ending, began working to develop Pitbull. Together they focused on creating a more radio-friendly sound. Fernandez later told HitQuarters: "At that time his music had a lot of verses and took a long time to get into the hook, and so we took time in getting the songs catchier and less on the rap side." Fernandez introduced Pitbull to Lil Jon, hoping to secure the rapper a small guest intro spot on Lil Jon's upcoming album Kings of Crunk. According to Fernandez, Jon took a liking to Pérez and offered him a track on the album; it is called "Pitbull's Cuban Ride Out." This track helped raise the young rapper's profile.
In 2004, Pitbull released his debut album M.I.A.M.I., with the lead single being "Culo" produced by Lil Jon and the Diaz Brothers. It peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 11 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. Other singles included "Dammit Man", "Back Up", "Toma", and "That's Nasty" (both featuring Lil Jon). He joined the Anger Management Tour, the 2000 hip-hop concert tour headlined by Eminem and 50 Cent. Pitbull also appeared on the Ying Yang Twins' single "Shake", which peaked at No.41 on the Hot 100 and No.12 on the rap chart, Adassa's chart topping single "Kamasutra" & Twista's "Hit the Floor" (#94 Hot 100, No. 20 Rap). Remix album Money Is Still a Major Issue was released in November 2005; it included new track "Everybody Get Up", a duet with hip-hop/R&B group Pretty Ricky.
TVT Records, Pitbull's label at the time, and Slip-n-Slide Records disputed over the release of Welcome to the 305, an unreleased album by Slip-n-Slide that Pitbull had recorded in 2001. A Miami judge ruled that Slip-n-Slide had a legal right to release the album as it was recorded when Pitbull was a Slip-N-Slide artist, and prior to him signing with TVT Records. A U.S. District Court judge affirmed the decision further. TVT was then ordered in March 2007 to pay Slip-n-Slide $9.1 million for attempting to block the album's release to record stores and digital download entities. In 2005 Pitbull and rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs co-founded Bad Boy Latino, a subsidiary of Combs' Bad Boy Records label. It primarily focuses on Latin hip hop, Latin soul, Latin pop and other tropical music and has offices in New York and Miami, Florida.
In April 2011 Jennifer Lopez released Love?, which featured Pitbull on two singles. "Fresh Out the Oven" did not meet with critical or popular success but the second cut, "On the Floor" was a certified hit. The single went on to make its Billboard Hot 100 debut at number nine, becoming the highest debuting Hot 100 single of Lopez's career. Pitbull released Planet Pit, on June 21, 2011. Pitbull collaborated with T-Pain on its first single, which became a moderate hit; "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)", which peaked at #7 on the Hot 100.
On March 22, 2011, Pitbull released his second single, "Give Me Everything"; three months later, the song became Pitbull's first single to top the Billboard Hot 100. It was ranked no. 5 on the 2011 Billboard Year-End Chart. The song features American R&B singer Ne-Yo, American singer Nayer and Dutch DJ Afrojack, who also produced the song and co-wrote it with Matt Howard, Pitbull and Ne-Yo. In August 2011, Lindsay Lohan sued Pitbull, Ne-Yo and Afrojack in response to the song's lyrics referencing her name, "I've got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan." Lohan objected to the negative connotation of the line and claimed that she should have been compensated for the use of her name in the song. The case was dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled the tune's lyrics are protected by the First Amendment, which covers freedom of speech and creative expression.
