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- Actress
- Producer
Accustomed to airplanes and distant countries since she could recall, Adria Arjona was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Mexico City. Falling asleep in Guatemala and waking up in Argentina was not out of norm for her. She is the daughter of a Puerto Rican mother, Leslie, and a Guatemalan father, Ricardo Arjona, a renowned singer-songwriter in Latin America, who took her along on his tours, allowing her to breathe art, music and a bohemian lifestyle. At twelve, she moved to Miami and lived there until she was eighteen, when she took a plunge and made the brave decision to move to New York City on her own. In order to assure her professional success and personal growth, her father made the tough decision in making sure nothing was secure and easily given to her. While studying to become an actor at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Adria worked as a hostess and waitress at several New York restaurants in order to pay her bills and sustain her life. Having had a front row seat to stardom, Adria saw the bigger picture for her career, in that fame and fortune does not ameliorate her work and passion. She set out to achieve her goals with a focus on maintaining the pleasure of pursuing what she loves, while honing her craft and creating with pride.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Arlyn (Dunetz) and John Bottom, and is the middle child in a brood of five. His parents, from the continental United States, were then serving as Children of God missionaries. His mother is from a Jewish family from New York, while his father, from California, is of mostly British Isles descent. As a youngster, Joaquin took his cues from older siblings River Phoenix and Rain Phoenix, changing his name to Leaf to match their earthier monikers. When the children were encouraged to develop their creative instincts, he followed their lead into acting. Younger sisters Liberty Phoenix and Summer Phoenix rounded out the talented troupe.
The family moved often, traveling through Central and South America (and adopting the surname "Phoenix" to celebrate their new beginnings) but, by the time Joaquin was age 6, they had more or less settled in the Los Angeles area. Arlyn found work as a secretary at NBC, and John turned his talents to landscaping. They eventually found an agent who was willing to represent all five children, and the younger generation dove into television work. Commercials for meat, milk, and junk food were off-limits (the kids were all raised as strict vegans), but they managed to find plenty of work pushing other products. Joaquin's first real acting gig was a guest appearance on River's sitcom, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1982).
He worked with his brother again on the afterschool special Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia (1984), then struck out on his own in other made-for-TV productions. He made his big-screen debut as the youngest crew member in the interstellar romp SpaceCamp (1986), then won his first starring turn in the Cold War-era drama Russkies (1987). In the late '80s, the Phoenix clan decided to pull up stakes and relocate again--this time to Florida. River's film career had enough momentum to sustain the move, but Joaquin wasn't sure what lay in store for him in the Sunshine State. As it happened, Universal Pictures had just opened a new studio in the area and he was cast almost immediately as an angst-ridden adolescent in Parenthood (1989). His performance was very well-received, but Joaquin decided to withdraw from acting for a while--he was frustrated with the dearth of interesting roles for actors his age, and he wanted to see more of the world.
His parents were in the process of separating, so he struck out for Mexico with his father. Joaquin returned to the public eye three years later under tragic circumstances. On October 31, 1993, he was at The Viper Room (a Los Angeles nightclub partly-owned by Johnny Depp) when his brother River collapsed from a drug overdose and later died. Joaquin made the call to 911, which was rebroadcast on radio and television the world over. Months later, at the insistence of friends and colleagues, Joaquin began reading through scripts again, but he was reluctant to re-enter the acting life until he found just the right part. He finally signed up to work with Gus Van Sant (who had directed River in My Own Private Idaho (1991) and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)) to star as Nicole Kidman's obsessive devotee in To Die For (1995). The performance made Joaquin (who had dropped Leaf and reverted to his birth name) a critics' darling in his own right.
His follow-up turn in Inventing the Abbotts (1997) scored more critical kudos and, perhaps more importantly, introduced him to his one-time fiancée Liv Tyler. (The pair dated for almost three years.) He returned to the big screen later that year with a supporting role in Oliver Stone's U Turn (1997), then played a locked-up drug scapegoat in Return to Paradise (1998). He and "Paradise" co-star Vince Vaughn re-teamed almost immediately for the small-town murder caper Clay Pigeons (1998), which Joaquin followed with a turn as a porn store clerk in 8MM (1999). The film that confirmed Phoenix as a star was the historical epic Gladiator (2000). The Roman epic cast him as the selfish, paranoid young emperor Commodus opposite Russell Crowe's swarthy hero. Determined to make his character as real as possible, Phoenix gained weight and cultivated a pasty complexion during the shoot. He received international attention and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for that role.
Later that year, he appeared in two indies, playing a dock worker in The Yards (2000) (which he counts among his favorite experiences--and one of the only films of his that he can sit through) and the priest in charge of the Marquis de Sade's asylum in Quills (2000). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor as the legendary musician Johnny Cash in the biography Walk the Line (2005). He also recorded an album, the film's soundtrack, for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
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
- Producer
- Director
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.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Roselyn Milagros Sánchez Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, producer, and writer. On television, she is best known for her roles as Elena Delgado on the CBS police procedural Without a Trace (2005-09), as Carmen Luna on the Lifetime comedy-drama Devious Maids (2013-16), and as Elena Roarke on the new Fantasy Island (2021-present). In film, Sánchez has appeared in Rush Hour 2 (2001), Boat Trip (2002), The Game Plan (2007), and Act of Valor (2012).- Actress
- Producer
Yara Martinez was born on 31 August 1979 in Puerto Rico. She is an actress and producer, known for The Tick (2016), The Hitcher (2007) and True Detective (2014). She has been married to Joe Lewis since 2018.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Rita Moreno is one of the very few performers to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, thus becoming an EGOT. She was born Rosita Dolores Alverío in the hospital in Humacao, Puerto Rico on December 11, 1931 (but raised in nearby, smaller Juncos, which had no hospital), to seamstress Rosa María (Marcano) and farmer Francisco José "Paco" Alverío. Her mother moved to New York City in 1937, taking Rita with her while leaving her reportedly unfaithful husband and Rita's younger brother behind. Rita's professional career began before she reached adolescence.
