Ricardo Antonio Chavira
Within weeks of the debut of ABC's hit TV show, "Desperate Housewives," actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira went from relative anonymity to international fame as Wisteria Lane's resident bad boy, Carlos Solis.
A native of south Texas, Chavira was born in Austin and raised in San Antonio. He became involved in acting during his senior year of high school as a way to meet girls, but it opened a new world for him. Acting helped Chavira cope with the death of his mother from breast and ovarian cancer at age 43, when he was only 15.
Descended from a family of migrant workers, Chavira's parents stressed the value of education. His father, a county judge, was the first in his family to attend college. His mother earned three masters degrees. Chavira earned his undergraduate degree from San Antonio's Incarnate Word College, then earned a Masters in Fine Arts from the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of California/San Diego.
His credits include recurring roles on "Six Feet Under" and "The Division;" a guest-star appearance on "George Lopez," several independent films and work in some of the country's top regional theaters.
Chavira was the first male to be featured on the cover of Catalina magazine, the largest lifestyle magazine for Latinas in the U.S., and was one of People En Espanol's 2005 "50 Most Beautiful People."
Chavira is fervently committed to the battle against breast cancer, and – along with "Desperate Housewives" cast-mate James Denton – has helped raise $10 million for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
