Ramario Xolo Ramirez (born June 9, 2001), known professionally as Xolo Maridueña[1] (Spanish: [ˈʃolo maɾiˈðweɲa]), is an American actor. His roles include Victor Graham in the NBC drama Parenthood (2012–2015), Miguel Diaz in the Netflix action series Cobra Kai (2018–2025), and Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle in the DC Comics superhero film Blue Beetle (2023).
Xolo Maridueña | |
|---|---|
 Maridueña in 2024 | |
| Born | Ramario Xolo Ramirez June 9, 2001 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Early life
editMaridueña was born on June 9, 2001 in Los Angeles, California to Omar G. Ramirez and Carmelita Ramirez-Sánchez.[2][3] He has four sisters.[4] He is of Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian descent.[5] His birth name, Ramario, is a combination of Ramón and Mario, the names of his maternal uncles.[1]
Maridueña grew up in the El Sereno neighborhood and attended El Sereno Middle School.[3][6] When he was around 10 years old, Maridueña joined the CASA 0101 theater company where he trained as an actor and performed in his first productions.[3][7] He later studied at Cathedral High School and Pasadena City College.[6][8]
Career
editMaridueña's first professional job was modeling for a Sears catalog.[4] He was 17 when he first appeared in Cobra Kai as the lead role of Miguel Díaz; he has since appeared in every episode of the show.[9]
Together with Jacob Bertrand, Maridueña co-hosts the Lone Lobos podcast, which debuted in September 2021.[10]
Maridueña has said of his role as Blue Beetle (the first Latino superhero character to feature in a live-action film)[11] "The only thing that is on my mind right now is just the fact that he's Latino. I have so much pride in getting to be a part of this project... I think it's so important, and I don’t want to stand on the soapbox for too long but representation is so important."[12][13]
On August 18, 2023, Maridueña released his debut single, "On My Way" (featuring singer Adriana Padilla).[14][15] In December 2023, he was cast in the film Killing Castro.[16]
In April 2024, Maridueña joined the ensemble voice cast of the animated film The Smurfs Movie.[17] In September 2024, he appeared in a commercial for Taco Bell.[18] Maridueña appeared in an episode of J Balvin's docuseries A Great Day With J Balvin in October 2024.[19]
Personal life
editWorks
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Dealin' with Idiots | Manny | |
| 2020 | Goodnight America | Steve | Short film |
| 2021 | #Whitina | Chris | Short film |
| 2023 | Plane | Unidentified Passenger | |
| Blue Beetle | Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle | ||
| 2025 | The Smurfs Movie | TBA | Voice; in production |
| TBA | Killing Castro | TBA | In production |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–2015 | Parenthood | Victor Graham | Guest (season 3), main (seasons 4–6) |
| 2013 | Major Crimes | Stefan Camacho | Episode: "Rules of Engagement" |
| 2016 | Mack & Moxy | Trooper Xolo | Episode: "S.T.E.M. Strong" |
| Rush Hour | Isaiah | Episode: "Captain Cole's Playlist" | |
| Furst Born | Shawn | Television film | |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks | Boy (1956) | Episode: "Part 8" |
| 2018 | Noches con Platanito | Himself | Game show |
| 2018–present | Cobra Kai | Miguel Diaz | Main role |
| 2019–2022 | Victor and Valentino | Andres | Voice |
| 2019–2021 | Cleopatra in Space | Zaid | Voice |
| 2020 | Fast & Furious Spy Racers | Lucas | Voice |
| 2021 | Wu-Tang: An American Saga | King Tech | Episode: "As High as Wu-Tang Gets" |
| The Netflix Afterparty | Himself | Episode: "Cobra Kai" | |
| 2022 | The Boys Presents: Diabolical | Aqua Agua | Voice, episode: "An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents" |
| 2022–present | Batwheels | Snowy the Snowcrawler | Voice |
| 2024 | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur | Kid Kree / Mel-Varr | Voice |
| Primos | TBA | Voice[22] | |
| A Great Day With J Balvin | Himself | Episode: "Crate Digging with Xolo Maridueña" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cobra Kai 2: Dojos Rising | Miguel Diaz |
Discography
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2023 | "On My Way" (feat. Adriana Padilla) |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Imagen Awards | Best Young Actor/Television | Parenthood | Nominated |
| Young Artist Awards | Outstanding Young Ensemble in a TV Series | Won | ||