From the age of nine, she performed as a professional dancer in New York night clubs. At age 11, she landed her first movie experience, dubbing Spanish-language versions of US films. Less than a month before her 14th birthday on November 22, 1945, she made her Broadway debut in the play "Skydrift" at the Belasco Theatre, costarring with Arthur Keegan and a young Eli Wallach. Although she would not appear again on Broadway for almost two decades, Rita Moreno, as she was billed in the play, had arrived professionally. In 1950, she was signed by MGM, but the studio dropped her option after just one year.
The cover of the March 1, 1954, edition of "Life Magazine" featured a three-quarters, over-the-left-shoulder profile of the young Puerto Rican actress/entertainer with the provocative title "Rita Moreno: An Actresses' Catalog of Sex and Innocence". It was sexpot time, a stereotype that would plague her throughout the decade. If not cast as a Hispanic pepper pot, she could rely on being cast as another "exotic", such as her appearance on Father Knows Best (1954) as an exchange student from India. Because of a dearth of decent material, Moreno had to play roles in movies that she considered degrading. Among the better pictures she earned featured roles in were the classic Singin' in the Rain (1952) and The King and I (1956).
Director Robert Wise, who was chosen to co-direct West Side Story (1961) (the film version of the smash Broadway musical, a retelling of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" with the warring Venetian clans the Montagues and Capulets re-envisioned as Irish/Polish and Puerto Rican adolescent street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks), cast Moreno as "Anita", the Puerto Rican girlfriend of Sharks' leader Bernardo, whose sister Maria is the piece's Juliet.
However, despite her talent, roles commensurate with that talent were not forthcoming in the 1960s. The following decade would prove kinder, possibly because the beautiful Moreno had aged gracefully and could now be seen by filmmakers, TV producers and casting directors as something other than the spitfire/sexpot that Hispanic women were supposed to conform to. Ironically, it was in two vastly diverging roles--that of a $100 hooker in director Mike Nichols' brilliant realization of Jules Feiffer's acerbic look at male sexuality, Carnal Knowledge (1971), and Milly the Helper in the children's TV show The Electric Company (1971)--that signaled a career renaissance.
Moreno won a 1972 Grammy Award for her contribution to "The Electric Company"'s soundtrack album, following it up three years later with a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for "The Ritz" (a role she would reprise in the film version, The Ritz (1976)). She then won Emmy Awards for The Muppet Show (1976) and The Rockford Files (1974).
She has continued to work steadily on screen (both large and small) and on stage, solidifying her reputation as a national treasure, a status that was officially ratified with the award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in June 2004.- 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.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
David Zayas was born on 15 August 1962 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for Skyline (2010), The Expendables (2010) and Dexter (2006). He has been married to Liza Colón-Zayas since 21 November 1998. They have one child.- Isabel Arraiza was born in Puerto Rico. She is an actress, known for The Little Things (2021), Outer Range (2022) and Pearson (2019).
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
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.- Actress
- Writer
Paola Lázaro is a Puerto Rican actress and dramatic writer who currently portrays Juanita Sanchez, better known as "Princess", in Season 10 of the AMC horror drama series The Walking Dead.
Paola was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University.
Her play Tell Hector I Miss Him at Atlantic Theater was nominated for a Drama League Award for Best Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play and for an Outer Critics Circle Award for the John Gassner Playwriting Award. In 2017 she was selected as a Sundance Theatre Lab writer with her play There's Always the Hudson (2017 Relentless Award finalist) and as a Sundance Institute Time Warner Storytelling Fellow. Paola is Atlantic Theater Company's 2016-2017 Tow Playwright-in-Residence. In 2015 she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her role in To the Bone. She was recently selected for the Van Lier Playwright Residency at the Public Theater 2018-2020.- Actor
- Soundtrack
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
- Writer
- Producer
Raised in the backstage wings of Las Vegas hotels by his Cuban father, Puerto Rico-born Kamar de los Reyes knew the second he was hoisted onto the stage to dance with Lola Falana at the age of 8, that he not only wanted to perform, but he wanted to be out front.
Kamar's father, a Cuban drummer and percussionist, would see two of his three sons follow in his footsteps: one a world-renowned drummer, the other a world-renowned percussionist. Kamar, the youngest of the brood, chose to go another route. While in high school, he discovered the arts as a singer and dancer. During his senior year, a stage role as El Gallo in "The Fantastiks" marked his acting debut. Shortly thereafter, Kamar would go to Los Angeles, to visit his brother Daniel, who was playing percussion for the Cher video "We All Sleep Alone." Kamar landed a dancing role and subsequently went on to work with Kenny Ortega in the feature film Salsa (1988) and the television series Dirty Dancing (1988). Later in 2001, Kamar would work again with Ortega in the VH-1 movie The Way She Moves (2001). Only this time, he would work as the lead actor.
