Raúl Dávila
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Raúl Dávila (September 15, 1931 – January 2, 2006) was an actor, who is best remembered in the United States for his role of Hector Santos in the American soap opera ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
''. In his home country of Puerto Rico, he is perhaps better remembered as the titular "Carmelo" of the hit WAPA-TV sitcom, "
Carmelo y Punto Carmelo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Carmelo Anthony (born 1984), American basketball player * Carmelo Antrone Lee (born 1977), Puerto Rican basketball player * Carmelo Bene (1937-2002), Italian director, actor, phi ...
".


Early years

Dávila was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he received his primary and secondary education. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico where he studied dramatic arts. He continued his education at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and then earned his master's degree in Dramatic Arts from the Pasadena Playhouse in California.Puerto Rico Popular Culture
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Acting debut

In 1957, Dávila began his acting career in Puerto Rico's Telemundo television station. He worked in over 20 locally produced soap operas alongside the likes of
Braulio Castillo Braulio Castillo Cintrón (March 30, 1933 – February 28, 2015) was a telenovela actor in Latin America. His two sons, Braulio Castillo, Jr. and Jorge Castillo, are also actors. He was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Castillo played in the ''O ...
and Mario Pabon. After six years with Telemundo, Dávila decided to try his luck in the United States and moved to New York City.


Acting in the United States

He arrived in the city on November 23, 1963, the day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. At first it was difficult for Dávila to find work as an actor, since in the 1960s there wasn't much of a demand for Hispanic actors. With the help of fellow
Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants. Overview The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...
Raúl Juliá Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...
and Míriam Colón, he was able to find work in a Spanish Language television station program called "''Tribuna Hispana''" (Hispanic Tribune) which was followed by "''Mundo Latino''" (
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
World), "''De tú a tú con Raúl''", "''Realidades''" (Reality) and "''The Puerto Rican New Yorker''". Dávila presided over the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors, also known as HOLA, an organization to which actor Raúl Juliá lent his support. The organizations goal is to celebrate Latino achievements in the field of entertainment. Dávila began making appearances on some of the popular
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shows of the day, such as '' The Patty Duke Show'', ''The Defenders'' and ''East Side''. He also landed small roles in the movies ''The Man with My Face'', ''Counterplot'' and ''Felicia''. Besides those small roles he supported himself by making commercials for Campbell's Soup, Colgate and The New York Telephone Co. As early as 1964, his acting talents were showcased on the
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network in collaboration with the conductor Alfredo Antonini, in an episode of the '' CBS Repertoire Workshop- "Feliz Borinquen"'' playing himself. In 1974, he played the lead role in Luis Rafael Sánchez' presentation of "''O casi el alma''", both in Spanish and English. In 1985, Dávila returned to the island to film '' La Gran Fiesta'', a film produced and directed by Marcos Zurinaga. In 1987, he made his official movie debut in the United States, in the film ''The Believers'' alongside actor Martin Sheen. In the states, Dávila also participated in the following soap operas: '' The Guiding Light'', '' The Doctors'' "
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
" and ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
'', where he played the role of Hector Santos for four years.


Later years

Dávila lived in New Jersey, but he traveled constantly between New Jersey and Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, he played the lead role in the television comedy ''Carmelo y Punto''. He also acted in three locally produced films, ''Linda Sara'' (with Chayanne and Dayanara Torres), ''Milagro en Yauco'' and ''
Los Diaz de Doris LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...
''. Raúl Dávila died on January 2, 2006, at his home in Newark, New Jersey from a heart attack. On January 6, 2006, New York Democratic Congressman José Serrano released a statement to be submitted to the Congressional Record honoring Dávila.


Theater

Dávila spent most of the decade of the 70's doing theater. Among the many productions in which he worked were: * ''Bodas de Sangra'' - Leonardo * ''Yerma'' - Juan * ''Tonight or Never'' - Franz * ''South Pacific'' - The Professor * ''Kiss me Kate'' - Hortensio * ''La vida es un sueño'' - Segismundo * ''The King and I'' - The King * ''The Sun looks Down'' - Anselmo * ''The Sound of Music'' - Captain Von Trapp * ''La Viliza'' - Osvaldo * ''Quién le teme a Virginia Wolf?''


Filmography

*1959: '' Counterplot'' - Messenger *1965: '' The Patty Duke Show'' (TV Series) - Carlos *1965: ''Heroína'' - Judge *1966: ''El Escuadrón del pánico'' *1984: ''A Doctor's Story'' (TV Movie) - Jack Angel *1985: ''Private Sessions'' (TV Movie) - Mr. Fontana *1985: '' La Gran Fiesta'' - Don Miguel de la Torre *1986: '' Florida Straits'' (TV Movie) - Esteban *1987: ''The Believers'' - Oscar Sezine *1988: ''The Trial of Bernhard Goetz'' (TV Series) - Flores *1990: ''The Old Man and the Sea'' (TV Movie) *1991: ''Fires Within'' - Reuben *1991: ''Camelo y Punto'' (TV Movie) - Camelo *1992: ''Le Grand pardon II'' - Emilio Esteban *1993: ''La guagua aérea'' - Ernesto *1994: ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' (Episode: "Coma") - Camacho *1994: ''New York Undercover'' (Episode: "Missing" November 3) - Martinez *1994: ''Linda Sara'' - Doctor Baez *1994-1998: ''
All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...
'' (TV Series) - Hector Santos *1999: ''
Los Diaz de Doris LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significance ...
'' - Rodolfo *2005: '' Fuego en el alma'' - (final film role)


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans


References


External links

*
Murió el actor Raúl DávilaBiography on Fondación Nacional
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davila, Raul 1931 births 2006 deaths Puerto Rican male film actors Puerto Rican male soap opera actors Puerto Rican male television actors Male actors from San Juan, Puerto Rico Tulane University alumni 20th-century American male actors