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Wilson Cruz

Best known for his role as Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, the troubled gay teen on the short-lived but popular television series My So-Called Life, Wilson knows first-hand the many struggles and hardships that face young gay, lesbian, and bisexual, (GLBT) people as they struggle to come to terms with their sexuality and the reactions of their families, friends, and society at large.

At 19, Cruz came out to his parents, first to his mother and then his father. While his mother was initially hurt and shocked, she eventually accepted the news. His father, however, threw him out of the house, and he spent the next few months living in his car and at the homes of friends. Cruz eventually reconciled with his father.

After coming out to his parents, Cruz went to Hollywood to seek work as an openly gay young actor. While many gay and lesbian performers had come out later in their careers, he wanted to see if he could be out from the beginning and still make it as an actor. His strategy paid off in 1994, when he was cast in My So-Called Life. In one episode drawn from his own life, "Rickie" came out to his parents and was violently thrown out of the house.

Following My So-Called Life's cancellation, Cruz went on to play J. Edgar Hoover's servant Joaquin in Oliver Stone's film Nixon and had a small role in the television movie On Seventh Avenue. In 1996, he appeared with David Arquette as Mikey in johns, about the daily (or nightly) struggles of male prostitutes. In 1998, he portrayed Angel in the Broadway production of RENT, and in 2000 played Victor during the final season of Party of Five.

Cruz's other acting credits include the films Joyride (1996), All Over Me (1997), Supernova (2000), and Party Monster (2003); the television film The Perfect Pitch (2002); and guest appearances on the series Great Scott!, Sister, Sister, ER, Ally McBeal, West Wing and Noah's Arc. Most recently, Cruz starred as Adrian in the film Ode (2007) based on the novel "Ode to Lata" by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla.