Lorenzo Lamas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorenzo Lamas
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Lamas in 2013
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Lorenzo Fernando Lamas
January 20, 1958 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969–present |
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| Children | 6, including AJ and Shayne |
| Parent(s) | Fernando Lamas Arlene Dahl |
Lorenzo Fernando Lamas (born January 20, 1958) is an American actor famous for his roles in popular television shows. He is best known for playing Lance Cumson in the 1980s TV drama Falcon Crest. His performance in the show earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Lamas is also well-known for starring as the hero Reno Raines in the action series Renegade. Younger audiences might know him as Dr. Hollywood on the Nickelodeon show Big Time Rush or as the voice of Meap on Phineas and Ferb. He also appeared in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful and was a judge on the TV show Are You Hot?.
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Early Life and Family
Lamas was born in Santa Monica, California. His parents were the famous Argentine actor Fernando Lamas and Norwegian-American actress Arlene Dahl. When Lamas was 11, his father married the movie star and swimmer Esther Williams.
Growing up, Lamas was friends with actress Jane Wyman, who would later play his grandmother on Falcon Crest. He grew up in California before moving to New York City as a teenager. In 1975, he graduated from the Admiral Farragut Academy in New Jersey.
Lamas began training in Taekwondo in 1979 and has earned black belts in several martial arts, including Shotokan Karate, Ju jitsu, and Aikido.
Acting Career
Lamas wanted to be an actor from a very young age. He started studying acting and got his first TV role in 1976. One of his first movie parts was a small role in the hit 1978 musical Grease, where he played a jock named Tom Chisum. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, he appeared in many TV shows, including Fantasy Island and The Love Boat.
Breakthrough with Falcon Crest
In 1981, Lamas landed the role of Lance Cumson in the popular TV show Falcon Crest. The show was a primetime soap opera, which is a type of drama series that follows the lives of a group of characters. Falcon Crest was a huge hit and was on the air for nine years. Lamas was the only actor to appear in all 227 episodes.
While on the show, Lamas also starred in the 1984 movie Body Rock. Although the movie was not a big success, a song he performed for the soundtrack, "Fools Like Me," became a hit single on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.
Action Hero and Later Roles
After Falcon Crest, Lamas became known as an action star. He used his martial arts skills in movies like the Snake Eater trilogy.
From 1992 to 1997, he starred in the TV series Renegade. He played Reno Raines, a police officer who is wrongly accused of a crime and becomes a bounty hunter. The show was very popular around the world and highlighted his love for Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
From 2004 to 2006, Lamas returned to soap operas, playing Hector Ramirez on The Bold and the Beautiful. He has also performed on stage in plays like The King and I and A Chorus Line. In 2015, he was a contestant on the reality TV show The Celebrity Apprentice.
In recent years, Lamas has also worked as a helicopter pilot, giving tours of the Grand Canyon and New York City.
Personal Life
Lorenzo Lamas has been married several times and has six children. Two of his children, A.J. Lamas and Shayne Lamas, have also become actors.
He had very close friendships with his Falcon Crest co-stars, especially Jane Wyman. He often said she was a major influence on his life and career. When she passed away in 2007, he said, "Next to my parents, Jane was the most influential person in my young career... I will miss her greatly."
In 2014, Lamas released his autobiography, a book about his life called Renegade at Heart.
See also
In Spanish: Lorenzo Lamas para niños
