Christian Monzon
Encyclopedia
Christian Monzon is an American film and television actor
and model
. He was born Christian Gabriel Monzon on May 23, 1977 in Burbank, California
. Ethnically he is Mexican and Spanish and spent the first three years of life in Guadalajara
, Mexico
. His mother Maria Guadalupe Alcaraz moved the family back to Los Angeles
after suffering the loss of her husband, Christian’s father, Pedro Monzon. Christian was educated at Canoga Park High School
where he cultivated the attributes to excel as a student athlete.
Coming from an underprivileged family his desire to attend college was fueled by his aspirations of receiving a scholarship
for his athletic abilities. His pursuit of “the dream” was cut short after suffering an injury that resulted in reconstructive knee surgery
. The injury, first viewed as a setback translated into a blessing when he was noticed by a talent scout from an agency that introduced him to the fashion industry.
(International Model and Talent Association) in New York
in the summer of 1997. There he managed to attract several modeling agencies world wide including NEXT Model Management
in Los Angeles
, New York, Miami, and Paris
. He left NEXT after two years and signed with Bleu Models where he has been for the last eleven years.
He has appeared in advertising campaigns for Skechers
, Abercrombie & Fitch
, Perry Ellis
, Sean John
, Phat Farm
, Versace
, H&M
, Exte, Banana Republic, GAP
, a major Xelebri campaign directed by David Fincher
and Dolce & Gabbana
.
Monzon has worked with many of the worlds best photographers and supermodels. The list includes Kate Moss
, Gisele Bündchen
, Naomi Campbell
, Christy Turlington
and Fernanda Tavares
, with whom he graced the coveted fragrance campaign for Dolce & Gabbana.
Christian credits his relationship with Dolce & Gabbana as the turning point in his career. In 2001 he was introduced to designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana during fashion week in Milan
, Italy
. That same year he was offered a contract to represent the company as their underwear model which lead to one of three fragrance campaigns and two short movies advertising the 'Classic Perfume' for men and a new fragrance for women, 'Sicily.' The short movies were directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
, who won an Oscar for Cinema Paradiso in 1988, and starred Monica Bellucci
and Fernanda Tavares.
and music video
s, Christian turned his focus on the theatrical world. Through his studies of the craft at the Carter Thor Studio in Los Angeles he has established himself and paved the path for a long and successful acting career. Monzon’s intense reverence for the art of storytelling
has presented several opportunities along the lines of producing and writing. Christian established Wyndotte St. Productions in 2002. Wyndotte St. Productions has several projects in the developmental stage two of which were written and conceived by Christian.
Monzon describes acting and storytelling, not just as a communication
device, but also as a tool that leads to self-knowledge and understanding. To date his film credits include independent features ‘If I Had Known I Was a Genius
’ opposite Academy Award winning actresses Sharon Stone
and Whoopi Goldberg
, ‘Kill Speed’ opposite Andrew Keegan
and Greg Grunberg
, Columbia TriStar’s ‘XXX2: State of the Union
,’ Universal’s
‘Honey
,’ and Hallmark’s ‘The Reading Room
’ and ‘The Deadliest Lesson’ opposite Penelope Ann Miller
. His television appearances have included guest starring roles on such critically acclaimed series’, “CSI: Miami
,” “CSI: NY
,” “Crossing Jordan
,” “Entourage
,” “Law and Order SVU,” Showtime/Sony’s “Huff
”, “Three Rivers
, and the series finale of “Dollhouse
.”
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. He was born Christian Gabriel Monzon on May 23, 1977 in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. Ethnically he is Mexican and Spanish and spent the first three years of life in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. His mother Maria Guadalupe Alcaraz moved the family back to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
after suffering the loss of her husband, Christian’s father, Pedro Monzon. Christian was educated at Canoga Park High School
Canoga Park High School
Canoga Park High School is a public school located in Canoga Park in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States, and is in the Los Angeles Unified School District...
where he cultivated the attributes to excel as a student athlete.
Coming from an underprivileged family his desire to attend college was fueled by his aspirations of receiving a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
for his athletic abilities. His pursuit of “the dream” was cut short after suffering an injury that resulted in reconstructive knee surgery
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is a surgical tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament, located in the knee, to restore its function after anterior cruciate ligament injury. The torn ligament is removed from the knee before the graft is inserted through a hole created...
