Ramon Rodriguez is an accomplished actor and a man of many talents. Rodriguez, who has been active in the entertainment industry since 2005, has been passionate about pursuing his dreams no matter where they lead him. And in this lifetime, they led him off the basketball court to acting in box-office movies and as a regular in hit tv shows.
After moving away from a career in sports, Rodriguez ventured into acting full-time, starring in his first film, the direct-to-video Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power. While he enjoys being on screen, he has worked behind the scenes as a director, producer and writer. Here are seven facts about Ramon Rodriguez below:
1. Ramon Rodríguez was born in New York City
Ramon Rodriguez was born in New York City but lived in Puerto Rico for a while at a young age, with Spanish being his first language to learn. After a time, he went back to study in New York. He would return to the islands during the summer to see his family. Rodriguez traveled back and forth between Puerto Rico and the USA as he developed a love for basketball in his younger years.
2. He Made His First Acting Debut in 2005
He was introduced to acting by playing basketball. It started when he participated in a Nike dribbling competition where he won money and sneakers. After that success, Nike invited him to be part of more commercials. This opened the door for him to work on other commercials and later New York tv shows like Rescue Me in 2005 and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2006. After appearing in The Wire, he fell in love with acting and dove headfirst into the craft.
Since his debut, Rodriguez has made several appearances in series like Marvel’s Iron Fist, Showtime’s The Affair, The Defenders on Netflix, and Charlies Angels (2011). He has also appeared in numerous movies like Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen, Dreamworks Need For Speed alongside Rami Malek and Aaron Paul, and the critically acclaimed film Megan Leavey. He is currently the star of ABC’s Will Trent.
3. Ramon Rodríguez is a Dancer
An interesting fact about Ramon Rodriguez is that his father is a musician, and he grew up with parties and celebrations. He would go to various concerts and shows all the time. As a Puerto Rican, he learned to dance naturally and enjoyed it. One of his hidden talents is salsa dancing, which he does well. Rodriguez was even a member of the Abakua Latin Dance Company.
4. Ramon Rodriguez Plays the Titular Character in the TV Series, Will Trent
The series Will Trent is based on the crime novels by Karin Slaughter of the same name. The series is a police procedural which follows Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, who was abandoned as a child and raised in Atlanta’s harsh foster care system. Now he uses his power to help others avoid a similar fate. The series was a hit and has renewed for a sophomore season by ABC.
5. Ramon Envisioned a Career in Sports
As earlier mentioned, Rodriguez was very passionate about basketball. He went on to graduate with a degree in Sports Management from New York University. Before that, he played college basketball in West Virginia for two years, but after he realized that the NBA wouldn’t happen for him, he studied Sports management and marketing at NYU. He was passionate about the game and saw that career as the natural trajectory. In fact, Ramon Rodriguez even interned for the New York Nicks in their community relations department.
6. He is an Activist
Rodriguez loves his home, Puerto Rico, and he does what he can to bring light to issues that affect the people there. After the devastating Hurricanes Irma and Maria left thousands stranded, he helped them rebuild by providing 100 roofs and teaching construction skills to teenagers. Using his talents, he directed the short documentary, Pa’lante to help bring awareness and raise funds to help the people of Puerto Rico during the tough time.
7. Ramon Rodríguez is also a Writer and Director
After acquiring experience as an actor, Rodriguez decided it was time to try something different and ventured into directing his first short film which he also co-wrote. The film, The Language Of Ball, was accepted in various film festivals like La Shorts, Vancouver, and Woodstock before being released on Prime Video. The movie was critically acclaimed and praised for its nuanced handling of the movie’s themes.
Follow Us
