Raul Davila
Encyclopedia
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
.
Early years
Dávila was born in San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
where he received his primary and secondary education. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
where he studied dramatic arts. He continued his education at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and then earned his Masters Degree in Dramatic Arts from the Pasadena Playhouse in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Acting debut
In 1957, Dávila began his acting career in Puerto Rico's TelemundoTelemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
television station. He worked in over 20 locally produced soap operas alongside the likes of Braulio Castillo
Braulio Castillo
Braulio Castillo Cintrón was a telenovela actor in Latin America. His two sons, Braulio Castillo, Jr. and Jorge Castillo, are also actors....
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. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
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
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
actors. With the help of fellow Puerto Ricans Raúl Juliá
Raúl Juliá
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...
and Míriam Colón, he was able to find work in a Spanish Language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
television station program called "Tribuna Hispana" (Hispanic Tribune) which was followed by "Mundo Latino" (Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
World), "De tú a tú con Raúl", "Realidades" (Reality) and "The Puerto Rican New Yorker".
Dávila presided over the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors is an active arts service and advocacy organization. It is in the United States and dedicated to Hispanic artists and 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 T.V. shows of the day, such as The Patty Duke Show
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
, 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
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American diversified multinational corporation focused on the production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products . Under its "Hill's" brand, it is also a manufacturer of...
and The New York Telephone Co.
Productions in which he worked
Dávila spent most of the decade of the 70's doing theater. Among the many productions in which he worked in 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
- Viliza - Osvaldo
In 1974, he played the lead role in Luis Rafael Sánchez
Luis Rafael Sanchez
Dr. Luis Rafael Sánchez a.k.a. "Wico" is a Puerto Rican playwright. Possibly his best known play is La Pasión según Antigona Pérez , a tragedy based on the life of Olga Viscal Garriga-Early years:...
' presentation of "O casi el alma", both in Spanish and English.
In 1985, Dávila returned to the island to film La Gran Fiesta
La Gran Fiesta
La Gran Fiesta is a 1985 Puerto Rican film, written and directed by Marcos Zurinaga, based on a story by Ana Lydia Vega....
, a film produced and directed by Jacobo Morales
Jacobo Morales
Jacobo Morales is an auteur, whom many consider to be the most influential film director in Puerto Rico's history.-Life and career:...
. In 1987, he made his official movie debut in the United States, in the film The Believers alongside actor Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
. In the states, Dávila also participated in the following soap operas: The Guiding Light, The Doctors and All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, where he played the role of Hector Santos for four years.
Among the his television and film roles are the following:
- Counterplot - Messenger
- Heroína (1965) - Judge
- El Escuadrón del pánico (1966)
- A Doctor's Story (1984) (TV) - Jack Angel
- La Gran fiesta (1985)
- Private Sessions (1985/I) (TV) - Mr. Fontana
- Florida Straits (1986) (TV) - Esteban
- The Believers (1987) - Oscar Sezine
- The Trial of Bernhard Goetz (1988) (TV) - Flores
- The Old Man and the Sea (1990) (TV)
- Fires Within (1991) - Reuben
- Le Grand pardon II (1992) - Emilio
- Linda Sara (1994) - Doctor Baez
- "New York Undercover" in episode: "Missing" November 3, 1994
- "Law & Order" playing "Camacho" in episode: "Coma" September 28, 1994
- "All My Children" (1970) TV Series - Hector Santos (1994-1998)
- "Los Diaz de DorisLos Diaz de Doris-Synopsis:Los Diaz de Doris is the fictional story of "Doris Diaz", a divorced mother of two who is an executive in a San Juan building....
" (1999) - Rodolfo
Later years
Dávila lived in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 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
Chayanne
Elmer Figueroa Arce , best known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo-albums and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.-Early life:...
and Dayanara Torres
Dayanara Torres
Dayanara Torres Delgado is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, model, and former Miss Universe.Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown, and was invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico pageant. She won the pageant and the right...
), Milagro en Yauco and Los Diaz de Doria.
Raúl Dávila died on January 2, 2006, at his home in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. On January 6, 2006, New York Democratic Congressman José Serrano
José Serrano
José Enrique Serrano is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
released a statement to be submitted to the Congressional Record honoring Dávila.