YUL VAZQUEZ Actor/musician

YUL VAZQUEZ was trailblazing alongside the likes of JENNIFER LOPEZ, SALMA HAYEK and ANTONIO BANDERAS long before the hot "Latin" trend exploded into the foreground of pop music and movies. Moving quickly from his hometown of Miami into the big leagues, VAZQUEZ has worked with both Hollywood royalty and New York television luminaries, such as JULIA ROBERTS, CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, RICHARD GERE, and JERRY SEINFELD, among others.

Born in Havana, Cuba to a doctor and an actress, YUL VAZQUEZ arrived in Miami Beach as a little boy in the mid-1960's and began acting at an early age. However, at that early stage in his career, his real interest was music. He taught himself how to play the drums and the guitar, and by the time he was 15 years old he was playing in his first rock band and acting in various local productions.

After a few years of playing with various bands in Miami, VAZQUEZ moved to New York City to pursue other music opportunities. He soon joined a band called DIVING FOR PEARLS. After the band was offered a contract with Epic Records, they recorded their first album and toured extensively. Upon his return to New York to begin pre-production on a second album, Yul had a chance meeting with a talent agent who would soon re-direct his career.

While still playing with DIVING FOR PEARLS, VAZQUEZ began studying with legendary acting teacher William Esper. A few months into his studies with Esper, Yul was offered his first acting job as Flaco, a member of ARMAND ASSANTE and ANTONIO BANDERAS' band, in THE MAMBO KINGS. Faced with the decision of choosing between his music and acting career at this point, Yul chose film. After spending three months in Los Angeles shooting THE MAMBO KINGS, Yul returned to New York and resumed his studies with William Esper, completing a two year acting program, and accepting roles in some of the hottest films on the market.

Yul's career as an actor has taken him to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Los Angeles, New York and many points in between. He has worked in film, television, and theater with some of the best directors, actors, writers, and tattoo artists in the business. Some projects of particular interest include:

TALES FROM THE CRYPT- directed by Academy Award winner William Friedkin, written by Larry Wilson (best known for the films "Beetlejuice" and "The Addams Family"). Yul's history as a musician served him well in this lead role of a tormented rock star.

RUNAWAY BRIDE- starring JULIA ROBERTS and RICHARD GERE directed by Garry Marshall. Yul plays Gill, Julia's guitar playing, dead head, auto mechanic ex-fiancé. A red rose was painted on his chest for a pivotal scene between Yul, Julia, and Gere.

FRESH- as Chillie in Boaz Yakin's critically acclaimed film starring Samuel L. Jackson BITTER HARVEST- made for the BBC, shot on location in the Dominican Republic, Yul plays Luis, the central character in this powerful tale of the enslavement of Haitian cane cutters by Dominican sugar officials.

NICK OF TIME- starring JOHNNY DEPP and CHRISTOPHER WALKEN, directed by John Badham ("Saturday Night Fever"), Yul plays Gustino, a hotel worker instrumental in helping Depp evade the villainous character played by Walken.

SEINFELD- Yul appears in many episodes of this show as the recurring character Bob, the intimidating gay guy. In the famous Soup Nazi episode, Yul and his partner traumatize Kramer when they steal Elaine's armoire from him on the street. Later episodes include confrontations between Yul and Kramer at the New York AIDS Walk and the Puerto Rican Day Parade. THE

FLOATING ISLAND PLAYS- a collection of 4 plays written by Cuban-born playwright Eduardo Machado. Presented as one 6-hour epic at the Mark Taper Forum, one of the premiere regional theaters in the United States, THE FLOATING ISLAND PLAYS follows the journey of a Cuban family over 100 years, starting in the late 1800's. This play marked the first of many collaborations between Yul and Eduardo Machado, including various productions of Machado's work in Los Angeles and New York.

TRAFFIC- starring MICHAEL DOUGLAS, CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, DENNIS QUAID, BENICIO DEL TORO, SELMA HAYEK and BENJAMIN BRATT directed by Steven Soderbergh ("Erin Brockovich", "Sex, Lies, and Videotape"). Yul plays Tigrillo, Benjamin Bratt's conscience-free right hand man in the Tijuana drug cartel. In a scene with Zeta-Jones, Tigrillo (Yul) holds her 5- year old son in his arms and threatens to snap his neck if she does not pay back her husband's debt.

When Yul's not working on film or television projects, he keeps himself busy in the theater. The plays he has recently done include "Lenin's Omelet" at New York Performance Works, "The Merchant of Venice," and "When it's Cocktail Time in Cuba," at the Cherry Lane theater in New York. He is currently working on the production of "King Lear" at the above named theater.

YUL VAZQUEZ is currently living in New York City.

Contact: Angela Rodriguez , Elka Peterson Malin