On November 10, 2017, Pitbull announced his 5th compilation album, titled 'Pitbull Greatest Hits'. The thirteen track album features eleven of Pitbull's most successful leading artist songs, accompanied by "Jungle (with Stereotypes ft. Abraham Mateo and E-40)" and "Locas (ft. Lil' Jon)", two brand new Pitbull songs. The deluxe edition of the album released exclusively in Japan featured a 14th Pitbull track, "Celebrate". The compilation album was released worldwide on December 1, 2017.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
George Lopez was born on April 23, 1961, in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, the son of Frieda and Anatasio Lopez, a migrant worker. He is of Mestizo Mexican descent. He was deserted by his father when he was two months old and by his mother when he was 10 years old, but was raised by his maternal grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, a factory worker, and step-grandfather, Refugio Gutierrez, a construction worker. Lopez attended San Fernando High School, graduating in 1979. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community, including the 2003 Imagen Vision Award, the 2003 Latino Spirit Award for Excellence in Television and the National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award. He was also named one of "The Top 25 Hispanics in America" by Time magazine in 2005. In 1993, Lopez married Ann Serrano. The couple has a daughter, Mayan, born in 1996. On September 27, 2010, Lopez announced that he and his wife had decided to end their marriage. Serrano filed for divorce on November 23, 2010, citing "irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Wilmer Valderrama has amassed an extensive acting resume in film and television that solidified him in Hollywood as a sought-after leading man. Valderrama starred in Fox's sci-fi series Minority Report (2015) as Will Blake, a new police detective on the force. The series, which also starred Meagan Good and Stark Sands, was a sequel to the Steven Spielberg-directed movie set 10 years after the end of Pre-crime in D.C. Valderrama also starred as Carlos Madrigal, the main villain in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's first original series From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (2014) on El Rey Network. Valderrama voiced Prince Charming in the John H. Williams animated film Charming (2018), opposite Ashley Tisdale, Avril Lavigne, and Demi Lovato. Valderrama starred in the indie dramas To Whom It May Concern (2016), from French director Manu Boyer, and The Adderall Diaries (2015), opposite Amber Heard and James Franco, which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. His other film credits include Larry Crowne (2011), From Prada to Nada (2011), and Summer Catch (2001). Most recognized for his role as Fez on Fox's Emmy-nominated series That '70s Show (1998), a role that garnered him numerous Teen Choice Awards and an ALMA Award nomination. Valderrama also lent his voice to the character Manny on the Disney Channel's animated children's program Handy Manny (2006). His other television credits include Awake (2012), Raising Hope (2010), Suburgatory (2011), Royal Pains (2009), and Wizards of Waverly Place (2007). Behind the camera, Valderrama created and produced the MTV series Yo Momma (2006), also serving as the host for all three seasons, in addition to producing other MTV series such as Punk'd (2003), Blowin' Up (2006), and Trippin (2005). As for his philanthropic efforts, Valderrama has directed several PSAs for multiple organizations such as Voto Latino, where he stands as co-chair, and the Environmental Media Association, where he is an executive board member. Valderrama is the spokesperson for CHCI, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and is the founder of their Ready 2 Lead program, which educates and empowers the Latino youth. He also worked with President Barack Obama's Organizing for Action campaign on future efforts involving immigration reform and education. Born in Miami, Valderrama moved to Venezuela with his family at the age of 3. Valderrama is fluent in both Spanish and English. When Valderrama was 13, his family relocated to Los Angeles.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Franky G was born and raised in Brooklyn New York. Franky had a recurring role as poncho on the Starz hit TV show POWER that is executive produced by 50 cent and creator/writer Courtney A Kemp. Franky is a series regular as Juan Rodriguez on the new hit TV show, Carl weber's "THE FAMILY BUSINESS" on NETFLIX network starring/produced by Ernie Hudson, Carl weber, ND Brown, Jeff Lam and directed by Trey Haley. Franky has done an episode on the new Marvel hit Series "LUKE CAGE" on Netflix. Franky has completed several feature films this year. Franky's career started when he played the lead role in the award winning film MANITO written and directed by Eric Eason. The film received an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002 and it has been shown in over 50 festivals. Since then he has appeared in various magazines, including in being selected as one of the most beautiful people in People Español. His versatility as an actor and his intense energy has landed him roles in various studio Hollywood films starring opposite Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Mark Wahlberg, and Charlize Theron. His credits include CONFIDENCE, THE ITALIAN JOB, SAW II, DEAD MAN DOWN, BLOWTORCH, 36 SAINTS, TIO PAPI and THE DEVILS TOMB opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. He has appeared on television in the title role of Fox's hip show JONNY ZERO. He also starred as Joe Garcia in John wells CBS drama SMITH starring Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen. Franky has guest starred on some hit TV shows like, LAW AND ORDER SVU, QUANTICO, CSI MIAMI opposite David Caruso, BLUE BLOODS opposite Donnie Wahlberg,THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA starring Debra Messing. Franky has appeared in Off Off Broadway productions, DOES A TIGER WEAR A NECKTIE and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. Franky is the owner and founder of G-Productions. His last theatrical production INSIDERS, written and directed by Frances Lozada, received great reviews. He continues to learn the art of filmmaking and has plans to write, direct and produce in the near future. His first feature THE STREETS ARE WATCHING has recently been optioned.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Albi De Abreu is a well-known Latin American actor who has worked in markets such as Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Venezuela. He is an American resident, a Portuguese and a Venezuelan citizen. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese and dominates several Latin accents. In addition to that, Albi De Abreu has already directed, produced and written two short films. He is currently developing a series for TV and his first feature film as a director.- Actor
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- Producer
Juan Pablo Gamboa is a United States citizen born in Cali, Colombia on November 24, 1966. The second of four children, he was raised in a bi-cultural, bilingual household due to his mother's Bostonian origin and his father's Colombian heritage. He began delving in Theatre at a young age, participating in school musicals and attending specialized music classes at the Cali Conservatory.
