Veteran film, TV and voice actor Kamar de los Reyes, best known for his portrayal of Antonio Vega on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live, and as the villain Raul Menendez in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II, died Sunday in Los Angeles after a brief battle with cancer, a rep for the family confirmed to Deadline. He was 56.
Born in Puerto Rico but raised in Las Vegas, de los Reyes moved to Los Angeles in the late ’80s to begin an acting career which spanned the next 30+ years. In 1994, de los Reyes originated the role of Pedro Quinn in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway play, Blade to the Heat, which led to the role of Ferdinand in George C. Wolfe’s Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest. From there, he went on to work alongside big names such as Oliver Stone in Nixon, Angelina Jolie in Salt and Jennifer Lopez in The Cell.
De los Reyes starred in the 1994 syndicated drama series Valley of the Dolls. The next year, he did a three-episode arc on NBC’s ER and joined One Life To Live where he played former gang member-turned-attorney and police officer Antonio Vega over 14 years with a brief departure in the late 1990s.
The performance earned him five ALMA Award nominations and a win in 2008 as well as an Image Award nomination. He also was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Special Fan Award, America’s Favorite Couple, in 2002 alongside his future wife, actress Sherri Saum.
De los Reyes’ other signature character, Raul Menendeza, a Nicaraguan drug lord and leader of a terrorist organization, is the primary antagonist of the 2012 Call of Duty: Black Ops II and 2013 Call Of Duty: Strike Team. He reprised the role in the 2018 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and the 2022 Call Of Duty: Vanguard and Call Of Duty: Warzone, providing voice acting and the motion-captured body acting for the popular video game franchise.
Alongside his lengthy tenure on One Life To Live, de los Reyes did a number of guest stints on primetime drama series, including playing a gang leader in the two-part Season 3 finale of Blue Bloods and appearances on SEAL Team, MacGyver, The Gifted, Shooter, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, CSI: Miami, The Mentalist, Touched By an Angel and Early Edition. He also starred opposite Annabeth Gish and fellow soap star Daniel Cosgrove in the 2001 TV movie The Way She Moves.
His feature work also included the 2005 film Love and Suicide, 2015’s Cayo, L.A. Apocalypse in 2015 and most recently 2017’s Amelia 2.0.
More recently, de los Reyes had a major recurring role on Season 4 of Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, playing demon Jobe. More recently, he did an arc on Seasons 3-4 of ABC’s The Rookie as Detective Caradine and has been recurring on the CW’s All American as Coastal California University’s Coach Montes.
At the time of his death, de los Reyes was filming All American and had recently shot roles in Hulu’s upcoming limited series Washington Black, starring Sterling K. Brown, and a significant role in Marvel’s upcoming Daredevil series on Disney+.
De los Reyes lived in Los Angeles, however, his heart never left Puerto Rico. After the devastation of Hurricane Maria, de los Reyes played an active role in the recovery efforts of his beloved home.
He is survived by his wife, Sherri Saum; sons Caylen (26) and twins Michael and John (9); his brothers Daniel and Walfredo, Jr; his sisters Lily and Ilde; his mother Matilde and his father Walfredo.