Daytime Favorite A Martinez Celebrates His Birthday

A Martinez is preparing to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Santa Barbara with a once-in-a-lifetime fan even on the high seas, but the actor certainly has another reason to be festive.

Happy Birthday, A Martinez

That’s because he was born on September 27, 1948, in Glendale, California, which means that this talented performer is turning 71 years old today! Christened Adolfo Larrue III, Martinez won a competition title at the Hollywood Bowl at the age of 12 which set him on his path to becoming a professional actor.

His first on-camera role was in the Hollywood film The Cowboys starring John Wayne and went on to appear in ten more big productions, including Once Upon A Scoundrel, Shoot the Sun Down, Walking the Edge, and She-Devil.

Despite some success at the box office, Martinez is mostly known for his television work. Among his many small-screen appearances was a recurring role on the CBS sitcom All in the Family, co-starring roles in The Young Pioneers, Born to the Wind, and Whiz Kids and guest spots on Columbo and Barney Miller.

In 1984, Martinez debuted on the NBC daytime drama Santa Barbara in the part of Cruz Castillo, an adventurer turned police officer. Later that year he would be paired opposite co-star Marcy Walker in a hugely popular love story.

The role of Cruz would earn Martinez a Daytime Emmy Award statuette for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series (1990) and he would remain with the show until 1992. He joined the cast of another daily serial in 1999 — this time it was ABC’s General Hospital – and he stayed there until 2002.

Subsequently, Martinez has appeared in three other daytime soap operas: One Life to Live, The Bold ad the Beautiful, and Days of Our Lives. His other television credits include starring roles in L.A. Law, Profiler and Longmire.

Soap Hub would like to wish A. Martinez a very happy birthday and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below.