Wilson Cruz

Wilson Echevarría, known professionally as Wilson Cruz, was born on December 27, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York, to Puerto Rican parents. His family later relocated to Rialto, California, where he completed his high school education at Eisenhower High School in 1991. At the age of 19, Cruz came out as gay to his parents, a decision that initially led to him being asked to leave his family home. This personal experience would later inform much of his advocacy and professional work. He eventually reconciled with his father and moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career, committed to being open about his identity from the start.

Cruz achieved a significant milestone in 1994 when he was cast as Enrique “Rickie” Vasquez in the television series “My So-Called Life.” This role established him as the first openly gay actor to portray an openly gay character in a leading capacity on American series television, earning him a Viewers for Quality Television Award nomination. Following the show’s single season, Cruz maintained a consistent acting presence across various mediums. He appeared in films such as Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” (1995), where he played Joaquin, J. Edgar Hoover’s servant, and “Johns” (1996), portraying Mikey. On television, he had a recurring role as a nanny in the final season of “Party of Five” (1999-2000) and made guest appearances on shows like “ER,” “Ally McBeal,” and “The West Wing.” His stage career includes originating the role of Angel in the West Coast premiere of the musical “Rent,” a role he later reprised on Broadway, earning him Ovation and Drama Logue awards.

More recently, Cruz has been prominent in his role as Dr. Hugh Culber on the Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Discovery” (2017–2024), where his character was part of the franchise’s first on-screen same-sex kiss. He also appeared in Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” (2017–2019) and Hulu’s “The Bravest Knight” (2019), for which he voiced Prince Andrew. Cruz served as an executive producer for the Apple TV+ docuseries “Visible: Out on Television” (2020), which explored the portrayal of LGBTQ+ individuals on television. Beyond his acting and producing work, Cruz is a dedicated activist, serving on the board of GLSEN and as a national spokesperson for GLAAD. He is frequently recognized for his contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, receiving awards such as GLAAD’s Vito Russo Award (2022) and the Matthew Shepard Foundation’s Make A Difference Award (2022). In 2023, he became the new chair of the board of directors for GLSEN.