Wilson Cruz (1973 - )

Picture from Latina online. Born in Brooklyn, NY, of Puerto Rican and African heritage, Wilson Cruz has in both his acting roles and community work served as a model and mentor to gay youth, especially gay youth of color.  Best known for his role as Rickie Vasquez, the troubled gay teen on the short-lived but popular television series My So-Called Life, Wilson knows first-hand the many struggles and hardships that face young gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered persons as they struggle to come to terms with their sexuality and the reactions of their families, friends, and society at large.   At 19, he came out to his parents, first to his mother and then his father.  While his mother was initially hurt and shocked, she soon came to understand that Wilson was still the same son she had always loved and cherished.  But when Wilson came out to his father on Christmas Eve, just two days before the young man's birthday, he was thrown out of the house and spent the next few months living in his car and at the homes of friends.  Wilson eventually reconciled with his father, and his parents are now strong supporters in everything in he does. After coming out to his parents, Wilson Cruz decided to perform another brave and challenging act, going to Hollywood to seek work as an openly gay young actor.  While many gay and lesbian performers had come out later in their careers, he wanted to see if he could be out from the beginning and still make it as an actor.  His strategy paid off in 1994, when he won the role of gay teenager  Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez on the short-lived but popular television series, My So-Called Life.  In one episode drawn from Wilson's own life and that of many young GLBT people, the character of Rickie came out to his parents and was violently thrown out of the house.  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 street hustler Mikey in Johns, about the daily (or nightly) struggles of male prostitutes.  He later played the character of Victor during the final season of Party of Five in 2000 and also played the part of Angel on Broadway in Rent. While continuing to play numerous roles on television, film, and the stage, Wilson Cruz devotes more and more of his time to GLBT youth, impressed by their courage and moved by their struggles.  He is especially concerned with GLBT youth of color, who must deal not only with racism but also with the often rampant homophobia in their own ethnic communities.  Most recently he has volunteered his time as host for the Youth Zone, an online community on Gay.com for GLBT youth.  In an interview regarding the new position, he said, "I am inspired by the people I believe to be the true champions and soldiers of the gay and lesbian movement: youth. Their struggle, their fearlessness, their honesty, their longing and pure, sincere effort to make people understand that they deserve to be loved and that their love deserves to be understood drives me daily to be a better person and to live my life as openly and honestly as I can. It is their efforts that I believe have been the most successful in our movement toward true freedom." In addition to the television series "My So-Called Life" and "Party of Five," Wilson Cruz's acting credits include the films  Nixon (1995); Johns (1996); Joyride (1996); All Over Me (1997); Supernova (2000); and Party Monster (2003); the television films On Seventh Avenue (1996) and The Perfect Pitch (2002); plus guest appearances on the series  "Great Scott!;" "Sister, Sister;"  "ER;"  "Ally McBeal." Links: Wilson Cruz Fan Page Latina Online - November 1999 - Wilson Cruz Wilson Cruz Fans Yahoo Group Wilson Cruz enters the Youth Zone Wilson Cruz as Rickie Vasquez Wilson Cruz Internet Movie Database - Wilson Cruz KeywordTitleAuthor