In 1989, Kamar began to focus only on his acting career; "I was baptized by fire," he likes to say. With very little professional experience as an actor, he landed a role in the critically acclaimed Off Broadway play "Blade to the Heat" and rose to critical attention for his portrayal of gay Irish-Mexican boxer Pedro Quinn. The rest, I guess you can say, is history.
Kamar has steadily performed alongside a virtual Who's Who in television, movies, stage, and music for more two decades, including projects such as The Gifted (2017)), Sleepy Hollow (2013), One Life to Live (1968), Shooter (2016), and Blue Bloods (2010), to name just a few. He would star in the made-for-television movie The Way She Moves (2001); in Nixon (1995), directed by Oliver Stone; and in the feature film Salt (2010), starring Angelina Jolie. You might also recognize him as the face and voice of Raul Menendez in the most successful video game franchise in history, Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012), Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018), and Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021).
Joining forces with his actor wife Sherri Saum, they created MaPá Productions and recently starred in and produced their first short film, First Strike Butcher Knife (2017), which premiered at the Los Angeles Short Film Festival to critical acclaim.
An avid gym rat and self-professed weekend warrior, Kamar resides in Los Angeles with his wife and twin sons, Michael Luis and John Rubén. Kamar is also very active in helping with the recovery efforts of his beloved island Puerto Rico. To date, Kamar and his brother Daniel de los Reyes, along with Day Glow Relief, have made five trips to the hurricane-ravaged island. "We want to make sure that the relief aid makes it into the hands of the people who need it most, but also create awareness so that the people of Puerto Rico aren't forgotten," he has said- Ismael Cruz- Córdova is an actor, entrepreneur currently based in New York. Born and raised in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. At age fifteen, Ismael began working locally in commercials, TV and film shortly after joining his High School Drama Club. In 2006 he decided to further pursue his dream and moved to New York City where he studied at NYU's Tisch Shcool of the Arts. in NYC Ismael has been recognized for his acting work with several awards and critical acclaim named one of the 25 Leaders of the future by Latino Leaders Magazine, and awarded a VOCES de Ford Award by Ford Motors, which is given to trailblazing exemplary Individuals in the media and entertainment Industry.
- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
José Ferrer was a Puerto Rican actor and film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for playing the title character in Cyrano de Bergerac (1950). Ferrer was the first Puerto Rican actor to win an Academy Award, and also the first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award.
In 1912, Ferrer was born is San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico. Established as a Spanish colonial city in 1521, San Juan is the third oldest European-established capital city in the Americas, following Santo Domingo (established in 1496) and Panama City (established in 1521). Ferrer's father was Rafael Ferrer, a lawyer and author who was born and raised in San Juan. Ferrer's mother was María Providencia Cintrón, a native of the coastal town of Yabucoa. Ferrer's paternal grandfather was Dr. Gabriel Ferrer Hernández, who had campaigned for Puerto Rican independence from the Spanish Empire.
The Ferrer family moved to New York City in 1914, when José was 2-years-old. As a school student, Ferrer was educated abroad at the Institut Le Rosey, a prestigious boarding school located in Rolle, Switzerland. In 1933, Ferrer was enrolled at Princeton University, located in Princeton, New Jersey. He studied architecture, and wrote a senior thesis about French Naturalism and the literary works of Spanish naturalist writer Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851-1921). In 1934, Ferrer transferred to Columbia University, where he studied Romance languages.
In 1934, while still a college student, Ferrer made his theatrical debut in Long Island-based theatre. In 1935, he was hired as the stage manager at the Suffern Country Playhouse. Later in 1935, Ferrer made his Broadway debut in the comedy play "A Slight Case of Murder" by Damon Runyon (1880-1946) and Howard Lindsay (1889-1968). This stage production of the play ran for 69 performances, with Ferrer appearing in all of them.
Ferrer's major success as a Broadway actor was performing in the play "Brother Rat" by John Monks Jr. (1910-2004) and Fred F. Finklehoffe (1910-1977). The play had a ran of 577 performances from 1936 to 1938. Among his subsequent theatrical appearances, the most successful were staged productions of Mamba's Daughters (1938), which ran for 163 performances, and "Charley's Aunt" (1940-1941), which ran for 233 performances. His role in "Charley's Aunt" required him to perform in drag, for the first time in his career.
Ferrer had one of the greatest theatrical successes of his career when playing the villainous Iago in a Broadway production of "Othello' by William Shakespeare. The production had a ran of 296 performances, lasting from 1943 to 1944. Ferrer played his most famous role as the historical figure of Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655) in the 1946-1947 Broadway season. For this role, Ferrer won the 1947 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
Ferrer made his film debut in the Technicolor epic "Joan of Arc" (1948). He played the historical monarch Charles VII of France (1403-1461, reigned 1422-1461), the ruler who Joan of Arc served during the Hundred Years' War. For his debut role, Ferrer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Award was instead won by rival actor Walter Huston (1883-1950).
