Raul Davila
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Raul Davila (September 15, 1931 – January 2, 2006) born in San Juan, Puerto Rico was an actor, who is best remembered for his role of Hector Santos in the American soap opera "All My Children".
Davila received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. 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 Masters Degree in Dramatic Arts from the Pasadena Playhouse in California.
In 1957, Davila 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 and Mario Pabon. After six years with Telemundo, Davila decided to try his luck in the United States and moved to New York City.
He arrived in the city on November 23, 1963, the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. At first it was difficult for Davila 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 Raul Julia and Miriam Colon, 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 World), "De tu a tu con Raul", "Realidades" (Reality) and "The Puerto Rican New Yorker".
On various occasions, Davila presided over "HOLA", an organization which he co-founded with actor Raul Julia. The organizations goal is to celebrate Latino achievements in the field of entertainment. Davila began making appearances on some of the popular T.V. 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.
Davila 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 Sanchez' presentation of "O casi el alma", both in Spanish and English.
In 1985, Davila returned to the island to film La Gran Fiesta, a film produced and directed by Jacobo Morales. In 1987, he made his official movie debut in the United States, in the film The Believers alongside actor Martin Sheen. In the states, Davila also participated in the following soap operas: The Guiding Light, The Doctors and All My Children, 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 Doris" (1999) - Rodolfo
Davila 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 Doria.
Raul Davila died on January 2, 2006, at his home in Newark, New Jersey from a heart attack. On January 6, 2006, New York Democratic Congressman Jose Serrano released a statement to be submitted to the Congressional Record honoring Davila.