| Best Performance in a TV Series - Supporting Young Actor | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Imagen Awards | Best Young Actor/Television | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Cobra Kai | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer TV Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Streaming Series or Film: Teen Actor | Nominated | |
| 2022 | NHMC Impact Awards | Rising Star Impact Award[23] | Cobra Kai | Won |
| 2024 | Saturn Awards | Best Younger Actor in a Film | Blue Beetle | Won |
References
edit- ^ a b Civita, Alicia (September 7, 2022). "Así hace historia en Hollywood Xolo Maridueña, el protagonista latino de 'Cobra Kai' y 'Blue Beatle'". Los Angeles Times (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
- ^ "Xolo Maridueña - Actor". TV Insider. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c "After 'Cobra Kai,' Xolo Maridueña is ready for his next challenge". Los Angeles Times. 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ a b "Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña Shares His "Firsts"". Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ "Xolo Maridueña". Martial Arts & Action Entertainment. April 25, 2018. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Molina, Alejandra (2023-08-20). "'None of us are as strong as all of us.' Xolo Maridueña's family, friends rally behind 'Blue Beetle'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Ponce, Kisai (2023-11-14). "What Latino Superhero Xolo Maridueña Eats on His Day Off in East LA". Thrillist. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Cullins, Ashley; Galuppo, Mia (2021-11-04). "Next Gen Talent 2021: The Hollywood Reporter's Rising Young Stars Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
- ^ "The Real Life Diet of Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña, Who Got a Crash Course in Karate". January 14, 2021. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (2021-09-14). "'Cobra Kai' Stars Xolo Maridueña and Jacob Bertrand to Launch New Podcast (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- ^ "'Cobra Kai' Star Xolo Maridueña Explains Season 4 Ending and Teases 'Blue Beetle' Movie". January 11, 2022. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ "'Cobra Kai' Star Xolo Maridueña on Being Cast as Blue Beetle for HBO Max: 'Representation is So Important'". August 4, 2021. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ "Blue Beetle' Star Xolo Maridueña Reflects on His DC Superhero Journey: 'It's Taken My Whole Life to Prepare for This Moment'". Variety.
- ^ Jackson, Angelique (2023-08-17). "'Blue Beetle' Star Xolo Maridueña Reflects on His DC Superhero Journey: 'It's Taken My Whole Life to Prepare for This Moment'". Variety. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
- ^ Wang, Jessica (2023-08-18). "Xolo Maridueña pays homage to '90s hip-hop on debut single 'On My Way'". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (2023-12-04). "Diego Boneta, Al Pacino, KiKi Layne And Xolo Maridueña Among Those Starring In 'Killing Castro' From Director Eif Rivera And Romulus Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (2024-04-11). "'The Smurfs Movie' Sets Starry Cast to Join Rihanna; Dave Bautista, Eric Nam Board 'Airbender' Franchise". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ "Taco Bell and Xolo Maridueña Help Bridge the Chicken Divide with the Cantina Chicken Menu". LBBOnline. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (2024-10-10). "See J Balvin Have a 'Great Day' With Demi Lovato, Jimmy Butler in Docuseries Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
- ^ "A Cobra Kai actor practices a religion that predicts the future". Market Research Telecast. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ @Xolo_Mariduena (August 25, 2018). "Hey. As a matter of fact, I am not Muslim (I practice The Ifa tradition) but appreciate and respect the teachings of the Prophet" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Liang, John (2024-06-26). "'Primos' — A Disney Cartoon About Growing Up In An Extended, Bicultural Family". www.cultursmag.com. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (August 31, 2022). "Impact Awards to Honor George and Mayan Lopez, Colman Domingo, Francia Raisa and Yvett Merino". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
External links
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