He continued his studies in 1984 at Hofstra University in New York, simultaneously with a Film Production Major, eventually starting a career in Production at Maysles Films, a documentary film company in New York City. Time would place him in Miami, where he began acting in Latin American soap operas, better known in the business as "telenovelas".
Over the years he has become well known in the Hispanic market, working in film and television in Mexico and Colombia, and receiving worldwide exposure with the sales of his projects, that have been sold to over 120 countries, translated and subtitled to diverse languages. His popularity has stemmed from specific villain roles, for which he is fondly remembered, having become a household name throughout Latin America especially.
Juan Pablo has begun a swift cross-over to the American market, due to his perfect domain of both the Spanish and English languages. He has appeared in several films and television series like "King of Texas", where he shared the stage with Roy Scheider, "Kings of South Beach", with Donnie Walberg, "The Damned", with Peter Faccinelli, "Sniper: Ultimate Kill", with Tom Berenger, and the recently released "Loving Pablo", with Penelope Cruz.
He has now become a member of the Screen Actor's Guild and resides in the United States.- Actor
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Ernesto Godoy is an actor in Mexican cinema, TV and stage. Born Ernesto Godoy Lagunes on 5 April 1970 to actors Hector Godoy and Teresa Lagunes-Ryan, he started out on TV at the very young age, usually playing characters more mature than his age. Examples are roles of Mauricio Villagran is acclaimed telenovela 'Pobre Nina Rica' and Ramiro in 'El Noveno Mandamiento'. Usually called a scene stealer and one of the best talents of his generation, it is unusual why he hasn't played the lead to this date yet. Except roles in telenovelas, Ernesto participated in numerous theatre shows and also starred on film, for instance in 'Cabeza de Buda' or 'I am an Elephant, you are a Mouse'. He also participated in TV miniseries 'Fidel' playing Cuban resistance figure Huber Matos. He has an older brother and two children: Raphaella and Maximilliano. At his free time, he likes to travel and meet new cultures. His interests lie mostly in art cinema, theatre and TV, as he constantly keeps doing amazing performances in that areas.- Charismatic and unique Mexican film and TV actor Eduardo Victoria's debut was in 2000 and during the next decade, he filmed over 18 films and series. Although he did not have a breakthrough in starring role, like some actors do, he was always very notable in minor roles. Those include Leopoldo Araoz in La Hija de Jardinero and Andres Castaneda in Los Plateados. In Marina he interpreted Federico, one of series' main villains, but very untypical to the genre. He was much more human and his reasons were genuine. He also possessed many good qualities which often lack TV villains, which are many times portrayed as pure evil without explication. In untypical telenovela Las Aparicio he was one of few main characters. Eduardo appeared in some films like El Cartel and El Ultimo Justo. Also he participated in American TV series Persons Unknown and film The Air I Breathe, in which he shared his scene with Forest Whitaker and future Star Trek star John Cho. Also starring in that film were Sarah Michelle Gellar, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia and Kevin Bacon. He is one of those caliber of actors which might be a superstar one day if given the right opportunity. For now, he continues making films and series, providing us with extraordinary performances each time.
- Rafael del Villar was born on 11 April 1962 in Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He is an actor, known for Mañana es para siempre (2008), Don't Mess with an Angel (2008) and Amar sin límites (2006).
- Fernando Colunga was born on the 3rd of March 1966 in Mexico City, Mexico. His father is Don Fernando Colunga and his mother Dona Margarita Olivares. Fernando Colunga from the time that was a little boy wanted to be an actor. Fernando graduated from the University of Mexico as civil engineer. But after advice from a friend, Fernando went to the studios of Televisa, the best studios for the well-known and successful in telenovelas. Fernando started his career as a stand-in. A producer noticed his great acting talent and from then the excellent acting career of Fernando begun.
