A Martinez facts for kids

Adolfo Larrue Martínez III (born September 27, 1948), known as A Martinez, is an American actor and singer. He is well-known for his roles in many TV shows, especially daytime soap operas. Some of his famous roles were in Santa Barbara, General Hospital, and Days of Our Lives. He also acted in popular TV dramas like L.A. Law and Longmire. Martinez has also appeared in movies such as The Cowboys (1972) and Ambulance (2022).

Early Life and School

A Martinez was born in Glendale, California. His family called him "A", "Little Adolfo", or "Little A" to tell him apart from his father and grandfather. Over time, "A" became the name he used professionally. His family background includes Mexican and Apache heritage from his father's side. From his mother's side, he has Piegan Blackfeet and Northern European roots.

Martinez went to Sunland Elementary School and Mt. Gleason Junior High School. There, he played youth softball and acted in many school plays. He graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga. In high school, he was part of a rock band and ran track. He first planned to study political science at UCLA, but he later decided to become an actor instead.

Acting Career

Martinez began his professional career when he was 12 years old as a singer. He even won a talent competition at the Hollywood Bowl. After college, he played semi-pro baseball for five seasons before focusing fully on acting.

Movies

Martinez has acted in several movies. Some of his early films include The Cowboys (1972) and Starbird & Sweet William (1973). Later, he appeared in Powwow Highway (1989) and She-Devil (1989). More recently, he was in Curse of Chucky (2013), Ambulance (2022), and Far Haven (2023).

TV Shows

Most of Martinez's acting work has been on television. In 1970, he appeared in the Bonanza episode "Gideon the Good". He also had a recurring role on All in the Family. In 1976, he played a bullfighter in an episode of Columbo. He was also in the mini-series Centennial in 1979.

From 1984 to 1992, Martinez played Cruz Castillo on the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara. This role made him very famous. He has also had important roles in prime-time TV shows like Profiler and L.A. Law.

In 2008, Martinez joined the cast of One Life to Live as Ray Montez. He also appeared in The Bold and the Beautiful as Dr. Ramon Montgomery in 2011 and 2012.

Since 2012, he has had a recurring role as Jacob Nighthorse in the TV series Longmire. From 2015 to 2017, and again in 2020, he played Eduardo "Eddie" Hernandez on Days of Our Lives. In 2022, Martinez was cast as Master Pakku in the Netflix live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender. In 2023, he played Sheriff Gordo Sena in the second season of Dark Winds.

Awards and Achievements

A Martinez has been nominated for many awards during his career. He has won several, including a Daytime Emmy Award. He also received a Red Nation Film Award of Excellence. For a short film he wrote called "Four Winds", he won Best Supporting Actor at the Red Dirt International Film Festival. He has also won three awards from the Soap Opera Digest Awards.

Personal Life

In 1981, A Martinez was briefly married to actress Mare Winningham. They divorced later that year. In 1982, he married Leslie Bryans. They have three children together: a son and two daughters. In 2014, he moved from Malibu to Thousand Oaks, California.

See also

In Spanish: A Martinez para niños