William Levy (actor) facts for kids
William Gutiérrez-Levy (born August 29, 1980) is a Cuban-American actor and former model. He is well-known for his roles in many popular telenovelas and films.
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Early Life and Education
William Levy was born in Cojimar, Cuba. He was raised by his mother, Barbara Levy. His family, including his brother and sister, moved to Miami, Florida, when he was 14 years old.
He went to Barbara Goleman Senior High School in Miami Lakes. After high school, he studied business administration at St. Thomas University for two years. He had a scholarship for baseball. Later, he moved to Los Angeles to study acting. He also continued his acting lessons in Miami and Mexico City.
William Levy's Acting Career
Before becoming an actor, William Levy worked as a model for Next Models agency. He also appeared on two reality TV shows called Isla de la Tentación and Protagonistas de Novela 2.
In 2005, he acted in a play called La Nena Tiene Tumbao in Puerto Rico. His first role on the Spanish-language channel Univision was in the show Olvidarte Jamás. He then appeared in Mi Vida Eres Tu and Acorralada.
Breakthrough in Telenovelas
In 2008, William Levy starred in his first movie, Retazos de Vida. That same year, he got a big break in Mexican telenovelas. He was chosen by producer Carla Estrada to star in Pasión.
Televisa then cast him as the main character in Cuidado con el Angel. He starred alongside actress Maite Perroni. This show was very popular, with about 5 million viewers each night in the United States.
In 2009, Levy starred with Jacqueline Bracamontes in Sortilegio. The final episode of Sortilegio had 6.6 million viewers. This was more than other major TV channels at that time.
Voice Acting and Music Videos
In November 2009, William Levy lent his voice to the Spanish version of the animated movie Planet 51. The movie won an award for the best animated Spanish-language film of 2009.
He also toured several Mexican cities with the play Un Amante a la Medida. This play later toured in the United States.
In 2011, Levy starred as Jennifer Lopez's love interest in her music video "I'm Into You". This video was shown on NBC's Today show.
Dancing with the Stars and Other Roles
In 2012, William Levy was a contestant on the TV show Dancing with the Stars. He danced with professional partner Cheryl Burke. They finished in third place.
He also appeared in two episodes of the VH1 TV series Single Ladies. In 2013, he played Captain Damian Fabre in the telenovela La Tempestad.
Variety magazine recognized William Levy as one of the Top 10 Latino Actors and Actresses in Hollywood.
He continued to act in films like Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club (2014) and The Veil (2017). In 2018, he played Mateo Ferrera in the Fox TV series Star.
More recently, in 2021, Levy returned to telenovelas in Café con aroma de mujer. In 2023, he starred in and produced the Telemundo telenovela Vuelve a mí.
Personal Life
William Levy is a naturalized citizen of the United States. He has two children with actress Elizabeth Gutiérrez: a son, Christopher Alexander, born in 2006, and a daughter, Kailey Alexandra, born in 2010. In April 2024, Elizabeth Gutiérrez shared that they had separated.
Name Change
William Levy was born as William Gutiérrez Levy. He decided to use "Levy" as his main last name. Levy is his mother's last name.
Activism and Charity Work
William Levy is involved in charity work. He volunteers his time to help fix houses for families with low incomes in Mexico. He does this as part of the "Alianzas que Construyen" program by the Televisa Foundation.
Dancing with the Stars Performances
William Levy was a contestant on ABC's Dancing With The Stars in season 14. He partnered with two-time champion Cheryl Burke.
Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
1 | Cha-Cha-Cha/ "International Love" | 8 | 8 | 8 | No Elimination |
2 | Quickstep/ "Nice Work If You Can Get It" | 9 | 7 | 9 | Safe |
3 | Salsa/ "La Vida es un Carnaval" | 9 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
4 | Jive/ "We're Not Gonna Take It" | 7 | 7 | 8 | Safe |
5 | Argentine Tango/ "Buttons" | 10 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
6 | Rumba/ "Being with You" Motown Marathon |
9 Awarded |
8 9 |
10 Points |
Safe |
7 | Viennese Waltz/ "Ave Maria" Team Paso Doble/ "O Fortuna" |
9 9 |
9 8 |
9 9 |
Safe |
8 | Foxtrot/ "Stray Cat Strut" Paso Doble (Trio Challenge)/ "Diablo Rojo" |
10 9 |
10 9 |
10 9 |
Safe |
9 Semi-finals |
Tango/ "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" Samba/ "Magalenha" |
9 10 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
Safe |
10 Finals |
Cha-Cha-Cha/ "Raise Your Glass" Freestyle/ "Objection (Tango)" Salsa (24-hour Challenge)/ Juventud de Presente |
10 10 10 |
10 9 10 |
10 10 10 |
Third Place |
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Retazos de Vida | Thiago | |
2009 | Planet 51 | Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker | Voice role |
2014 | The Single Moms Club | Manny | |
2014 | Addicted | Quinton Canosa | |
2016 | Term Life | Alejandro | |
2016 | Resident Evil: The Final Chapter | Christian | |
2017 | A Change of Heart | Carlos | |
2017 | The Veil | Warrior | Lead role |
2017 | Girls Trip | Himself | Cameo |
2017 | Cinderelo | Brando | |
2018 | El fantasma de mi novia | Chepa | Lead role |
2019 | En Brazos de un Asesino (Killing Sarai) | Victor Faust | Lead role |
2021 | South Beach Love | Tony Sanchez | Lead role |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Mi vida eres tú | Federico | |
2006 | Olvidarte jamás | Germán Torre | |
2007 | Acorralada | Larry Irázabal | 187 episodes |
2007 | Pasión | Vasco Darién | |
2008 | Plaza Sésamo | Himself | Episode: "El problemón" |
2008–2009 | Cuidado con el ángel | Juan Miguel San Román Bustos / Pablo Cisneros | Lead role; 194 episodes |
2009 | Sortilegio | Alejandro Lombardo | Lead role; 90 episodes |
2010 | Mujeres asesinas | Fonsi / Conde Alfonso de Jesús Ruiz Machado y Ortigoza | Episode: "Annette y Ana, Nobles" |
2010-2011 | Triunfo del amor | Maximiliano Sandoval | Lead role; 172 episodes |
2012 | Dancing with the Stars | Himself | Contestant |
2012 | Single Ladies | Antonio | 4 episodes |
2013 | La Tempestad | Damián Fabré | Lead role; 122 episodes |
2014 | Miss Universe 2014 | Judge | TV special |
2018-2019 | Star | Matteo Ferrera | Main role |
2021 | Café con aroma de mujer | Sebastián Vallejo | Lead role |
2023 | Montecristo | Alejandro Montecristo | Lead role Also producer |
2023–2024 | Vuelve a mí | Santiago Zepeda | Lead role Also producer |
Year | Artist | Title |
---|---|---|
2011 | Jennifer Lopez | "I'm Into You" |
Theater Performances
- Un amante a la medida (2009–10)
Awards and Nominations
Premios Bravo
Year | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Best Newcomer | Pasión | Won |
2010 | Best Actor | Sortilegio | Won |
Premios Juventud
Year | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | My Favorite Actor | Cuidado con el ángel | Won |
2010 | My Favorite Actor | Sortilegio | Won |
2011 | My Favorite Actor | Triunfo del amor | Won |
2014 | My Favorite Actor | La Tempestad | Won |
Premios TVyNovelas
Year | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Best Actor | Sortilegio | Nominated |
Califa de Oro
Year | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Best Actor | Triunfo del amor | Won |
Premios Casandra
Year | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Revelation Image | Triunfo del amor | Won |
People en Español
Year | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Best Couple (with Maite Perroni) | Cuidado con el ángel | Nominated |
Best Actor | Nominated | ||
2010 | Best Actor | Sortilegio | Nominated |
Best Couple (with Jacqueline Bracamontes) | Nominated | ||
Best Dressed of the Year | William Levy | Nominated | |
2011 | Best Couple (with Maite Perroni) | Triunfo del amor | Won |
Best Actor | Nominated | ||
Best Dressed of the Year | William Levy | Nominated | |
2012 | King of Twitter | Nominated | |
2013 | Best Actor | La Tempestad | Nominated |
Best Couple (with Ximena Navarrete) | Nominated | ||
Most Social Media Active | William Levy | Nominated | |
William Levy, Airplane Pilot | Nominated |
Lists and Recognition
- 2011: He was included in People en Español magazine's list of the 50 most handsome men.
- 2009: People en Español named him as one of "Los 25 hombres más guapos" (25 most handsome men).
- 2009: People en Español also named him as one of "Los 50 más bellos" (50 most beautiful people).
- 2008: People en Español named him as one of "Los 50 más bellos" (50 most beautiful people).
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: William Levy para niños