Husband Solis

Background:

“This show is perfect for our times because of all the problems that we have been facing: the socioeconomic issues is our country. There's not a lot of hapiness going on out there in the world. People are struggling. Gas prices are high. Jobs are getting cut. You need something to distract yourself. When you watch Gabrielle and Carlos doing their laundry inthe hot tub, you can at least laugh about it. It distracts you just enough to make things bearable.” Ricardo Antonio Chavira on “Desperate Housewives”

American actor of Mexican, German and Irish ancestry Ricardo Antonio Chavira is most well-known for his portrayal of the crafty husband, Carlos Solis, on the massively popular television series “Desperate Housewives” (ABC, 2004-present), from which he co-won two Screen Actors Guild Awards (2005, 2006). Prior to his phenomenal TV success, the Texas native son guested in several shows, including “NYPD Blue,” “Philly,” “24” and “Joan of Arcadia,” had recurring roles in “Six Feet Under” and “The Division” as well as was cast in an un-aired series “The Grubbs.” His other TV credits include guest spots in “George Lopez” and “Monk” and a supporting role in the TNT film “Kings of South Beach” (2007). Chavira has also dotted his resume with several film performances since making his debut in 2001's “Barstow 2008.” His more recent and upcoming credits include Touchstone's “The Alamo” (2004), “Rockaway” (2007), “Chasing 3000” (2008), “Ball Don't Lie” (2008), “Don't Let Me Drown” (2008), “Days of Wrath” (2008), “Saving God” (2008) and “Not Forgotten” (2008). Also a stage actor, Chavira has performed in such productions as “Tracers,” “Bandido,” “Jack and Jill” and Living Out.”

Also known as a breast cancer advocate, Chavira decided to dedicate his life to fight against the disease following the tragic death of his mother when he was 15. He has become a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and in 2005, he supported the Lee National Denim Day breast cancer fundraiser that collected millions of dollars for education and research considering the issues.

As for his personal life, Chavira married long-term girlfriend Marcea Dietzel in 2007. The couple have a five-year-old son, Tomas.

Tragic Teens

Childhood and Family:

Ricardo Antonio Chavira was born on September 1, 1971, in Austin, Texas, to Juan Antonio Chavira and Elizabeth Ries Chavira. His family relocated to San Antonio when he reached the early grades. As a young, Ricardo used to see his father, who was a legal persecutor before becoming a famous judge in the courts system, in courtroom action. A tragedy struck when at age 15 he witnessed his 43-year-old mother died after dealing with breast and ovarian cancer for six years. The lost impacted his life deeply and in several occasions it even fueled frustrations that led him to break the law. Recalling, he stated, “ Alcohol and drug abuse, some gang-related stuff; I delved into some very interesting territory for a while. I got arrested a few times for assault and battery because of bar fights. I would have these huge surges of anger; I once did $900 worth of damage to my car with my bare hands.”

A graduate of Robert E. Lee High School in San Antonio (now the Performing Arts School), Ricardo left his home in Texas to attend the University of Colorado, but moved back to San Antonio a year later when he ran out of money. He then transferred to the University of the Incarnate Word and gained his BA in acting in 1996. He further his education at the University of California, San Diego, where he graduated with Master of Fine Arts in 2000. Shortly after completing his studies, the Texas native headed to Los Angeles to become a professional actor.

In 2003, Ricardo had a son, Tomas Antonio Chavira, with his partner, Marcea Dietzel. The couple married on September 22, 2007 in a private ceremony in San Antonio while wearing their pajamas. Their young son served as the ring carrier.

“The birth of my son completely changed me for the better. He made me realize I wasn't the most important thing out there. I still sometimes get angry, but it's different now that I'm a parent. I've learned it's just wasted energy.” Ricardo Antonio Chavira

Multi-Faceted Artist

Career:

Ricardo Antonio Chavira started acting in his senior year at San Antonio's celebrated Robert E. Lee High School, an activity initially he did in order to meet girls. However, it soon became clear that it also helped him to cope with the death of his mother and finally he found a passion of the acting craft. While attending the University of the Incarnate Word, Chavira took parts in several theater productions, most notably playing King Macbeth of Scotland in a 1996 production of “Macbeth,” but he did not launch a full-time career until after earning his MFA degree from the University of California, San Diego.