His first participation in the television was with the telenovela _"María Mercedes" (1992)_ (qv. The role of Fernando in this telenovela was originally made for 10 episodes, but after the huge success that his role had, the producers made 80 more episodes with Fernando Colunga. From then onwards, he acted in many telenovelas like Marimar (1994) before he took his first leading role. His first leading role was in the telenovela _"María la del Barrio" (1996)_, which was very successful. Right after this telenovela, Fernando took his second leading role in the telenovela Esmeralda (1997) that made him very famous not only in Mexico but in 170 countries of the world where the telenovela has been shown. Fernando became a huge TV-star with big ratings and millions of fans.
In 1998 Fernando filmed La usurpadora (1998), a telenovela that had a huge rating in Mexico and in all over the world. In 1999 Fernando continued his bright career with Nunca te olvidaré (1999) and in the end of this year Fernando acted in the Christmas-telenovela of Televisa _Cuento de Navidad (1999/I) (mini)_. The peak of his career to date came in 2000-2001 when his telenovela Abrázame muy fuerte (2000) won two awards for his acting in the leading role of Carlos Manuel Rivero, the "Los Heraldos" award, something like the Mexican Oscars and the "TV y Novelas" award, an award that is right from the votes of the Mexican audience, while "Abrázame muy fuerte" was the most successful telenovela of the year and of the most recent years and took the award of the best telenovela in the same ceremonies. At Christmas-time of 2001, Fernando filmed the Christmas-telenovela _"Navidad sin fin (2001) (mini)_ in which Fernando played a surprise role of an "ugly" and poor man.
Fernando Colunga is arguably the best Mexican actor and the most famous at the same time . He is the only actor that has filmed 5 very successful telenovelas successively . Fernando is beloved both in Mexico and the rest of the world. With all his roles, Fernando has proven that he isn't only a very handsome man, but a great actor too. Fernando Colunga is also an excellent, decent man with moral values in his life. He always keeps his personal life away from the press, while his dream is to be married once in his lifetime, like his beloved parents. - Mauricio Henao, born in Colombia raised in the U.S started his career as an actor at age 20, known for his work in TV, Film, and theater through out Latin America and U.S as English being his second Language.
To interact with Mauricio Follow him through IMDB and Social media platforms @mauriciohenao_ - Carlos de la Mota is known for Mañana es para siempre (2008), Timeless Love (2010) and Por ella soy Eva (2012).
- Alejandro Lukini was born on 15 March 1967 in Mexico. He is an actor, known for When You Are Mine (2001), Lo que la gente cuenta (2005) and Se busca un hombre (2007).
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Rodrigo Abed was born on 6 September 1972 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He is an actor and writer, known for Reevolución (2007), Cicatrices (2005) and Dark Waters (2003).- Actor
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Sebastian Zurita is the Creator, Director, Executive Producer and Star of "How to Survive Being Single" - Amazon's Original first worldwide scripted Spanish comedy. Born in Mexico city, Sebastian moved to Miami at the age of 16. A few years later after Graduating in international business with a minor in economics, Sebastian decided to move to LA to continue his studies in the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute where he studied for nearly two years after finishing his first feature film, Angel Caido. He not only stared in the film but also co-produced it, marking the beginning of a promising career. After Studying with Susan Batson in New York, he was called by Televisa networks to star in his first Main role in Mexican telenovelas. His first work, "En Nombre del Amor", earned him the award for best actor; the telenovela became the number one soap opera seen around the world. Right after that, he moved up to prime time with "Corazon Salvaje". His quick growth earned him numerous awards and led him to become a household name in the Latin market, taking him to co-host numerous events including fashion fest with Alessandra Ambrosio. Eager to achieve more, he jumped into theater and film; he was casted as the lead in legendary director Felipe's Cazals' "Ciudadano Buelna ", which earned him the best film actor of the year award: La Diosa de Plata. Soon after that, Sebastian was casted in Manolo Caro's play "Cama Para Dos"; after achieving great success and creating a great public impression, he was offered to start in "Amor de Mis Amores" (the second feature of Manolo Caro) and Gustavo Moheno's "Eddie Reynolds y Los Angeles de Acero". Sebastian was part of five different projects in one year, which included two films, one series, one play, and a hit soap opera for Telemundo that broke all audience records in the past 8 years. Left unsatisfied with his work as an actor, Sebastian decided to immerse himself in his university career and open his own company, Addiction House. His production company has