Ferrer's success as a film actor, helped him gain more film roles in Hollywood-produced films. He played the "smooth-talking hypnotist David Korvo" in the film noir "Whirlpool" (1949), and dictator Raoul Farrago in the film noir "Crisis". He had a career highlight with a film adaptation of the play "Cyrano de Bergerac", where he played the title role. For this role, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
His next critically successful role was that of artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) in the historical drama "Moulin Rouge" (1952). For this role, Ferrer was again nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The award was instead won by rival actor Gary Cooper (1901-1961). The film also marked a financial success for Ferrer, who received 40% of the film's profits.
Ferrer also appeared in other box office hits of the 1950s, such as the musical "Miss Sadie Thompson" (1953), the Navy-themed drama "The Caine Mutiny" (1954), and the biographical film "Deep in My Heart" (1954). Ferrer was also interested in becoming a film director. He made his directing debut with the film noir "The Shrike" (1955). His subsequent directing efforts included war film "The Cockleshell Heroes" (1955), the film noir "The Great Man" (1956), the biographical film I Accuse! (1958), and the comedy film "The High Cost of Loving" (1958). While still critically well-received, several of these films were box office flops. He took a hiatus from films productions.
Ferrer attempted a comeback as a film director with the sequel film "Return to Peyton Place" (1961) and the musical film "State Fair" (1962). Both films were box office flops. As an actor, Ferrer had a supporting role as a Turkish Bey in the historical drama "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962). While a relatively minor role, Ferrer considered the finest role of his film career.
In television, Ferrer gained a notable role as the narrator in the pilot episode of the hit sitcom "Bewitched" (1964-1972). In films, Ferrer started playing mostly supporting roles. He briefly returned to the role of Cyrano de Bergerac in the French adventure film "Cyrano and d'Artagnan". He had another notable role as a historical monarch, playing Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (reigned 4 BC-39 AD) in the Biblical epic "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965).
Ferrer had his first notable role as a voice actor, playing the villain Ben Haramed in the Rankin/Bass Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" (1968). But at this time, he started having legal troubles. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) accused Ferrer of still owing unpaid taxes since 1962.
Ferrer had many film roles in the 1970s, but no outstanding highlights. As a voice actor, he voiced Cyrano de Bergerac in an episode of "The ABC Afterschool Special". In the 1980s, Ferrer played a monarch again, playing Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV in the science fiction film "Dune". The film was an adaptation of the 1965 novel "Dune" by Frank Herbert (1920-1986), and Shaddam was one of the film's villains. This was among the last notable roles of Ferrer's long career.
Ferred retired from acting entirely in 1991, due to increasing health problems. His last theatrical performance was a production of the generation-gap drama "Conversations with My Father". Ferrer died in 1992, due to colorectal cancer. He was 80-years-old. He died in Coral Gables, Florida, but was buried in the Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Several of his children had acting careers of their own.- Actor
- Producer
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).- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Bad Bunny was born on 10 March 1994 in Almirante Sur, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. He is a music artist and actor, known for Bullet Train (2022), My Spy (2020) and F9: The Fast Saga (2021).- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Vico Ortiz (They/Them) is a proud Latine/x non-binary/gender fluid actor/activist born and raised in Puerto Rico. They received their education at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. Their first breakthrough role was in the hit Amazon series, "Transparent" which opened their career to the LGBTQ+ entertainment community and paved the way to more recognized TV appearances in shows such as "The Fosters", "Lucifer" and "Criminal Minds'' among many others. More recently, Vico has had guest starring roles in "American Horror Story: 1984 ", the Starz award winning series "VIDA" and a recurring role in the GLAAD nominated Freeform comedy "Everything's Gonna Be Okay", returning for its second season in 2021. Vico also received a 2021 Queerties Award nomination for their series regular role in the award winning digital series "These Thems". In the next year (2021) Vico will also star as a series regular in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video original post-apocalyptic horror "Narcos vs. Zombies" playing U.S. Military Sgt. Valencia set for release in the fall of 2021.
Vico Ortiz is also a rising star in the world of drag performers creating the original and dynamic Drag King "Vico Suave'', a character that was created by mixing their Hispanic/Caribbean and American culture while exploring their own gender fluidity and sexuality. Their character of "Vico Suave'' is most recognized for their performance in "VIDA" on Starz. They also made a commitment to use their character of "Vico Suave" as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Some of the LGBTQ+ organizations they're committed to supporting are The Dru Project and the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center to name a few. Vico's mission is Visibility. To showcase diversity in the Latine/x culture on Stage, TV and Film. They want young queers and people around the globe to see characters on screen that are relatable no matter their background, their sexual orientation or gender identity. Their passion is to educate society on gender, inclusive language, and join the stream of voices within the entertainment industry that is constantly pushing and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and their positive portrayals in the media.- Actress
- Producer
Maria-Elena Laas was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. She is an actress and producer, known for Warrior (2019), Vida (2018) and Vital Signs.- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
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.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Lymari came to Los Angeles in 2001, and at 22 years old finished her Masters degree in Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico, where she also took acting classes.
