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Kamar de los Reyes          

Kamar de los Reyes (born November 8, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor.

From playing alongside Dizzy Gillespie as a child trumpet prodigy to performing Shakespeare in the Park opposite Patrick Stewart in director George C. Wolfe's "The Tempest"—Kamar de los Reyes has crafted a musical and acting career as rich and complex as the syncopated rhythms of his Latin roots.

Millions of daytime fans have known Kamar for several years as Antonio Vega on the ABC daytime drama "One Life to Live" but he has steadily performed alongside a virtual who's who in television, movies, stage, and music for over a decade in a wide range of projects.

Kamar's most current film role is the portrayal of Jose Beveagua in the upcoming John Leguizamo HBO Original Movie "Infamous" which begins production in September 2002 and will be released in 2003.

De los Reyes brilliantly portrayed the boxer Lopez in the March 2002 City Center Encores!® production of "Golden Boy" directed by Walter Bobbie and starring Alfonso Ribiero as Joe. Kamar's character, Lopez, is a boxer and the #1 contender in the world who ultimately dies in the ring in a very elaborately choreographed fight in the finale.

The 2001 smash-hit VH1 Original Movie THE WAY SHE MOVES also recently showcased Kamar's musical, dancing, and acting talents. The popular dance-filled romantic drama unfolds inside the world of Salsa dancing with Kamar portraying a salsa dance instructor who daylights as an elementary school teacher.

In addition to acting and dancing, Kamar joined together in 1999 with his legendary musical family on brother Daniel's album , SAN RAFAEL 560, to play percussion and add vocals. SAN RAFAEL 560 was selected as one of the Top 10 Albums of 2000 in the World Music Category and continues to be a favorite with DJs and dance audiences across the country.

In addition to working on his own musical projects, Kamar appeared as Toni Braxton's love interest in her steamy music video "Spanish Guitar," which debuted in fall 2000.

A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Kamar de los Reyes moved to Las Vegas at the age of two and had a childhood filled with music. Kamar's father, a Cuban drummer and percussionist, would see three of his five children become professional musicians. Kamar, the youngest of the brood, began playing the trumpet at age four, performing on stage alongside big band greats like Gillespie and Harry James.

Putting trumpet playing aside while in high school, Kamar rediscovered the arts as a singer and dancer in a pop/jazz ensemble called Harmony Express. During his senior year, a stage role as El Gallo in "The Fantastiks" marked his acting debut. During the same period, he studied dance at Backstage Dance Studio and performed with small musical combos. During a trip 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 in the video, and subsequently went on the work with Kenny Ortega in the feature SALSA and television series "Dirty Dancing."

In 1989, with his talents as a dancer well established de los Reyes began to focus on his acting career. After a number of feature films and television projects, he rose to critical attention as a young man mistaken for a killer in the CBS telefilm "The Corpse Has a Familiar Face," opposite Elizabeth Montgomery. In his television series debut, de los Reyes shot 46 episodes as a young lover to Sally Kirkland in "Valley of the Dolls," a syndicated program based on the 1967 movie.

"Blade to the Heat" legitimized de los Reyes as an actor and freed him from professional stereotypes — receiving critical acclaim for his powerful portrayal of gay Irish-Mexican boxer Pedro Quinn in the 1994 New York stage production. The Associated Press praised Kamar's "mesmerizing performance," and a New York Times review noted "The most arresting figure [in the cast] is Mr. de los Reyes."

Over the next several years, de los Reyes would join the cast of "E.R." in a recurring role as emergency medical technician Hernandez in the top-rated NBC series; co-star opposite Susan Lucci as a young defense attorney in the ABC movie of the week "Blood on Her Hands"; and appear as commander Vincent Testeverde on the season finale of "Touched by an Angel." Other recurring roles include that of guidance counselor Leon Flores in the CBS primetime drama "Promised Land," agent David Brandt on ShowTime's sci-fi drama "Total Recall 2070," and as the musical booking agent Luis on Fox-TV's "New York Undercover."

Kamar's future projects include working side-by-side in the studio with Daniel to record his own solo album. Containing original lyrics in English and Spanish, this album will skillfully blend salsa, merengue, bomba, plena, and many other Latin dance rhythms with today's contemporary sounds. Kamar will sing lead vocals and play a variety of percussion instruments on this much-anticipated project. Remaining true to his heritage, this album will also contain the traditional sounds of Puerto Rico so close to Kamar's heart.

Kamar de los Reyes' success has not blinded him to his roots. He aspires towards someday opening a theatre similar to New York's Public Theater in Puerto Rico, where the talents of local writers, directors and actors can be showcased. Mr. de los Reyes is also involved with "Generación ‘N' ", a small group of aspiring actors, in association with The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts founded by Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, and Sonia Braga.

Kamar's recreational interests include reading, writing, street basketball, rollerblading, jogging, boxing, and working out. But his favorite pursuit is spending time with his five-year-old son, of whom he says, "He is the pride and joy of my life. Everything else is secondary."

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