. The injury, first viewed as a setback translated into a blessing when he was noticed by a talent scout from an agency that introduced him to the fashion industry.
Modeling
Christian appeared at IMTAInternational Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA)
The International Modeling and Talent Association, or IMTA, is a professional organization of modeling and talent training centers from around the world, who meet biannually for talent and modeling conventions in both New York and Los Angeles....
(International Model and Talent Association) in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the summer of 1997. There he managed to attract several modeling agencies world wide including NEXT Model Management
NEXT Model Management
NEXT Model Management is a Global modeling agency with offices in New York City, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan and Paris. Founded in 1989 by Faith Kates, the agency is one of the top 3 model agencies in the world...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, New York, Miami, and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He left NEXT after two years and signed with Bleu Models where he has been for the last eleven years.
He has appeared in advertising campaigns for Skechers
Skechers
Skechers is an American shoe company headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, founded by CEO Robert Greenberg. Greenberg started Skechers in 1992 after he left LA Gear which he also founded. Skechers was started with his son as a distributor for Doc Martens; they launched their own shoe line...
, Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
, Perry Ellis
Perry Ellis (brand)
Perry Ellis is a clothing brand owned by Perry Ellis International and founded by designer Perry Ellis.-History:After finding praise for his previous women's sportswear line, called Portfolio, Perry Ellis, together with his parent company The Vera Companies', founded his own fashion house, Perry...
, Sean John
Sean John
Sean John Clothing Inc is a clothing and fragrance company owned by hip-hop mogul Sean Combs. The apparel company takes its name from Combs' first and middle given names....
, Phat Farm
Phat Farm
Phat Farm is a national fashion line created by the vision of Russell Simmons, the founder of the modern day hip-hop movement, Phat Farm, a division of Phat Fashions , is symbol of men's contemporary American culture, mixing the urban aesthetics of the streets and the preppy culture of the Ivy...
, Versace
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
, H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
, Exte, Banana Republic, GAP
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, a major Xelebri campaign directed by David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
and Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
.
Monzon has worked with many of the worlds best photographers and supermodels. The list includes Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
, Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
, Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
, Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington Burns is an American model best known for representing Calvin Klein from 1987 to 2007. She has worked on dozens of modeling contracts with companies including Maybelline Cosmetics and Versace. Turlington starred in her fashion documentary Catwalk and Isaac Mizrahi's Unzipped...
and Fernanda Tavares
Fernanda Tavares
Fernanda Tavares is a Brazilian model.-Biography:Born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, Tavares was appearing in local shows at the age of nine, and at just 13 she won the "Elite Look of the Year" contest. A year later, she was invited by agents to go to São Paulo to pursue a modeling career...
, with whom he graced the coveted fragrance campaign for Dolce & Gabbana.
Christian credits his relationship with Dolce & Gabbana as the turning point in his career. In 2001 he was introduced to designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana during fashion week in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. That same year he was offered a contract to represent the company as their underwear model which lead to one of three fragrance campaigns and two short movies advertising the 'Classic Perfume' for men and a new fragrance for women, 'Sicily.' The short movies were directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Giuseppe Tornatore
-Life and career:Born in Bagheria near Palermo, Tornatore developed an interest in acting and the theatre from at least the age of 16 and put on works by Luigi Pirandello and Eduardo De Filippo.He worked initially as a freelance photographer...
, who won an Oscar for Cinema Paradiso in 1988, and starred Monica Bellucci
Monica Bellucci
Monica Anna Maria Bellucci is an Italian actress and fashion model.-Early life:Bellucci was born in Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy as the only child of Luigi Bellucci, who was born in the British protectorate of Zanzibar, East Pakistan...
and Fernanda Tavares.
Theatrical
After enjoying enormous success on the runways of the fashion circuit (Milan, Paris, and New York) and spending time on set of commercialsAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s, Christian turned his focus on the theatrical world. Through his studies of the craft at the Carter Thor Studio in Los Angeles he has established himself and paved the path for a long and successful acting career. Monzon’s intense reverence for the art of storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
has presented several opportunities along the lines of producing and writing. Christian established Wyndotte St. Productions in 2002. Wyndotte St. Productions has several projects in the developmental stage two of which were written and conceived by Christian.
