Wilson Cruz (born Wilson EchevarrÃa; December 27, 1973) is an
American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life,
Angel in the Broadway tour production of Rent and the recurring
characters Junito on Noah's Arc and Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek:
Discovery. As an openly gay man of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, he has
served as an advocate for gay youth, especially gay youth of
color.Cruz was born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents born in Puerto
Rico. His family eventually moved to Rialto, California, where he
attended Eisenhower High School, graduating in 1991. At age 19, Cruz
came out to his parents as gay, first to his mother and then his
father. While his mother was initially hurt and shocked, she
eventually accepted the news. His father, however, threw him out of
the house, and Cruz spent the next few months living in his car and at
the homes of friends. He later reconciled with his father.Cruz went to
Hollywood to seek work as an actor, intending to be open about his
sexuality from the beginning of his career. In 1994 he was cast as
Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, a troubled, gay teen, in the short-lived,
critically acclaimed cult classic TV series My So-Called Life. This
made Cruz the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay character
in a leading role in an American television series.Following My
So-Called Life's cancellation, Cruz went on to play J. Edgar Hoover's
servant Joaquin in Oliver Stone's film Nixon and had a small role in
the television movie On Seventh Avenue. In 1996, he appeared with
David Arquette as Mikey in Johns, about the day-to-day struggles of
male prostitutes. In 2000, he played Victor in the final season of
Party of Five. He also had a recurring role as Rafael de la Cruz on
the series, Raising the Bar.
American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life,
Angel in the Broadway tour production of Rent and the recurring
characters Junito on Noah's Arc and Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek:
Discovery. As an openly gay man of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, he has
served as an advocate for gay youth, especially gay youth of
color.Cruz was born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents born in Puerto
Rico. His family eventually moved to Rialto, California, where he
attended Eisenhower High School, graduating in 1991. At age 19, Cruz
came out to his parents as gay, first to his mother and then his
father. While his mother was initially hurt and shocked, she
eventually accepted the news. His father, however, threw him out of
the house, and Cruz spent the next few months living in his car and at
the homes of friends. He later reconciled with his father.Cruz went to
Hollywood to seek work as an actor, intending to be open about his
sexuality from the beginning of his career. In 1994 he was cast as
Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, a troubled, gay teen, in the short-lived,
critically acclaimed cult classic TV series My So-Called Life. This
made Cruz the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay character
in a leading role in an American television series.Following My
So-Called Life's cancellation, Cruz went on to play J. Edgar Hoover's
servant Joaquin in Oliver Stone's film Nixon and had a small role in
the television movie On Seventh Avenue. In 1996, he appeared with
David Arquette as Mikey in Johns, about the day-to-day struggles of
male prostitutes. In 2000, he played Victor in the final season of
Party of Five. He also had a recurring role as Rafael de la Cruz on
the series, Raising the Bar.
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