Film Acting with Modesto L.

I’m a film, television, theater and radio actor and producer with a history of 25 years of uninterrupted work in Puerto Rico, the United States, Spain and Colombia. I began working professionally as a teenager and continued on to the Drama Department of the University of Puerto Rico, graduating with honors. I studied classical theater, physical theater and dance, and I’m fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French. I lived in New York City for 8 years, working with The Public Theater and Circle in the Square. Welcomed by the Latino theater circuit of the city, I received several recognitions by HOLA Awards, ACE and ATI. I also hold a certificate in Arts Administration from NYU’s School of Continuing Studies. My commitment to the Puerto Rican film industry has led me to work in more than thirty films in the island. Some include: Animal, alongside Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard; Back in the Day, as acting coach for actor/rapper Ja Rule; Sol de Medianoche; El chata; Angélica; and Fistful of Dirt, the first Puerto Rican film invited to the Telluride Film Festival. I’ve had the opportunity to play important roles of historical figures, such as composer Rafael Hernández and the legendary baseball player Roberto Clemente, a role I successfully reprised in the short film 3,000. Other theater credits include: Godspell, Hamlet, Medea and Infinito enquanto dure. One of my most important roles was my interpretation of Pedro Knight (Celia Cruz’ husband) in the hit Off-Broadway play Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz; which ran for over a year and traveled to cities such as Miami and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. I reprised Pedro Knight, from his early years this time, in the TV series Celia, produced by Fox Telecolombia and Telemundo, released in 2015. Celia has enjoyed great international success, and can currently be streamed on Netflix. Likewise, one of my most-awarded performances is in La esclava blanca, the top-rated telenovela for Caracol TV, Colombia (2016). La esclava blanca has been sold to 28 countries, including Poland, the United States, South Africa, Panama and Puerto Rico. Netflix has also acquired streaming rights. My latest project is the biographical television series based on the life of reggaeton singer Nicky Jam, El Ganador, produced by Telemundo and Netflix. My acting workshops has been sold out everytime and students have started to work steadily after classes.