Cristian De La Fuente life and biography

Cristian de la Fuente is a Chilean-American actor.

De la Fuente was born in Santiago, Chile, as the only child of chemist Hugo de la Fuente (died 1996) and Adriana Sabarots, a homemaker of French descent. He served in the Chilean Air Force reserve prior to attending the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he pursued a degree in civil engineering. While still a sophomore, de la Fuente was discovered by a talent scout and encouraged to enter the country's Super Teen contest, which he won. This was soon followed by roles in several telenovelas, including Eclipse de Luna (Canal 13, 1997), as well as a stint as host of Chile's top-rated variety series, Venga Conmigo (Canal 13, 1995-2002).

De la Fuente is also an officer and a pilot in the Chilean Air Force Reserves, Acrobatic Squadron.

An ex-Chilean television actor who continued to make a name for himself in American film and television, Cristián De la Fuente first gained recognition as law clerk Andres Diaz in the stateside television series 'Family Law' (1999-2001), in which he nabbed an ALMA nod in 2000. He achieved even more attention and became famous for his starring portrayal of Matt Gallagher in the independent thriller Minimal Knowledge (2002), for which he took home an Ajijic International Film Festival Award. Other movies he has starred in include the Sylvester Stallone racing drama Driven (2001), John Carpenter's Vampires: Los Muertos (2002, with Jon Bon Jovi), director John McTiernan's Basic (2003, starred John Travolta), Once Upon a Wedding (2005) and Sueño (2005).

A regular performance in television series CSI: Miami (2003-2004), De la Fuente is currently appearing as Aaron in CBS's comedy series 'The Class' (2006), opposite Lizzy Caplan, Heather Goldenhersh, Jon Bernthal and Andrea Anders, among others. He is also set to play Rafael Ramirez in the forthcoming television film In Plain Sight (2006).

Regardless of his frantic schedule, 6" 2' tall De la Fuente still finds time to chase his favorite hobbies and interest. A daring athlete, he likes tennis, golf, boxing, skiing and weight training. He is a fluent English and Spanish speaker, a licensed pilot, as well as a former officer in the Reserves for the Chilean Air Force.

Cristián De la Fuente was discovered by a talent scout while attending college in his native country, Chile. The winner of Chile's next Super Teen contest then acted in variety shows and soap operas in Chile, including starring as Román Celis in Eclipse de Luna (1997) and in the Chile No. 1 rated variety program Venga Conmigo/ Come with Me (1995-1997), before moving to Mexico to have a leading role in the hit television series Reyes y Rey in 1998.

De la Fuente's opportunity to break into Hollywood industry arrived a year later, when he landed a guest role as Sgt. Dominguez in an episode of Pensacola: Wings of Gold, starring James Brolin. It was followed by a regular appearance in the wonderful television series Family Law, where the good-looking Latino portrayed law clerk Andres Diaz from 1999 to 2001. For his bright work, de la Fuente received a 2000 ALMA nomination for Emerging Actor in a Drama Series. The actor further increased his American popularity by costarring with Sylvester Stallone and Burt Reynolds in the racing drama Driven (2001), which also marked De la Fuente’s big screen debut.

The former Mexican television performer scored a huge breakthrough when he was cast in the starring role of Matt Gallagher, opposite Izabella Miko, in the independent thriller Minimal Knowledge (2002), directed and written by Gregory J. Corrado. Delivering a luminous performance, De la Fuente picked up an Ajijic International Film Festival for Best Male Actor. The same year, he also found himself acting opposite his idol, singer-turned-actor Jon Bon Jovi, in the horror/thriller feature John Carpenter's Vampires: Los Muertos. The film, however, was a bit of a disappointment. During that same period, he co-starred with Rhyon Nicole Brown in the short-lived television series Hidden Hills.

2003 found De la Fuente play supporting role in the John McTiernan-directed Basic, which starred John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, and co-star as Sam Belmontes in 2002's series CSI: Miami, a role he maintained until 2004. The next year, he teamed up with Kim Delaney and Kyle Secor for the drama made-for-television film Infidelity. Keeping on his busy work, he then undertook supporting parts in features Once Upon a Wedding (2005) and the John Leguizamo vehicle Sueño (2005), as well as appeared as Felipe Reyes Retana in Spanish-language television series Soñar no cuesta nada, that same year.

Recently, De la Fuente had a recurring role in the acclaimed comedy series One on One (2006), which received a 2003 Image nod for Outstanding Comedy Series, and co-host the musical TV show Premios juventud 2006. He is now playing Aaron in the CBS sitcom The Class, which debuted in September. Among his costars in the show are Lizzy Caplan, Heather Goldenhersh, Jon Bernthal and Andrea Anders. Additionally, De la Fuente has completed a television film, In Plain Sight (2006), where he was cast as Rafael Ramirez.

Filmography:

2009 : Corazón Salvaje
2010-11 : Private Practice
2011 : The Nine Lives of Chloe King

Awards:
- Ajijic International Film Festival: Individual Achievement- Best Male Actor, Minimal Knowledge, 2002

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