After graduating, she went on to work in theater in San Juan. Her first TV show, a sitcom based on her own experiences in grad school, was developed by ABC but was never screened, and she is now in the process of re-writing the show.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Charlotte Ayanna was born on 25 September 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is an actress, known for Training Day (2001), Love the Hard Way (2001) and Jawbreaker (1999).- Actor
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He was the son of a Puerto Rican seaman. He was self-educated and spent much of his childhood in Brazil singing on the streets to raise money for food. He became an actor after having been a circus performer, radio actor, and vaudeville performer. He worked in the chorus of the 1927 stage production of the musical "Show Boat". Black American film historian Donald Bogle considers Hernandez's early success in films during the early twentieth century to have been an event that paved the way for the high visibility and success of Black Actor and Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier.- Actor
- Producer
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Paul Calderon was born in 1959 in Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for King of New York (1990), Four Rooms (1995) and Pulp Fiction (1994). He has been married to Catherine E Salsich since 1986. They have two children.- Actress
- Writer
Ari Meyers was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Sunday, April 6, 1969. She began an acting career at age 12, with her role as Al Pacino's stepdaughter in Al Pacino's Author! Author! (1982) and hasn't looked back, since. Ari dictated her first play, "The Super Magic Show," for her nursery school class to her mom, actress Taro Meyer, when she was 5. She directed, came up with the scripts, and choreographed the dancers! At age 5, Ari became a child model but took a hiatus when she decided she would rather play than go to auditions. Her most famous role to date is that of "Emma Jane McCardle," which she portrayed on the 80s sitcom, Kate & Allie (1984) for six years, until 1990. In 1991, Ari Meyers graduated from Yale with honors and a double major in philosophy and theatre arts, and she was also an honor student throughout her high school years. As a narrator, she released several audio books: for example in 1995 "Earth Angel - A Kitten's Tale," a traditional story written and directed by her mother and produced by Ari and Taro, too. With her mother, she acted in Memories of Midnight (1991). Since 2016, she started working as a postpartum nurse and a lactation consultant in a hospital in Los Angeles, California.- 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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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.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Miriam Colon was born on 20 August 1936 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was an actress, known for Scarface (1983), Sabrina (1995) and Goal! The Dream Begins (2005). She was married to Fred Valle, George Paul Edgar and ???. She died on 3 March 2017 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Producer
Rene Rosado was born on 9 December 1982 in Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for The Conners (2018), Major Crimes (2012) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).- Most Canadians would know Bruce Gray as the star of the TV series Traders (Gemini Award), but most Americans would recognize him as the Father of the groom in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Although he began his acting career on stage in the 60s, he quickly moved into daytime dramas: contracted to Somerset, High Hopes and the Edge of Night in the 70's. A move to Hollywood in the 80s led to guest star roles on hundreds of TV shows, recurring on Murder She Wrote, Medium, Tour of Duty, Falling Skies, How I met your Mother. Bruce gained notoriety in the gay community as "Shickle The Pickle" on Queer As Folk, then for football fans by playing a team owner on Playmakers for ESPN.
- Paola Andino is a multi-talented international actress who has showcased her skills in both TV and film. A true crossover star, Paola is fluent in Spanish and English. She was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico and moved to Dallas, Texas a few months shy of her 3rd birthday. She found her passion for performing at a young age through dance, and was recommended by an elementary school teacher to pursue acting. At the age of 10, she started taking acting classes and her love for film acting was immediate. Paola realized she wanted to be a professional actor and started traveling back and forth to Los Angeles frequently. In 2010, she landed her first role, the lead in Hallmark Hall of Fame's TV movie Beyond the Blackboard opposite Emily Van Camp. Paola's heart warming performance as Maria, a young homeless girl, made people in the industry take notice. Soon after, Paola booked a guest star role on Grey's Anatomy playing Lily, a young girl suffering from a rare trachea disorder.
Paola's breakout role came at 14 years old when she beat out thousands of young actresses and booked the series lead role on Nickelodeon's KCA nominated Every Witch Way which had a very successful 4 season run. Paola portrayed Emma Alonso, a good witch who navigates high school and her new found powers. EWW is based on the popular Latin American series Grachi.
Paola has been able to make a smooth transition from childhood to adulthood, portraying versatile characters and diving deeper with each one she has the opportunity to play. Additional credits include a recurring role on USA's Queen of the South and a lead in the gritty indie feature film, Sno Babies, where she portrayed a young heroin addict and her performance shed light on the ongoing national opioid crisis.
Her most recent projects include Focus Features Lisa Frankenstein starring Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse and the independent film Re-Election starring Adam Saunders, Tony Danza, and Bex Taylor-Klaus. - Marcel has been in front of the cameras since his home birth in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he began acting in commercials at an early age. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 8 and took his hobby of acting and turned it into a full-fledged career as a star in the critically acclaimed Netflix sitcom One Day at a Time (2017), where he played the role of Alex Alvarez for four seasons. He debuted on the big screen as the lead of the 20th Century Fox film Breakthrough (2019), along with actress Chrissy Metz.