developed four feature films, including his first international work "I Was There", Shot entirely in New York City; . In 2015 Sebastian became the new face for Calvin Klein. His past three films became the top box office hits for Mexican cinema, staying in the top 5 for Mexican films in 2017. These include "Tres Idiotas", "Como Cortar a tu Patan", and Issa lopez's "Todo Mal". The same year he produced and directed "Class Enemy" by Nigel Williams, the first play Addiction House produced in Mexico. His upcoming projects include a musical created and written by him and his brother Emiliano Zurita and co-produced by Tony award winner Chet Walker with the music of "Jarabe de Palo" and two tv series one with Sony Pictures and the other with Amazon Prime, all created, written, directed, produced and acted by him and his brother. Working in hand with British multi award winner Shaun McKenna they are now adapting their latest play "Thinking Too Loud!" For the London stage. The opening of his latest film "Si Yo Fuera Tu" from Alejandro Lubezki was received with great success marking it as his fifth film to open in the top five in Mexico and his latest show to star in "El Juego De Las Llaves" has become a staple show for Amazon Prime and the all time number one show for Pantaya in the US. You can also see him on his debut role in the United States in the show called " The Oath". Since then Sebastian has participated in shows like " Luis Miguel, La Serie" and "Bankrolled" for Netflix. He is no awaiting the release of "How to survive Being Single" season 2 and 3, "El Galan" for Disney and "Tequila Repasado" for Sony. Addiction House has more than 20 titles in different stages of development with "Champions Gym" being its latest show to be optioned by Sony.- Actor
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Imanol was born in Mexico City. His father introduced him to the theater at the early age of 2 in the musical "Que Planton". Later Imanol showed much interest in his father's work and decided to try it. He participated in Chiquilladas (1982), Plaza Sésamo (1972), and at the age of 9, got his first role in the film La última llamada (1996), receiving the Heraldo Award for debuting actor. In 1996 he was cast for Elisa Before the End of the World (1997) and for the musical "Marcelino Pan y Vino". He also received several awards for this performance. Later came the "novelas" (Mexican Soaps) Los hijos de nadie (1997), Vivo por Elena (1998) and finally starring in El niño que vino del mar (1999).
He has recorded three albums named "Pedacitos de Amor", "Creciendo Juntos" and "Si Tú Supieras" for Fonovisa. At this moment, he is promoting his last album and doing shows around the country. His last performance on Mexican TV was "Clase 406" as a guest appearance last July.- Actor
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Marcelo Buquet was born on 4 October 1963 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is an actor, known for La usurpadora (1998), María Isabel (1997) and Más allá de la usurpadora (1998).- Despite his good looks and his major in drama from Instituto Superior de Arte, Mr. Évora wanted to be on the other side of the camera and be a film director, so he took courses at ICAIC and studied for two years at Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV de San Antonio de los Baños. Still his drama skills prevailed and he developed a long acting career in Cuba and in Mexico, where he has lived for several years. Mr. Évora has also an exclusive contract with Univision Network.
- Arturo Carmona was born on 9 July 1976 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He is an actor, known for Don't Mess with an Angel (2008), Vecinos (2005) and La vecina (2015).
- Rodrigo Tejeda Marrugal was born on July 3, 1980 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. When he was just 1 years of age, he moved with his family to Querétaro, Mexico. His father always wanted him to study Chemical Engineering, but Rodrigo decided to study acting instead. He then moved to Mexico City and was enrolled in the CEA (Centro Educativo Artístico) of Televisa, and studied for 3 years. If he would have not studied acting, he would have liked to become a chef or even a nutricionist. His first acting job was Corazones al Limite (2004) thanks to the Mexican soap-opera producer, Roberto Hernández, in which he plays the nerdy, reserved, and timid Joaquin. He enjoys listening to all types of music, but prefers the 70s.
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Joaquin Cordero was born in the city of Puebla in Mexico. Shortly after his birth his family moved to Mexico City, and in the following years he studied in a seminary and even considered becoming a priest, but eventually he decided to pursue a law career. By the mid forties, after three years of law classes, against his family's wishes he decided to become an actor. He initially appeared in bit parts, but by the early fifties he was getting larger parts. Eventually he became one of the most prolific and popular actors in Mexican cinema, he also went on to do theatre, television and throughout his career won numerous awards, and even today, into his early eighties, he is still as active as ever.