Luis of Suddenly Susan

Background:

New York-born Harvard graduate Nestor Carbonell first struck gold on television when he co-starred as staff photographer Luis Rivera on the hit NBC sitcom starring Brooke Shields, "Suddenly Susan" (1996-2000), which won him two ALMA Awards in 1998 and 1999, both for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.

Afterwards, he had a recurring role as Peter Terrano (2000) in the Showtime dramatic series "Resurrection Blvd," co-starred as Batmanuel in the Fox comic book-based live-action series "The Tick" (2001), and starred as former Californian Congressman and lawyer Tom Montero in the CBS science fiction-legal drama "Century City" (2004).

Carbonell also played Jonas Rey (2004-2006), a local self-made billionaire and the husband to Rosa Blasi's Dr. Luisa "Lu" Magdalena Delgado, in the Lifetime medical drama "Strong Medicine," provided the voice of Señor Senior Jr. (2002-2007) in Disney Channel Emmy Award-winning animated series "Kim Possible," and co-starred as Frank Duque, Hector Elizondo's impulsive firstborn son, in the CBS serial drama "Cane" (2007). He now plays Dr. Richard Alpert, Ben's advisor who seems not to age, in the critically-acclaimed ABC survivor drama, "Lost."

On the wide screen, moviegoers could catch him starring in such films as "Jack the Dog" (2001), "The Laramie Project" (2002), "Manhood" (2003), "The Lost City" (2005), "Smokin' Aces" (2006), and "Killer Movie" (2008). He will next be seen in the upcoming Batman sequel, "The Dark Knight," and will provide his voice in the animated movie "Noah's Ark: The New Beginning."

The 5' 11" actor has been married to Australian actress Shannon Kenny since 2001 and is a proud father of two sons.

Nestor Gaston

Childhood and Family:

Born in New York, New York, on December 1, 1967, Nestor Gaston Carbonell was raised in more than a dozen places, including in Mexico, Venezuela, England, Florida, Connecticut, the Bahamas, and Spanish was actually his first language. His father worked for an international company and frequently had to move the family. He is active in the Cuban-American community and has held senior positions at Pepsi. He also fought in the Bay of Pigs and his brother was assassinated by Fidel Castro's forces. Nestor himself is one of many Overseers for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a leading non-sectarian international relief and Humanitarian aid organization based in the US.

After attending prep school, Nestor enrolled as an English major at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he first was exposed to performing as a freshman. He received his BA degree in 1990.

While working in the movie “Attention Shoppers” (2000), Nestor met Australian actress Shannon Kenny (born on May 26, 1971). The couple were married on January 3, 2001 in Sydney, Australia, and later have two sons, Rafael and Marco. Nestor and his family currently reside in Los Angeles.

Jack the Dog

Career:

Caught by the acting bug as an undergraduate at Harvard, Nestor Carbonell has starred in the Harvard productions of William Mastrosimone's “Extremities,” Arthur Miller's “A View from the Bridge,” “House of Games,” and William Shakespeare's “The Tempest.” He later starred in the off Broadway world premier of the two character play “A Silent Thunder and The Doctor is Out” at San Diego's Old Globe theater.

After receiving his BA degree from Harvard, Carbonell made his primetime TV acting debut with a guest spot in a November 1991 episode of NBC's police procedural and legal drama television series "Law & Order." He followed it up with more guest roles in an episode of FOX hit primetime soap opera "Melrose Place" and two episodes of NBC sitcom "A Different World," as well as an appearance in the mystery/drama TV movie "Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice" (1994), starring Louis Gossett Jr.

Carbonell starred as Gianni, a gigolo kept by older wealthy women, in the short-lived WB sitcom "Muscle" (1995; with Amy Pietz, Wendy Benson, Alan Ruck, and Michael Boatman) and made his first film with a 30-minute short romantic comedy directed by Jeff Fisher, "Garage Sale" (1996), alongside Claire Forlani.

In 1996, Carbonell scored his first big break when he snagged the regular role of Luis Rivera, the staff photographer, on the hit NBC sitcom starring Brooke Shields, "Suddenly Susan." He stayed on the show since its premiere on September 19, 1996 until its finale episode on December 26, 2000. For his performance in the show, Carbonell won two ALMA Awards in 1998 and 1999, both for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Meanwhile, he guest-starred in an episode of the NBC sitcoms "The John Larroquette Show" and "Veronica's Closet," as well as "Encore! Encore!"

Entering the new millennium, Carbonell portrayed Panamanian military commander Giroldi, who made made a coup attempt against military strongman Manuel Noriega (portrayed by Bob Hoskins) in 1989, in the dramatic TV movie "Noriega: God's Favorite," and had a recurring role as Peter Terrano in the Showtime dramatic series "Resurrection Blvd," starring Michael DeLorenzo and Nicholas Gonzalez. He also co-wrote and starred (as a popular television sitcom actor who agrees to appear at the Grand Opening of a Houston Super Kmart) in Philip Charles MacKenzie-directed independent comedy film "Attention Shoppers," where he met his present wife, Shannon Kenny.