Arriving in Los Angeles in the early 2000s, Chavira made his feature acting debut with a small part in the independent comedy “Barstow 2008” (2001), which was helmed by the award-winning filmmaker Bob Morrow and starring Paul Wilson. He soon segued to television when he landed a guest role as Customs Off. Kenny Sotomayor on a 2001 episode of the Steven Bochco-created drama “NYPD Blue.” Later that same year, he again appeared in another Steven Bochco series, the short-lived “Philly,” where he portrayed A.D.A. Eddie Price in the episode “Blown Away.”

Chavira made the jump into series regular when he won the role of a high school sports coach named Garra on the Fox comedy “The Grubbs,” based on the 1999 British series “The Grimleys.” Planned to debut in November 2002, the series, however, was canceled before it even broadcast. Undeterred, Chavira tried to find other roles and soon found himself making a guest appearance in the primetime shows “24” (2002), playing Bundy. He also landed recurring roles on the HBO standing drama “Six Feet Under” (4 episodes, 2002), as Ramon, and the Lifetime legal drama “The Division” (2, episodes, 2002), as DEA Agent Bernard. He went on to play a police sergeant named Eddie Fosberg in an episode of CBS's “Joan of Arcadia” (2003) and Capt. Rapaport in an episode of the Donald P. Bellisario-created “JAG” (both 2003).

The scholastic actor returned to film in 2004 with the summer big budget “The Alamo,” a history/war movie starring Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Jason Patric and Patrick Wilson and directed by John Lee Hancock. The film, which saw him as Private Gregorio Esparza, was shot in his homeland, Austin, Texas.

“The other thing that I found great with respect to my character was that, here's this guy who's very powerful,very rich, and very Latino. He's obviously got a macho streak to him. But he's a cuckold. Normally, the Latino guy is the Don Juan. He'd be the one having the affair. So I thought it was really interesting.” Ricardo Antonio Chavira on “Desperate Housewives”

It was also in 2004 that Chavira began his regular role on the ABC series “Desperate Housewives,” which soon became a phenomenon in America. Playing Carlos Solis, the cunning husband of Gabrielle Solis (portrayed by Eva Longoria), he became an overnight star and along with other cast, he enjoyed two consecutive Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2005 and 2006. “Desperate Housewives” is currently in its forth season and remains a favorite among both critics and nighttime soap fans. On his fame, he said, “I guess when I had to come up to Chicago to do the Thanksgiving Day parade and just walking down Michigan Avenue and people were saying, 'Oh, my God, that's the guy from Desperate Housewives.”

With a new found fame, Chavira was invited to make a guest appearance in an episode of the ABC popular comedy “George Lopez” (2005). He was then appointed to be a spokesperson and an honorary chairman for the San Antonio-based Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's yearly consciousness summit in Washington D.C. Two years later, in 2007, Chavira got supporting roles in the drama film “Cosmic Radio” and the action/drama “Rockaway.” Besides, he joined Donnie Wahlberg, Jason Gedrick, Steven Bauer and Maria Valentina Bove for the based-on-true-story telepic “Kings of South Beach,” helmed by Tim Hunter and scripted by Nicholas Pileggi, and guested as Jimmy Belmont on the “Monk” episode of “Mr. Monk Visits a Farm.”

Recently playing Dr. Boogie in the baseball movie “Chasing 3000” (2008), opposite Ray Liotta and Trevor Morgan, and Ruben in the drama “Ball Don't Lie” (2008), along side Grayson Boucher and Rosanna Arquette, the 37-year-old performer has three films in post-productions: “Don't Let Me Drown” (2008), opposite Gina Torres, “Days of Wrath” (2008), starring as Detective Romeros, and “Saving God” (2008), with Ving Rhames and Dean McDermott. He is now in Las Vegas, New Mexico filming “Not Forgotten” (2008), a thriller directed and co-written by Dror Soref.

In addition to film and television, Chavira has continued performing in several stage plays. He had a leading role in a production of “Tracers” at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles, and has worked with such noted regional theaters as La Jolla Playhouse (“Dogeaters”), The Guthrie (“Jack and Jill”), the San Diego Rep (“Bandido”) and the San Diego Rep (“Living Out”).

Awards:

• Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, “Desperate Housewives,” 2006

• Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, “Desperate Housewives,” 2005