Biography

Ricky Robles Cruz has worked commercially and theatrically in his hometown of Puerto Rico and the US. He recently starred in the films Never Give Up and Lionsgate's Plane alongside a stellar cast led by Gerard Butler and Mike Colter.

For years, he performed comedies and children's plays in his hometown, creating a lasting impression as a comedic improv actor. As alumni, he volunteered at his university's theater company as an actor, acting coach, sound editor, and assistant director.

Later, alongside fellow actor friends including his wife, Rose Eshay, he founded the theater company Primera Llamada in 2016 for which they produced and wrote original work. Their vision was to create a safe and encouraging space for creatives, while bringing quality, socially-driven, refreshing work to their community. With Rose, he also wrote, produced, and performed in their original short film Aniversario, produced by Múcaro Pictures. Aniversario won the inaugural Best Short with a Social Message award in the 2022 Lusca Film Festival held in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

From a love of kids and a passion for teaching, Ricky studied education. He has a Bachelor's Degree in English Education and a Master's in Educational Leadership and Management from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, and he worked as a teacher and tutor to students from preschool to high school levels. In his classroom, Ricky incorporated theater, creativity, and visual arts, and strove to instill a strong sense of kindness, resilience, and independence within his students. Along this line, Ricky studied American Sign Language and believes in proper representation of the deaf and hard of hearing community. His desire to communicate with this community led him to practice ASL.

When not acting, Ricky loves to be involved in sports and plays with the Southern Softpaw League, a local softball league that supports animal shelters. Additionally, he practices all kinds of sports: paddleboard, volleyball, archery, tennis, basketball, kickboxing, and baseball. Having been born and raised on a tropical island, Ricky's a nature enthusiast who spends any warm (and not so warm) day hiking, going to the beach or the river, camping, and riding his bike. And to end the day, he'll find a local spot to dance Salsa, Merengue and Bachata with his wife, or borrow a guitar to play his favorite songs in Spanish or English...as long as the crowd sings too!
- IMDb mini biography by: Rose Eshay