With Award-Winning directors for parents, Carlitos Ruiz Ruiz and Mariem Pérez Riera, and a notable television host, writer, and comedian, Silverio Pérez, for a grandfather, Marcel has known the other side of the industry well through growing up on a set at his parents' own production company. After signing with powerhouse talent agency CAA, at 19 years old Marcel continues to mature his craft for acting and works on developing and producing his own film/TV projects, content for social media platforms, music, photography and even a clothing line. In addition to being a creative talent, Marcel also excels in athletics including basketball and soccer, a passion since he was little. - Producer
- Actress
- Costume Designer
Joyce Giraud is a Puerto Rican actress, model, film and television producer and philanthropist. Joyce was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. After graduating at the age of 16, she began modeling and attended the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico where she finished two Bachelor of Arts degrees by the age of 19; one in Social Work and one in Special Education, which made her one of the youngest ever dual graduates. After graduating, she worked with underprivileged children and public residentials in Puerto Rico.
Joyce began modeling to help her mother pay for her university studies and became one of Puerto Rico's top models. She has appeared in numerous national and international campaigns. She won multiple beauty pageants and became Miss Universe Puerto Rico, representing her homeland in the Miss Universe Pageant and becoming second runner up. Later that year she wrote a book called "Joyce, Dreams and Realities." She moved to Miami, Florida where she continued a successful modeling career and won the Miss Venus International Model Search. After being the only undefeated model in the history of Destination Stardom a.k.a. Star Search, she discovered her love of acting when director Vicente Castro cast her as the lead in his Coralito Tiene Dos Maridos (a remake of Sonia Braga's Dona Flor y Sus Dos Maridos). She received such great reviews that she found another passion in life, and decided to take the leap toward Los Angeles.
In film, Joyce has had roles in David Fincher's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Latin Dragon, Miss Castaway, Slayer and Jeepers Creepers 3. She has starred in TV shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody; Heist; Joey; Tyler Perry's House of Payne and NBC's Siberia.
As a producer, Joyce executive produced the film Shadow People as well as the TV show Siberia, and is credited as co-producer on the upcoming film Back Roads, based on the bestselling novel. She created the Spanish-language reality show Rica, Famosa, Latina and serves as its executive producer. She also created its companion talk show Rica la Noche, serving as both its host and executive producer.
Joyce is recognized as having some of the most beautiful and healthy skin and hair on television, and received Bravo TV's "Loveliest Locks" award. She created the successful Miracle Elixir Collection, a hair and beauty line, with her own unique blend of natural oils, with zero harsh chemicals. She donates a portion of her sales to children in need.
Joyce is passionate about her work with the all the multiple charities she volunteers for, especially the children's charity UNESCO and the YOU Foundation for Children in Need, which led her to create the international beauty pageant called Queen of the Universe so that other women like her can promote their charity work and pursue their life's goals. Thanks to her work with Queen of the Universe, she was able to open her first school with the YOU Foundation in Senegal, Africa. She firmly believes that education should be a natural-born right.- Actor
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Armando Riesco is a versatile and highly regarded NYC based actor. He has appeared in over a dozen feature films, and numerous regular, recurring, and guest starring spots on television. He has voiced and done motion capture for video games, and his voice can be heard in national and international publicity campaigns. His voice work is also plentiful in the podcast/audio book scene.
On stage he was most notably the title character in the Elliot Trilogy, which includes the Pulitzer Prize winning "Water by the Spoonful" by Quiara Hudes, for which he received a Lucille Lortel nomination for outstanding lead actor in a play. He has worked at the Goodman Theater, Steppenwolf Theater, Hartford Stage, Victory Gardens, Wilma Theater, and others.
As a director and writer/producer, his 1st feature film "Seneca", which he also stars in, won awards at the HBO Latino Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, Film Fest Tucson, Phoenix Film Festival, and Tide Film Festival. The film was picked up by HBO.
His Audible series "The Justice" (co-directed with Chaet and written by James Patterson) stars Sanaa Lathan and an all-star cast and reached the #1 spot on Audible's charts. His new film "Meri Crismas" is in development. He is a proud graduate of Northwestern University and Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola in Puerto Rico.- Actress
- Producer
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ortiz grew up in Orlando, Florida. An early love of dancing led to roles in local theater productions. As her interest in theatre and acting grew, Valery eased out of dancing and began focusing on acting. Eventually, she enrolled in the University of Central Florida to obtain a Bachelor's in Fine Arts Degree.
After a hosting gig for Nickelodeon's Splat! ended, Valery took a road trip to Los Angeles for a two-week vacation and ended up relocating permanently when she quickly started working on a local television show called LATV Live as a VJ. She was next cast in one of her most memorable roles to date in the cult comedy hit 'Date Movie' as Jell-O, a Jennifer Lopez impersonator.
Over the years, Ortiz has worked on several popular television series. She starred as Raquel on VH1's one-hour scripted series 'Hit the Floor', Madison Duarte, on the groundbreaking teen drama 'South of Nowhere', and more recently, Dina Duran on the live action-comedy series 'Gabby Duran and The Unsittables' on Disney Channel.
Valery recently completed production on the feature film 'Skeletons In The Closet' starring opposite Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr. & Clifton Powell along with a starring role in the Lifetime movie 'Cloudy With A Chance Of Christmas' directed by Jake Helgren. Off screen, Valery is working on her bilingual children's book series and an exciting new partnership.
In her free time, Valery enjoys reading, decorating, writing and pushing herself to new heights in fitness. She also enjoys lending her time to different charities and organizations. Ortiz currently resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
"A formidable actress as she continues to deliver breakthrough performances on television, film and theater" -Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Ivonne Coll is a Theater, Television, and Film award-winning actress born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico where as a child she trained in classical ballet and flamenco dance with Walter Mercado. This marked her artistic debut at age six with Mercado's Baby Ballet company for the American soldiers in the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico.
Ms. Coll's first film was The Godfather Part II. Director Francis Ford Coppola was looking for a night club act for the film while looking for locations in Puerto Rico. After meeting Ivonne Coll he decided to create the role of the Red Headed Yolanda so she could have her first film credit.
In the 1960's while she was a psychology student at The University of Puerto Rico she was working part time as a Haute Couture runway fashion model for top designers in the island such as Carlota Alfaro, Fernando Martin, Rafael Mojena and Fernando Pena. In 1967 she won the title of Ms. Puerto Rico to represent the island in the Miss Universe contest.
The early 70's were the beginning of her singing and dancing career performing at such iconic places as The Ocho Puertas and the Puerto Rico Sheraton among others. In 1972 she was the first Puerto Rican singer to perform in Vietnam as part of the USO TourPuerto Rico Sings.
From 1972 to 1974 she starred in a one hour Variety show called Una Chica Llamada Ivonne Coll (A Girl named Ivonne Coll) produced by Telecadena Perez-Perry on Channel 11. In it, she hosted stars such as Celia Cruz, Armando Manzanero and Mauricio Garces among many others.
In 1975 she relocated to Los Angeles to study at The Academy of Stage and Cinema Arts with David Alexander and Bob Ellenstein. She also trained in Musical Theater with David Craig and Comedy with Lucille Ball. Ms. Coll moved to New York City to continue her training at HB Studios and with Lee Strasberg and as a working observer at The ActorsStudio.
In 1980 The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater gave her first Union job. That same year she made her Broadway debut with the play Goodbye Fidel starring Jane Alexander.
In 1987 Ms. Coll starred in Cuqui a Woman Like Youa half an hour sitcom produced by WAPA TV in Puerto Rico. She would be flown weekly from NYC to Puerto Rico to be on set.
She was a member of the Joseph Papp's NY Shakespeare Festival Players performing at the Public Theater, Shakespeare in the Park and The Belasco Theater on Broadway playing Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Rosalind in As you Like It and the nurse in Romeo & Juliet, directed by Estelle Parsons.
Other Broadway credits include the Tony Award-nominated Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Chronicle of a Death Foretold produced by The Lincoln Centerdirected by Graciela Daniele.
Regional Theater performances include playing the title role in Mother Courage at Berkley Repertory Theater and La Jolla Playhouse. Other regional work include Chicago's Goodman Theater, Princeton's McCarter Theater, Mark Tapper Forum, San Diego Rep, Arizona Theater Company and San Jose Rep Theater. In 2018 Ivonne Coll played the lead role in The Madres by Stephanie Alison Walker at Teatro Vista in Chicago.
Awards received include the People's Choice Award, (Jane The Virgin) TCA's Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming (Switched at Birth), The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Lifetime Achievement Award, Eternity Award Los Angeles Women's Theater Festival, ACE Award NY Hispanic Media (Orinoco), Puerto Rico International Short Film Festival Best Actress (De Pura Cepa), Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Performance San Diego Critics Circle (Adoration of the Old Woman), Agueybana de Oro Best Supporting Actress (Coralito.)
Award nominations include: Golden Globe (Jane The Virgin/Ensemble), Chicago's Jefferson Award as Best Supporting Actress Electricidad, and Best Actress Mother Courage by the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Circle.
Film credits include: The Godfather II, Lean on Me, Instinct, La Gran Fiesta, Counterpunch, De Pura Cepa, The Apostate, Death In Granada, In Too Deep, Endgame, The Pest, Hemingway & Gellhorn, Waking The Dead among many others.
Short Films leading roles include A Rainy Day(Universal) and From Now On (True Form Film) The award-winning (Best Overall Romance Story, Rincon International Film Festival) From Now On marks her debut as a director, writer and a producer.
Coll stars as a Series Regular on the award-winning show Jane The Virgin (CW) Other television credits include Switched at Birth (ABC Family), Teen Wolf (MTV), Glee (Fox) East Los High (Hulu), Nip Tuck (FX), An American Family (PBS), Six Feet Under (HBO), NYPD Blue (Fox), The Practice (Fox), ER (NBC), Heroes (NBC), Crossing Jordan (NBC), Judging Amy (Fox), Saturday Night Live (NBC), Cold Case (CBS), Joan of Arcadia (CBS), LA Law (Fox), Wings (CBS), Without a Trace (CBS), CSI (CBS) and most recently One Day at a Time (Netflix) and Being There (FX.)
Animation work includes: Elena of Avalor (Disney) and Fancy Nancy (Disney.)- Actor
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Born Marcelino Sánchez on December 5, 1957, in Cayey, Puerto Rico, he died of AIDS-related cancer in his Hollywood home on November 21, 1986. Sanchez began acting in the late 1970s. His third film role was that of Rembrandt, a young, naïve gang member with a flair for spray painting in The Warriors (1979). After these films, Sánchez went on to appear in roles on CHiPs (1977), 48 Hrs. (1982), Hill Street Blues (1981), and, most notably, in the Bloodhound Gang segment of 3-2-1 Contact (1980).- Alyssa Hunter was born on 19 February 1995 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. He is an actor, known for The Greatest Hits (2024), RuPaul's Drag Race (2009) and RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked! (2009).
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Carlos Santos is an Actor/Comedian based out of Los Angeles. He is best known for playing Chris Morales on the Netflix original series, Gentefied. He's also been featured on films such as Vacation Friends 2 (Hulu), The Valet (HULU), and the (Prime Video) series, Undone. He has a monthly show with "Spanish Aqui Presents" at the Upright Citizen's Brigade, and he tours the country doing stand up comedy. Carlos is currently a series regular on "Primo", the new Shea Serrano/Mike Schur comedy for Amazon Freevee. He was born and raised in Puerto Rico.- Actor
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Michelan (Michael) was born in San Juan, PR, where his US Army family was stationed at the time. He is known for his film, television, and theatrical work. Micha's films include, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), The Muppets (2011), and Muppets Most Wanted (2014). His television work includes, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5, and The Muppets TV series. These performances, and all Micha's other film and television roles, came after his twenty year in the New York theatre, where he played in many Broadway productions including, "Fiddler On The Roof", "Cabaret", and "Raggedy Ann". A new live show with the Muppets played the Hollywood Bowl and the O2 Arena in London.- Actor
- Producer
Luis Antonio Ramos was born in San German, Puerto Rico. He is an actor and producer, known for Power (2014), Do the Right Thing (1989) and Martin (1992).- Additional Crew
- Actress
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Camelia Lynne was born on 22 September 1953 in Puerto Rico. She is an actress and writer, known for Fake-Out (1982), The Killing Time (1987) and Terror on Tour (1980). She has been married to Jeff Lynne since 19 September 2017. She was previously married to Kiefer Sutherland and Terry Kath.- Music Artist
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Elmer Figueroa de Arce, better known as Chayanne, was born in Puerto Rico, the third of five siblings. He is married to Venezuelan Mariana Elizabeth "Marilisa" Maronesa de Figueroa, with whom he has a son, Lorenzo Valentino and a daughter, Isadora Sofia. Chayanne debuted as a singer at ten years of age, becoming a part of a Menudo-type group "Los Chicos." His recording career includes 14 albums/CDs, 5 of these with Los Chicos and 9 others as a solo performer; all in Spanish. As an actor for television he worked on the popular soap opera "Pobre Juventad, " he was also the star of "Tormento," "Sombras del Pasado," "Provocame" and "Gabriel". As an actor in films he was featured in the Jacobo Morales film Linda Sara, opposite ex-Miss Universe Dayanara Torres. "Dance With Me" was his first English acting job where his undeniable charm and expertise on the dance floor served him well. Additionally, he guest-starred in various episodes of "Ally McBeal."- Actress
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- Music Department
Kesia Elwin was born on 25 November 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is an actress and producer, known for Miracle at St. Anna (2008), Boneyard and Shrapnel (2023).- Music Artist
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William Omar Landrón Rivera is the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. He was raised in Cristo Rey, a barrio of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, specifically in the Villa Altagracia area. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC, but never actually followed it. During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo, in Pedernales where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.
Several months later, he had his first public presentation in a night club, accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJ's and producers like Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also started working as a backup singer for the puerto rican duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor Delgado, helped him produce his first solo album.- 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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Berto Colon was born on 18 May 1973 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He is an actor, known for Conviction (2016), Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Show Me a Hero (2015).- Director
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Miguel Arteta was born in 1965 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is a director and producer, known for Beatriz at Dinner (2017), Succession (2018) and Enlightened (2011). He is married to Justine Arteta.- Actress
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Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and raised in Orlando, FL, Adrienne is an award-winning actor, director, writer, and overall filmmaker. She is the founder of The Garage Productions, which has several award-winning films and web series, all of which showcase the underrepresented, the BIPOC Community, the LGBTQIA+ community, and differently-abled people.
Adrienne has played opposite Naomi Watts, Aziz Ansari, Joaquin Phoenix, Sam Rockwell, and Michelle Williams just to name a few. Adrienne's favorite TV credits include "Better Call Saul", "Ray Donovan", "Fosse/Verdon" and "The Deuce" . She is also known for her role in "Sunlight Jr." which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, playing opposite Naomi Watts, and the lead role in the award-winning short film "Thick Heart" where she won Best Actress at the Top Shorts Film Festival.
Most recently, Adrienne produced and assisted directed a coming-of-age drama called "Brownsville Bred", which premiered at SXSW and won the "Audience Award" for the best episodic pilot. Adrienne was also a winner of the "Sundance Collab Film Challenge" for her personal documentary called "Little Bean" and has been named "Women Directing Mentorship Semifinalist" through Series Fest sponsored by Shonda Rhimes company Shondaland.
Adrienne has directed several award-winning short films and web series, in the horror/thriller, Comedy, and Drama genres. She has currently directed her first feature film, a psychological drama called I'M OKAY, WE'RE OKAY which she co-wrote, produced, and starred in. Adrienne has also directed a coming-of-age drama pilot called "This Boy's Vida; Made In America".
Adrienne Acevedo Lovette was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is of Spanish, Taino (indigenous), Afro-Latino, and English descent.