Wilson Cruz
Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; 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,[1] Dr. Hugh Culber on Star Trek: Discovery,[2] and the recurring character Junito on Noah's Arc. As a gay man of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, he has served as an advocate for gay youth, especially gay youth of color.[3][4][5]
Early life
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.[6]
Career
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.[7]
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.
Cruz's other acting credits include the films Joyride (1996), All Over Me (1997), Supernova (2000), Party Monster (2003), Margaret Cho's Bam Bam and Celeste (2005), Coffee Date (2007), and He's Just Not That Into You (2009); the television film The Perfect Pitch (2002); and guest appearances on the series Great Scott!, Sister, Sister, ER, Ally McBeal, The West Wing, Noah's Arc, and Grey's Anatomy. Cruz starred as Adrian in the film The Ode (2007), based on the novel Ode to Lata by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla.
He also appeared/starred in the 2009 movie The People I've Slept With. He plays the openly gay best friend of a promiscuous woman who tries to find out who got her pregnant so that she can get married.
Since 2020, Cruz has been a recurring guest on 25 Words or Less.[8]
Personal life
Cruz works with and advocates on behalf of LGBT youth, especially youth of color. He has volunteered his time as host for the Youth Zone, an online community at Gay.com for LGBT youth. He was the Grand Marshal of the 1998 West Hollywood Gay Pride parade, the 2005 Chicago Pride Parade and the 2019 Fierté Montréal Pride Parade in Québec.[9] In 2008, he was the keynote speaker at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Lavender Graduation and Rainbow Banquet honoring graduating LGBT students.[citation needed]
Cruz joined the board of directors of GLAAD in 1997 in order to assist the organization through a leadership transition, and joined the staff of GLAAD in 2012 as a National Spokesperson and Strategic Giving Officer.[10]
Cruz's maternal stepaunt Brenda Lee Marquez McCool was among the 49 victims killed in the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting; Cruz stated that she was killed while protecting her son Isaiah, who survived, from the gunfire.[11]
In 2020, Wilson was honored on one of the covers of Out magazine's annual Out100 issue, saying Wilson "beautifully weaves his activism inside every aspect of his work".[12]
Filmography and stage
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–1995 | My So-Called Life | Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez | 19 episodes |
| 1996 | On Seventh Avenue | Reuben Diaz | |
| 1996 | Sister, Sister | Bobby | Episode: "Double Double Date" |
| 1997 | Ally McBeal | Steven/Stephanie | 1 episode |
| 1999–2000 | Party of Five | Victor | 11 episodes |
| 2002 | ER | Jeffrey Cruz | 1 episode |
| 2004 | The West Wing | Jack Sosa | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | The Closer | Man in Bar | 1 episode |
| 2005–2006 | Noah's Arc | Junito | 7 episodes |
| 2006 | Monk | Smoking Technician | 1 episode |
| 2007 | NCIS | Todd Ryder | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World | Evan | 2 seasons |
| 2008–2009 | Raising the Bar | Rafael de la Cruz | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Pushing Daisies | Sid Tango | 1 episode, June 13, (US) |
| 2010 | Grey's Anatomy | Kyle | 1 episode, December 2, (US) |
| 2011 | Single Ladies | Vincent | 2 episodes, July 18, (US) |
| 2012 | The Finder | Jonni | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Red Band Society | Kenji Gomez-Rejon | Recurring role |
| 2016 | Shameless | Bartender | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Mistresses | Dante | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Heartbeat | 2 episodes | |
| 2017 | EastSiders | Jerry | 1 episode |
| 2017–2019 | 13 Reasons Why | Dennis Vasquez | 19 episodes |
| 2017–present | Star Trek: Discovery | Hugh Culber | Main cast |
| 2019 | The Bravest Knight | Prince Andrew[13] | |
| 2019 | Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story | Paul C. Burke | Television film |
| 2019–present | The Casagrandes | Romeo (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2020–present | 25 Words or Less | Recurring role |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Nixon | Joaquin (Hoover's servant) | |
| 1996 | Beat the Bash | Kevin | |
| 1996 | johns | Mikey | |
| 1996 | Joyride | James | |
| 1997 | All Over Me | Jesse | |
| 2000 | Supernova | Benj Sotomejor | |
| 2003 | Party Monster | Angel | |
| 2005 | Bam Bam and Celeste | Tony | |
| 2006 | Coffee Date | Kelly | |
| 2008 | The Ode | Adrian | |
| 2009 | He's Just Not That Into You | Nathan | |
| 2009 | Green Flash | Kyle | |
| 2009 | The People I've Slept With | Gabriel | |
| 2011 | Convincing Clooney | Joaquin | |
| 2012 | The Skinny | The Doctor | |
| 2017 | After Louie | Mateo |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Rent | Angel | |
| 2003 | A Perfect Wedding | Julian | |
| 2005 | Tick, Tick... BOOM! | Michael |
See also
References
- ^ "ABC Leads Nominees for GLAAD Awards". Fox News. Associated Press. May 21, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
- ^ . Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2008. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ "Talkin' Broadway". Talkinbroadway.com. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ "Atlanta Boy". Atlantaboy.com. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ . Oasis Magazine. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ^ "My So-Called Life's Wilson Cruz on Rickie Fans, LBGT Awareness, and '90s Fashion". Vulture. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
- ^ "Playing Gay: How America Came Out On Television by Playing Gay — Kickstarter". Kickstarter.com. August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- ^ "Wilson Cruz". rottentomatoes.com. Fandango. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "Montreal's 36th Pride parade commemorates history of LGBTQ activism". Montreal Gazette. August 18, 2019.
- ^ Davis, Brendan (September 4, 2012). Actor and Activist Wilson Cruz Joins GLAAD Staff. GLAAD, September 4, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.glaad.org/blog/actor-and-activist-wilson-cruz-joins-glaad-staff.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Wilson Cruz Speaks Out About His Relative Who Died in the Orlando Shooting: 'We Are Devastated' | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "Wilson Cruz is Going Where No Gay Man Has Gone Before". www.out.com. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 24, 2019). "Wilson Cruz On 'The Bravest Knight', 'Star Trek: Discovery' And LGBTQ Legacy Of 'My So-Called Life's Ricky Vasquez". Yahoo! News. Deadline. from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
External links
- Wilson Cruz at the Internet Broadway Database
- Wilson Cruz at IMDb