Monzon describes acting and storytelling, not just as a communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
device, but also as a tool that leads to self-knowledge and understanding. To date his film credits include independent features ‘If I Had Known I Was a Genius
If I Had Known I Was a Genius
If I Had Known I Was a Genius is a film directed by Dominique Wirtschafter and written by Markus Redmond . The film premiered January 23, 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.- Plot :...
’ opposite Academy Award winning actresses Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, ‘Kill Speed’ opposite Andrew Keegan
Andrew Keegan
Andrew Keegan is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role of Joey Donner in the film 10 Things I Hate About You.-Life and career:...
and Greg Grunberg
Greg Grunberg
Gregory Phillip "Greg" Grunberg is an American television actor. He is best known from starring as Matt Parkman on the NBC television series Heroes. Other notable roles included the characters Sean Blumberg on Felicity and Eric Weiss on Alias , both created and produced by childhood friend J. J...
, Columbia TriStar’s ‘XXX2: State of the Union
XXX: State of the Union
xXx: State of the Union, mainly released as xXx²: The Next Level outside the United States and Canada, is a 2005 action-adventure film directed by Lee Tamahori. It is a sequel to the 2002 film xXx...
,’ Universal’s
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
‘Honey
Honey (2003 film)
Honey is a 2003 motion picture released by Universal Pictures. Featuring music produced by Rodney Jerkins, the film stars Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer, Lil' Romeo, Joy Bryant, David Moscow and features performances by Tweet, Jadakiss and Ginuwine. It also features a cameo by Missy Elliott...
,’ and Hallmark’s ‘The Reading Room
The Reading Room
The Reading Room is a 2005 made-for-tv movie that originally premiered on Hallmark Channel. It is directed by Georg Stanford Brown.-Plot:...
’ and ‘The Deadliest Lesson’ opposite Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
. His television appearances have included guest starring roles on such critically acclaimed series’, “CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
,” “CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
,” “Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...
,” “Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
,” “Law and Order SVU,” Showtime/Sony’s “Huff
Huff (TV series)
Huff is an American television dramedy series produced by Sony Pictures Television for Showtime. The series was created by Bob Lowry and features Hank Azaria as Dr. Craig "Huff" Huffstodt, a psychiatrist whose life changes abruptly when a 15-year-old client commits suicide in his office...
”, “Three Rivers
Three Rivers (TV series)
Three Rivers is a medical drama, which premiered on CBS on October 4, 2009 and aired Sundays at 9 pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time. The series was set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at a fictional hospital specializing in transplants, with Alex O'Loughlin starring as a famous transplant surgeon...
, and the series finale of “Dollhouse
Dollhouse (TV series)
Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network and was officially cancelled on November 11, 2009. The final episode aired on January 29, 2010...
.”
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Honey | Bar customer | Bille Woodruff | |
| 2005 | xXx 2: The Next Level | Thief (uncredited) | Lee Tamahori | |
| 2007 | If I Had Known I Was a Genius | Chief | Dominique Wirtschafter | |
| 2008 | Gideon Falls | Gideon | Judith McCreary | Short |
| 2008 | La milonga | Augustin | Francesca Di Amico | Short |
| 2010 | Kill Speed | Escondido | Kim Bass |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Law & Order:SVU | Johnny | Juan José Campanella | Ep. 4.12 |
| 2004 | Huff | Bartender | Bob Lowry | Ep. 1.10 |
| 2005 | CSI: Miami | Officer McCue | Norberto Barba | Ep. 3.22 |
| 2005 | The Closer | Jesus | Michael M. Robin | Ep. 1.4 |
| 2006 | Entourage | Ducati Salesman | Julian Farino | Ep. 3.2 |
| 2006 | CSI: NY | Daryn Kramer | Rob Bailey | Ep. 3.8 |
| 2008 | Hot Hot Los Angeles | Pepe | Bennett Barbakow | Ep. 1.1 - 1.13 |
| 2009 | Three Rivers | Michael Arellano | Duane Clark | Ep. 1.5 |
| 2010 | Dollhouse | Romeo | David Soloman | Ep. 2.13 |