2001 saw Carbonell returned to series TV as co-star of the Fox live-action series based on the popular comic book that spoofs comic book superheroes, "The Tick." In the show that stars Patrick Warburton in the title role, Carbonell portrayed Batmanuel, an obvious parody of Batman and an Eurotrash Latin lover Spaniard version of Die Fledermaus. The series' success was short-lived, lasting only 9 episodes.

“I would not have been able to work on 'The Tick' had it not been for 'Suddenly Susan.'” Nestor Carbonell.

Meanwhile, Carbonell starred in Edgar Pablos' 22-minute short Western film "Agua Dulce," played the title role of the womanizing single father in Bobby Roth's Sundance-screened indie "Jack the Dog," and co-starred with Tony Perez in Regina Don's 22-minute short drama "New Suits." He also supported Shirley MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor in the comedic TV movie "These Old Broads."

From 2002 to 2007, Carbonell provided the voice of Señor Senior Jr. in the Disney Channel Emmy Award-winning animated television series "Kim Possible." During this time, he continues acting in films, portraying playwright and director Moisés Kaufman in Kaufman's film adaptation of his own play about the reaction to the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, "The Laramie Project" (2002), and reprising his "Jack the Dog" role in its follow-up movie, "Manhood" (2003; with John Ritter and Janeane Garofalo).

Carbonell received President Award-Star on the Horizon at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival in 2003. Afterwards, he starred as former Californian Congressman and lawyer Tom Montero in the CBS science fiction-legal drama television series "Century City" (2004), alongside Viola Davis and Ioan Gruffudd, and co-starred as Jonas Rey, a local self-made billionaire and the husband to Rosa Blasi's Dr. Luisa "Lu" Magdalena Delgado, in the Lifetime medical drama "Strong Medicine," in which he stayed from 2004 to 2006.

Meanwhile, Carbonell was spotted as a guest in "Static Shock," "Ally McBeal," "The Division," "Monk," "Scrubs," "Justice League," "House M.D.," "Brandy & Mr. Whiskers," "Commander in Chief," "Cold Case," "Day Break," "Andy Barker, P.I.," "American Dragon: Jake Long" (voice), and "Queens Supreme," as well as starred in the dramatic made-for-television movie "Fertile Ground" (2005).

On the wide screen, he could be seen in Andy Garcia's feature directorial debut, "The Lost City" (2005), a drama set in Havana, Cuba in the late 1950's in which he co-starred as Luis, the brother of a prominent nightclub owner (played by Garcia) who joins the democratic opposition. The film also features Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray.

About the movie, Carbonell explained, “It doesn’t only speak to the Cuban- American community, but ultimately is a story of an impossible love with the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution and the aftermath.”

In the following year, he reunited with Garcia in writer/director Joe Carnahan's crime film "Smokin' Aces," starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeremy Piven.

About the movie, Carbonell commented, "I think that the reason the movie works so well is because the violence is so well balanced with the comedy. On my first day I got to take a blow torch to a man's genitals, which was only funny when I saw it on-screen. But I mean, how often do you get to play something as dark as that and still make it funny? So, for me, it was just a dream to get this job and to be able to work with this phenomenal cast."

He also explained the appeal of "Smokin’ Aces," saying "Well, for me, like Ryan [Reynolds] said, Joe [Carnahan] is such an enormous talent. If you watch Narc, it's amazing to see how incredibly talented he is in that particular genre, which was just a drama. And then to come around and do a follow up, second picture that is such a tonally different kind of movie – this being a dark action comedy – and every character, as Jeremy [Piven] said, has a moment, has a sort of epiphany. Even though it's incredibly violent, there's a real moment of clarity for characters. As dark and as depraved as some of the characters are, which mine certainly is, we all have a sort of moment of lightness."

Carbonell then played Frank Duque, Hector Elizondo's impulsive firstborn son, in the serial drama about a Latino family works together to operate a rum business in South Florida, "Cane," which aired on CBS from September 25, 2007 to December 18, 2007. He also plays Dr. Richard Alpert, Ben's (played by Michael Emerson) advisor who seems not to age, in the third and fourth seasons (2007-2008) of the critically-acclaimed ABC survivor drama, "Lost." Meanwhile, moviegoers could catch him in writer/director Jeff Fisher's horror/comedy film "Killer Movie" (2008; starring Paul Wesley, Kaley Cuoco, Torrey DeVitto, and Leighton Meester), which premiered during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.

Carbonell has completed his new film, "The Dark Knight," an upcoming sequel to 2005's Batman Begins starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Aaron Eckhart, in which Carbonell will play Mayor Anthony Garcia. He will soon wrap another upcoming film, "Noah's Ark: The New Beginning," an animated film featuring an ensemble voice cast that include Michael Keaton, Ben Kingsley, and Elliott Gould.

Awards:

• Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival: President Award-Star on the Horizon, 2003

• ALMA: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, "Suddenly Susan," 1999

• ALMA: Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, "Suddenly Susan," 1998