Rafael de la Fuente
Born (1986-11-11) November 11, 1986 (age 37)
Caracas, Venezuela
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active2009–present
Known forSammy Jo in Dynasty

Rafael de la Fuente (born November 11, 1986) is a Venezuelan actor and singer. He is known for his roles in the fantasy television series Grachi (2011–2013) and the soap opera reboot Dynasty (2017–2022) as Sam "Sammy Jo" Jones. His other notable role was in the first and second seasons of the drama series Empire (2015–2016).

Early life

Rafael Alfredo De la Fuente Torres Jr. was born in Caracas, Venezuela.[1] on November 11, 1986. His parents are Rafael Sr., a bariatric surgeon, and Helena. He has a younger sister, Alma.

His early goal was to pursue a career as a singer. After high school, he moved to the United States to attend The University of Tampa. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2009.[2] After graduation, he decided to focus on an acting career and began landing roles.

Career

His first acting job came by chance. When he was 18, a casting director visited his father's office and saw a picture of him.[3] This led to a two episode appearance on a Venezuelan telenovela.

In 2009, he played Jorge Giraldo in the Telemundo telenovela, Más sabe el diablo.[4] In 2011, de la Fuente appeared as Max in the telenovela Aurora.[4] This was followed by the recurring role of Diego Forlán in the Nickelodeon Latin America fantasy series, Grachi, which became a main role in the second season.[4][5] In 2014, de la Fuente appeared as Coach Julio on Every Witch Way, an English-language remake of Grachi.[4][6]

In 2014 and 2015, he appeared in the films The One I Wrote For You[7] and Lift Me Up.

In 2015 and 2016, de la Fuente appeared in the recurring role of Michael Sanchez, the boyfriend of Jamal Lyon, in the Fox musical prime time soap opera, Empire.[8][6][9] In 2017, he appeared as Cleve Jones' boyfriend Ricardo Canto in the ABC miniseries When We Rise.[10][11]

In 2017 and 2018, he appeared in the films ¡He matado a mi marido![12] and Antidote. He also guest starred on American Horror Story.

In March 2017, de la Fuente was cast in The CW's Dynasty reboot as Sam Jones, a gay male version of the original series' Sammy Jo Carrington (Heather Locklear).[13][14]

In 2023, De La Fuente starred opposite Katie Leclerc in the Hallmark Christmas movie, Letters for Santa.[15] In December, he was cast in the recurring role of Diego in the second season of the CBS action series, Fire Country.[16]

Other works

De La Fuente is a spokesperson for Uniquely You,[17] a brand of ACV gummy vitamins, and the charity website Every.Org. He actively supports many charitable causes, especially those effecting the environment and the LGBTQ community.

Personal life

De La Fuente is openly gay.[18] He was rumored to be married to Australian actor Hugh Sheridan[19] but later he denied the rumors indicating that he did not meet the actor until 2014.[20] As of 2023, de la Fuente was romantically linked with singer-songwriter John Duff.[21]

Filmography

Film and television roles
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2009 Más sabe el diablo Jorge Giraldo TV series [4]
2011 Aurora Max TV series [4]
2011–2013 Grachi Diego Forlán TV series, recurring role; 202 episodes [4][5]
2014 Every Witch Way Julio TV series, recurring role; 20 episodes [4][6]
The One I Wrote for You Rafael Amato Feature film
2015 Lift Me Up Erik Feature film
2015–2016 Empire Michael Sanchez TV series, recurring role; 11 episodes [8][6][9]
2017 When We Rise Ricardo Canto TV miniseries [10][11]
American Horror Story: Cult Picnic Guy TV series, Episode: "Election Night" [14]
2017–2022 Dynasty Sam "Sammy Jo" Jones TV series, Series regular [13][14]
2018 ¡He matado a mi marido! El Topo Feature film
2018 Antidote Manuel Feature film
2023 Letters to Santa Enrique TV film
2024 Fire Country Diego TV series

References

  1. ^ "Rafael de la Fuente: Biography" (in Spanish). Rafaeldelafuente.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Rotten Tomatoes: Movies | TV Shows | Movie Trailers | Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  3. ^ Mason, Aiden (2020-02-23). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Rafael de la Fuente". TVOvermind. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h DeSocio, Jeffrey Thomas (21 October 2015). "Rafael de la Fuente stakes his claim in Empire". Fox 11 Los Angeles. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Rafael de La Fuente es Diego Forlán en Grachi". EstilosBLOG Miami (in Spanish). 13 March 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Martinez, Kiko (5 November 2015). "Empire's Rafael de la Fuente on How Playing a Gay Character Opened the Floodgates of Support". Remezcla. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Movie Review: The One I Wrote for You". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  8. ^ a b Gomez, Patrick (12 August 2016). "Empire's Rafael de la Fuente on Playing a Gay, Minority Character". People. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  9. ^ a b Trivino, Jesus (21 January 2015). "Rafael de la Fuente talks Empire, gay couples on TV and making music". Latina. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  10. ^ a b Petski, Denise (April 15, 2016). "Callum Keith Rennie Joins Amazon's Man In The High Castle; Rafael de la Fuente In When We Rise ABC Miniseries". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Petski, Denise (March 9, 2017). "Dynasty: Rafael de la Fuente Joins The CW Pilot; W. Tré Davis In Valor". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  12. ^ "Inicio". ¡He Matado a mi Marido!. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  13. ^ a b Giddens, Jamey (8 March 2017). "Empire Star Cast as Hispanic, Gay Male Version of Dynasty's Sammy Jo". Daytime Confidential. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  14. ^ a b c Swift, Andy (November 1, 2017). "Dynasty's Rafael de la Fuente Defends Sammy Jo ('He's Not a Bad Guy!'), Recalls His 'Epic' Horror Story Death". TVLine. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  15. ^ Seitz, Loree (December 22, 2023). "Here Are All the New Hallmark Christmas Movies in 2023". TheWrap. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Webb Mitovich, Matt (December 13, 2023). "Fire Country Adds Rafael de la Fuente for Season 2 — Should Bode Be Worried? (Exclusive)". TVLine. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "FAMILY". Uniquely You. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  18. ^ "DYNASTY's Rafael de La Fuente Reflects On Being Out and Proud After Conquering His Fears". Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  19. ^ Fowler, Bella (2022-11-18). "Man Hugh Sheridan was married to for nine years revealed as Rafael de la Fuente". news.com.au. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  20. ^ "First of all, I met Hugh Sheridan in 2014". Twitter.com. 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  21. ^ "Rafael de la Fuente is putting out blazes in 'Fire Country' while being a total smoke show IRL". Queerty. March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.

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