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Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; December 27, 1973) is an American actor, known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life and a recurring character on Noah's Arc. As an openly gay person of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, he has served as an advocate for gay youth, especially gay youth of color. Wilson Cruz was born in Brooklyn, New York to parents of Afro-Puerto Rican descent. At age 19, Cruz came out to his parents as gay, 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... MORE

Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; December 27, 1973) is an American actor, known for playing Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life and a recurring character on Noah's Arc. As an openly gay person of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, he has served as an advocate for gay youth, especially gay youth of color. Wilson Cruz was born in Brooklyn, New York to parents of Afro-Puerto Rican descent. At age 19, Cruz came out to his parents as gay, 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 Cruz spent the next few months living in his car and at the homes of friends. He later reconciled with his father. After coming out to his parents, Cruz went to Hollywood to seek work as an actor, intending to be open about his sexuality from the beginning of his career. In 1994 he was cast as Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, a troubled gay teen, in the short-lived critically acclaimed cult classic TV series My So-Called Life. In one episode (entitled "So-Called Angels") drawn from Cruz's own life, Rickie comes out to his family, who throw him out of the house. Following My So-Called LESS