Rafael Amaya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rafael Amaya
Amaya at the 2013 Alma Awards
Born	José Rafael Amaya Núñez (1977-02-28) 28 February 1977 (age 48) Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Partner(s)	Ana Layevska (2007–2010) Angélica Celaya (2010–2015)

José Rafael Amaya Núñez (born 28 February 1977) is a Mexican actor. He was born in Hermosillo, Mexico. He is well-known for playing a main character in the popular Telemundo series El Señor de los Cielos.

About Rafael Amaya

Rafael Amaya was born in Hermosillo, Mexico. When he was five years old, his family moved to Tecate, Baja California, where he grew up. As a teenager, he took classes in theater and music.

When he started college, he moved to San Diego, California to study. However, he left school before finishing. After college, he went back to Mexico to try to join a music group called the Palapa Band, but it didn't work out.

Amaya then decided to join the Centro de Educación Artística at Televisa. He tried to get into music again with another group, Garibaldi, and they recorded two albums.

Rafael Amaya's Acting Journey

After his music career, Rafael Amaya started acting in 2000. His first acting role was in the telenovela La casa en la playa. He played a character named Romualdo. People noticed his talent, and he started getting more acting offers.

In 2001, he played Cástulo in Sin pecado concebido. The next year, in 2002, he got his first main role in the telenovela Salomé. He played José Julián, one of Salomé's sons. This role helped him become a recognized actor and earned him two award nominations.

In 2003, he had another main role in the telenovela Amar otra vez. His first movie role was in 2004 in the film Desnudos. In 2006, he filmed Las dos caras de Ana in Miami, United States. He also appeared in the film Así del precipicio.

In 2008, he filmed the romantic comedy Amor letra por letra. He also took part in the film Me gustas tú, which honored the comedian Germán Valdés. He appeared in Enrique Iglesias's music video for the song "Lloro Por Ti".

In 2010, he played Julián García Correa in the Telemundo telenovela Alguien te mira. This was the first time Amaya played a challenging character in a telenovela. In 2011, he had a brief role in the popular telenovela La Reina del Sur, playing "El Guero." That same year, he traveled to Spain for two TV series, Hospital Central and Doctor Mateo, and the film La piel azul.

Becoming a Star (2013–Present)

After his time in Spain, Rafael Amaya took a break from acting for about a year and a half. In 2013, he joined the cast of the Hallmark Channel TV movie Meddling Mom, where he played Pablo.

In that same year, Telemundo chose him to play Aurelio Casillas in the super series El Señor de los Cielos. This series is based on a real-life story. His performance earned him the award for Favorite Lead Actor at the 2014 Premios Tu Mundo. He has won this award three times in a row at the Premios Tu Mundo ceremonies.

In 2014, he appeared in the short film Kiss of Vengeance and in the film Cantinflas, where he played Frank Sinatra. He also appeared in two episodes of the series Señora Acero as Aurelio Casillas. In 2015, he got his first main role in a film called Oro y polvo.

In 2016, he had a guest role in the American series Queen of the South, which was an adaptation of La Reina del Sur. He played Aurelio Casillas in this series too. In December 2016, he played Aurelio again in El Chema, which was a spin-off of El Señor de los Cielos.

Rafael Amaya has continued to play Aurelio Casillas in El Señor de los Cielos through its ninth season, which aired in 2024. He also had a guest role in the series Malverde: El Santo Patrón in 2021.

Personal Life

Amaya and Angélica Celaya at the 2013 Alma Awards

Rafael Amaya was in a relationship with actress Ana Layevska. They met in 2006 while working on the telenovela Las dos caras de Ana. In 2007, they made their relationship public and planned to get married, but they ended their relationship in 2010.

In 2010, after his relationship with Layevska ended, he confirmed he was dating actress Angélica Celaya. They met while working on the telenovela Alguien te mira. They got engaged in 2014 but ended their relationship in 2015.

Film and Television Roles

Rafael Amaya has appeared in many films and television shows. Here are some of them:

Films

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations

Rafael Amaya has been recognized for his acting with several awards and nominations.

See also

In Spanish: Rafael Amaya para niños