| Wade Domínguez | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 10, 1966 Santa Clara County, California |
| Died | August 26, 1998 (aged 32) Los Angeles, California |
Wade Domínguez (May 10, 1966 - August 26, 1998) was an US actor, model, singer, and dancer best known for his role as Emilio Ramírez in Dangerous Minds.
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Domínguez was born in Santa Clara County, California. In 1985, he graduated from Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill. He worked as a go go dancer for several years and became a fixture on the nightclub scene. He also sold clothes at the Beverly Center Mall where he was spotted by a photographer and soon began a modelling career.
He moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and enrolled in classes taught by former Oscar-Nominee Jeannie Berlin. Berlin's mother, the famous writer-director performer Elaine May was so impressed with Domínguez's work in class, that she began recommending him for roles.
While he was on modelling duties in Italy, Domínguez landed a small acting role in an American soap opera. His first real role in a movie came in 1994 when he appeared in an erotic film called Erotique directed by Lizzie Borden, that focused on female phone sex workers. In 1995, Domínguez landed a role in the box office hit Dangerous Minds-co-written by Elaine May-in which he played opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, as a troubled teenager in school who is caught up with drugs, violence, and gang troubles in the ghetto and who was ultimately killed.
Following the success of Dangerous Minds, Domínguez next played the role of a thief in City of Industry. He also had a lead role as a rookie policeman in The Taxman and a supporting role in Shadow of Doubt, where he played opposite Melanie Griffith and Tom Berenger, as a hip-hop artist who is accused of murder.
On August 26, 1998, Domínguez died of respiratory failure at Midway Hospital at the age of 32.
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Erotique | Dream Sequence Lover | Appeared on (segment "Let's Talk About Love") |
| 1995 | Dangerous Minds | Emilio Ramírez | |
| 1997 | City of Industry | Jorge Montana | |
| 1998 | The Taxman | Joseph Romero | |
| Shadow of Doubt | Bobby Medina |