Editing Wilson Cruz

{{short description|American actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Wilson Cruz
| image        = Wilson Cruz by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| alt          =
| caption      = Cruz in 2018
| birth_name   = Wilson Echevarría
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1973|12|27}}
| birth_place  = [[Brooklyn, New York]], U.S.
| other_names  =
| known_for    =
| occupation   = {{csv|Actor|producer|activist|singer}}
| years_active = 1994–present
}}
'''Wilson Cruz''' (born '''Wilson Echevarría'''; December 27, 1973) <ref>https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2024/12/famous-birthdays-list-for-today-december-27-2024-includes-celebrities-timothee-chalamet-hayley-williams.html?outputType=amp</ref>is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on ''[[My So-Called Life]]'',<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC Leads Nominees for GLAAD Awards|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/abc-leads-nominees-for-glaad-awards|access-date=February 8, 2011|publisher=[[Fox News]]|date=May 21, 2008|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> [[Hugh Culber|Dr. Hugh Culber]] on ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Wilson Cruz |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/person/199888/Wilson-Cruz |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119065851/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/199888/Wilson-Cruz |archive-date=January 19, 2008}}</ref> and the [[recurring character]] Junito on ''[[Noah's Arc]]''. As a [[Homosexuality|gay]] man of [[Afro-Puerto Rican]] ancestry, he has served as an advocate for gay youth, especially gay minorities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.talkinbroadway.com/regional/dallas/dallas79.html|title= Talkin' Broadway|publisher=Talkinbroadway.com|access-date=January 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlantaboy.com/gay_atlanta/2006/12/wilson_cruz_exc.html
|title=Atlanta Boy|publisher= Atlantaboy.com|access-date=January 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oasismag.com/Issues/9512/fea0895-cruz.html|title=Oasis Magazine|access-date=January 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415125107/http://www.oasisjournals.com/Issues/9512/fea0895-cruz.html|archive-date=April 15, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==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 (Rialto, California)|Eisenhower High School]], graduating in 1991. At age 19, Cruz [[came out]] to his parents as gay, first to his mother and then to 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2014/09/wilson-cruz-my-so-called-life-1994-1995.html|title=My So-Called Life's Wilson Cruz on Rickie Fans, LBGT Awareness, and '90s Fashion|date=September 5, 2014 |publisher=Vulture|access-date=December 16, 2014}}</ref>

==Career==
Cruz went to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playinggay/playing-gay |title=Playing Gay: How America Came Out On Television by Playing Gay — Kickstarter |publisher=Kickstarter.com |date=August 1, 2015 |access-date=August 17, 2015}}</ref>

Following ''My So-Called Life'''s cancellation, Cruz went on to play [[J. Edgar Hoover]]'s servant Joaquin in [[Oliver Stone]]'s film ''[[Nixon (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 (film)|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 (2008 TV series)|Raising the Bar]]''.

Cruz's other acting credits include the films ''[[Joyride (1996 film)|Joyride]]'' (1996), ''[[All Over Me (film)|All Over Me]]'' (1997), ''[[Supernova (2000 film)|Supernova]]'' (2000), ''[[Party Monster (2003 film)|Party Monster]]'' (2003), [[Margaret Cho]]'s ''[[Bam Bam and Celeste]]'' (2005), ''[[Coffee Date]]'' (2007), and ''[[He's Just Not That Into You (film)|He's Just Not That Into You]]'' (2009); the television film ''The Perfect Pitch'' (2002); and guest appearances on the series ''[[Great Scott! (TV series)|Great Scott!]]'', ''[[Sister, Sister (TV series)|Sister, Sister]]'', ''[[ER (TV series)|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 best friend of a [[promiscuous woman]] who tries to find out who got her pregnant so that she can get married.

Since 2017, Cruz has portrayed Dr. [[Hugh Culber]] on the science fiction series ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]''.

Since 2020, Cruz has been a recurring guest on ''[[25 Words or Less]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wilson Cruz |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/wilson_cruz |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=January 18, 2021}}</ref>

In 2023, Cruz became the new chair of the board of directors for [[GLSEN]].<ref name="lab-13aug2023">{{cite news |last1=Ennis |first1=Dawn |title=Wilson Cruz: Why I'm taking on the role of the new chair of GLSEN |url=https://www.losangelesblade.com/2023/08/13/wilson-cruz-why-im-taking-on-the-role-of-the-new-chair-of-glsen/ |access-date=August 13, 2023 |work=[[Los Angeles Blade]] |date=August 13, 2023}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Wilson Cruz.jpg|thumb|upright|Cruz at [[Outfest]] 2010]]
Cruz works with and advocates on behalf of [[LGBTQ]] 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]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreals-36th-pride-parade-commemorates-history-of-lgbtq-activism|title=Montreal's 36th Pride parade commemorates history of LGBTQ activism|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=August 18, 2019}}</ref> 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|date=December 2019}}

Cruz joined the board of directors of [[GLAAD]] in 1997 to assist the organization through a leadership transition, and joined the staff of GLAAD in 2012 as a National Spokesperson and Strategic Giving Officer.<ref name="davis2012">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.</ref>

