Kamar de los Reyes

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Kamar de los Reyes (Antonio, OLTL)

Vital Statistics

The 411

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Kamar de los Reyes moved to Las Vegas at the age of two and was surrounded by a family of musicians. His father, Walfredo de los Reyes, is a renowned Cuban drummer and percussionist, and his older brothers, Daniel and Walfredo, Jr., are also professional percussionists.

The actor began his showbiz career playing trumpet at the age of four alongside greats like Harry James, Doc Severinsen and Dizzy Gillespie. During high school, de los Reyes joined a pop/jazz ensemble called Harmony Express as a singer and dancer. He made his acting debut during his senior year in the stage role of El Gallo in The Fantasticks. He also continued to study dance at Backstage Dance Studio and did performances with various small combos.

His first big break came when he landed a dancing role in the music video for Cher's song, "We All Sleep Alone," a track on which his brother Daniel played percussion. He went on to work with choreographer Kenny Ortega in the movie Salsa and the pilot for the television series DIRTY DANCING.

After a number of films and television projects, de los Reyes rose to critical attention in 1994 for his portrayal of gay Irish-Mexican boxer Pedro Quinn in The Public Theatre's off-Broadway production of Blade to the Heat. The Associated Press noted the actor's "mesmerizing performance" and a New York Times review called him the cast's "most arresting figure."

De los Reyes debuted on OLTL as Antonio Vega in 1995 and did a two-year stint on the show, reprising it again in 2000. He has also had parts on ER, NEW YORK UNDERCOVER, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL, PROMISED LAND and the Showtime science-fiction drama TOTAL RECALL 2070, and starred in made-for-TV movies BLOOD ON HER HANDS, opposite Susan Lucci (Erica, AMC), THE WAY SHE MOVES and HBO's UNDEFEATED, which was directed by John Leguizamo.

Et Cetera

—Would like to open a theater in Puerto Rico to showcase local writers, directors and actors.
—Is a national spokesperson for The Gabriel Project, a fund-raising children's charity.
—Is involved with the USO and has gone on several tours.
—Enjoys reading, writing, basketball, in-line skating, boxing and working out. His favorite pursuit, however, is spending time with his son.

Career Highlights

TV Series Roles
LAW & ORDER (Aberto Moretti, 2005)
EARLY EDITION (Ramon Archiletta, 1999)
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL (Eddie Testaverde, 1999)
TOTAL RECALL 2070 (Jack Brant, 1999)
PROMISED LAND (Leon Flores, 1998-99)
FOUR CORNERS (Tomas Alvarez, 1998)
SWIFT JUSTICE (Palo Montega, 1996)
NEW YORK UNDERCOVER (Luis, 1996)
ER (Hernandez, 1995)
VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (Ray Ariaz, 1994)
TV-Movie Roles
UNDEFEATED (Jose Beveagua, 2003)
THE WAY SHE MOVES (Nicholas, 2001)
BLOOD ON HER HANDS (Gavin Kendrick, 1998)
THE CORPSE HAD A FAMILIAR FACE (1994)
Film Roles
Love & Suicide (Tomas, 2005)
Cayo (Young Ivan, 2005)
Mambo Café (Manny, 2000)
The Cell (Officer Alexander, 2000)
Buscando un Sueño / In Search of a Dream (Marcos, 1997)
Nixon (Eugenio Martinez, 1995)
Coldfire (Nick, 1990)
Salsa (1988)
Theater Roles
Golden Boy (New York City Center Encores!)
The Tempest (The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park)
Blade to the Heat (The Public Theater)

Memorable Quotes

"The makeup ladies were talking about me in Arabic. They kept saying, 'Kamar, kamar.' I finally said, 'What does that mean?' And they said, 'It means the different shapes of the moon. You're like the different shapes of the moon. You're in a different mood every single day.' " — Soap Opera Digest, 2/27/96

"I'd like to be seen as just an actor who happens to be Latino. Some people aren't open to that yet." — Digest, 3/25/00

"I was told that if you believe the good [criticism], you believe the bad stuff. So you're better off not reading any of it." — Soap Opera Weekly, 11/29/05

Official Web Site

www.kamardelosreyes.com/

KAMAR DE LOS REYES'S ACTOR PAGE >>>

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