Erik Valdez (born Russell Erik Valdez; August 26, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Trey Mitchell in the soap opera television series ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' (2012–2013), Carlito Solano, Jr. in the drama television series '' Graceland'' (2014–2015) and Kyle Cushing in the superhero television series ''

Superman & Lois ''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and E ...

'' (2021–present).

Early life

Valdez was born Russell Erik Valdez in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

, on August 26, 1979, the son of Miguel and Karen Valdez. His father is of Mexican, Spanish and Native American descent, while his mother is of English and Irish descent. His parents were second-generation cotton farmers as he grew up in a close-knit family.

Career

After completing theater throughout the years since high school, Valdez pursued an acting career in film and television and he moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2004. In 2004, he made his acting debut as Chad in three episodes of '' Gilmore Girls''. He has made guest appearances television shows, including ''

CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...

'', '' 90210'', '' Numbers'' and '' Mistresses''. In 2012, Valdez played the recurring role of Trey Mitchell in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

soap opera television series ''

'', until 2013 for 99 episodes, which earned Valdez a nomination for a

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series. The award was given every year since the 1993 ceremony and later retired in 2015. Kristoff St. John holds the record for most win ...

. From 2014 to 2015, Valdez played the role of crime boss Carlito Solano, Jr. in the drama television series '' Graceland'' for 11 episodes. In 2016, he played the role of Lopez in the direct-to-video film '' Jarhead 3: The Siege''. The same year, he played an uncredited role of Officer Valducci in the drama film '' Paint It Black''. In 2021, he portrayed the character Kyle Cushing in the superhero television series ''

'', which premiered on The CW, featuring

Tyler Hoechlin Tyler Lee Hoechlin (; born September 11, 1987) is an American actor. Initially earning recognition for starring as Michael Sullivan Jr. in the 2002 film ''Road to Perdition'', Hoechlin went on to star as Martin Brewer on '' 7th Heaven'' between ...

and Elizabeth Tulloch.

Personal life

In 2015, Valdez proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Candice Lopez, a hostess for

Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

, and they married in 2016. Together, they have a son: Enzo Ray Valdez (b. 2018)

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Erik 1979 births American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American male video game actors 21st-century American male actors American male actors of Mexican descent American people of Spanish descent American people of English descent American people of Irish descent Male actors from Texas People from Lubbock, Texas Living people