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 the gunfire.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EXCLUSIVE: Wilson Cruz Speaks Out About His Relative Who Died in the Orlando Shooting: 'We Are Devastated' {{!}} Entertainment Tonight |url=https://www.etonline.com/news/190965_exclusive_wilson_cruz_speaks_out_about_his_relative_who_died_the_orlando_shooting |access-date=September 4, 2022 |website=www.etonline.com |date=June 13, 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2020, Wilson was honored on one of the covers of ''[[Out (magazine)|Out]]'' magazine's annual [[Out100]] issue, saying Wilson "beautifully weaves his activism inside every aspect of his work".<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 18, 2020|title=Wilson Cruz is Going Where No Gay Man Has Gone Before|url=https://www.out.com/print/2020/11/17/wilson-cruz-going-where-no-gay-man-has-gone|access-date=November 18, 2020|website=out.com|language=en}}</ref>

==Filmography and stage==

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1994–1995
| ''[[My So-Called Life]]''
| Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez
| 19 episodes
|-
| 1996
| ''On Seventh Avenue''
| Reuben Diaz
|
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Sister, Sister (TV series)|Sister, Sister]]''
| Bobby
| Episode: "Double Double Date"
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Ally McBeal]]''
| Steven/Stephanie
| 1 episode
|-
| 1999–2000
| ''[[Party of Five]]''
| Victor
| 11 episodes
|-
| 2002
| ''[[ER (TV series)|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 (TV series)|Monk]]''
| Smoking Technician
| 1 episode
|-
| 2007
| ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]''
| Todd Ryder
| [[Cover Story (NCIS)|1 episode]]
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World]]''
| Evan
| 2 seasons
|-
| 2008–2009
| ''[[Raising the Bar (2008 TV series)|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 (TV series)|Single Ladies]]''
| Vincent
| 2 episodes, July 18, (US)
|-
| 2012
| ''[[The Finder (American TV series)|The Finder]]''
| Jonni
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2014–2015
| ''[[Red Band Society]]''
| Kenji Gomez-Rejon
| Recurring role
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Shameless (American TV series)|Shameless]]''
| Bartender
| 1 episode
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Mistresses (American TV series)|Mistresses]]''
| Dante
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Heartbeat (2016 TV series)|Heartbeat]]''
| Various
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2017
| ''[[EastSiders]]''
| Jerry
| 1 episode
|-
| 2017–2019
| ''[[13 Reasons Why]]''
| Dennis Vasquez
| 19 episodes
|-
| 2017–2024
| ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]''
| [[Hugh Culber]]
| Main cast
|-
| 2019
| ''[[The Bravest Knight]]''
| Prince Andrew<ref>{{cite web|last=Ramos|first=Dino-Ray|date=June 24, 2019|title=Wilson Cruz On 'The Bravest Knight', 'Star Trek: Discovery' And LGBTQ Legacy Of 'My So-Called Life's Ricky Vasquez|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/wilson-cruz-bravest-knight-star-200151668.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218233712/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/wilson-cruz-bravest-knight-star-200151668.html|archive-date=December 18, 2020|access-date=December 18, 2020|publisher=[[Yahoo! News]]}}</ref>
|
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story]]''
| Paul C. Burke
| Television film
|-
| 2019–2023
| ''[[The Casagrandes]]''
| Romeo (voice)
| Recurring role
|-
| 2020–present
| ''[[25 Words or Less]]''
| Self
| Recurring role
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur]]''
| Mr. Calderon (voice)
| Recurring role
|}

===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Nixon (film)|Nixon]]''
| Joaquin (Hoover's servant)
|
|-
| 1996
| ''Beat the Bash''
| Kevin
|
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Johns (film)|johns]]''
| Mikey
|
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Joyride (1996 film)|Joyride]]''
| James
|
|-
| 1997
| ''[[All Over Me (film)|All Over Me]]''
| Jesse
|
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Supernova (2000 film)|Supernova]]''
| Benj Sotomejor
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Party Monster (2003 film)|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 (film)|He's Just Not That into You]]''
| Nathan
|
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Green Flash (film)|Green Flash]]''
| Kyle
|
|-
| 2009
| ''[[The People I've Slept With]]''
| Gabriel
|
|-
| 2011
| ''Convincing Clooney''
| Joaquin
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[The Skinny (film)|The Skinny]]''
| The Doctor
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[After Louie]]''
| Mateo
|
|-
| 2024
| ''[[Mother of the Bride (2024 film)|Mother of the Bride]]''
| Scott
|
|}

===Stage===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]''
| Angel
|
|-
| 2003
| ''A Perfect Wedding''
| Julian
|
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Tick, Tick... BOOM!]]''
| Michael
|
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico|Biography|Film|Television|Theatre|LGBTQ}}
* [[List of Puerto Ricans]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IMDb name|0190497}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Wilson}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American actors of Puerto Rican descent]]
[[Category:American gay actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Eisenhower High School (Rialto, California) alumni]]
[[Category:GLAAD Media Awards winners]]
[[Category:LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from New York (state)]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights activists from California]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights activists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:People from Rialto, California]]
[[Category:People of Afro–Puerto Rican descent]]