Discovered by a talent scout while attending college in his native Chile, Cristian de la Fuente was a popular television actor in South America before breaking into the U.S. markets with appearances in several independent films. He eventually worked his way up to supporting roles in Hollywood features like “Basic” (2003) and popular television shows like “CSI: Miami” (CBS, 2002- ) and “Soñar no cuesta nada” (Venevision, 2005). In 2008, he was tapped to participate in the sixth season of the wildly successful American edition of “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC, 2005- ) – no doubt raising his international profile more than any film possibly could.
Born March 10, 1974 in Santiago, Chile, de la Fuente was the only child born to parents Hugo and Adriana de la Fuente. He served in the Chilean Air Force reserve prior to attending the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he pursued a degree in civil engineering. While still a sophomore, de la Fuente was discovered by a talent scout and encouraged to enter the country’s “Super Teen” contest, which he won. This was soon followed by roles in several soap operas, including “Eclipse de luna” (Canal 13, 1997), as well as a stint as host of Chile’s top-rated variety series, “Venga conmigo” (Canal 13, 1995-2002).
In 1998, de la Fuente was tapped by Telemundo to star in “Reyes y Rey” (1998), a remake of “Starsky and Hutch” (ABC, 1975-79) for Mexican television. The series proved unpopular with viewers, but de la Fuente had already moved on to greener pastures – specifically, the American television industry, for which he made his debut in a 1999 episode of “Pensacola: Wings of Gold” (syndicated, 1997-2000). He was then cast as law clerk Andres Diaz in the Paul Haggis-produced drama “Family Law” (CBS, 1999-2002). For his portrayal, de la Fuente earned an ALMA nomination in 2000.
More Stateside work increased de la Fuente’s profile with American audiences; he made his motion picture debut alongside Sylvester Stallone in Renny Harlin’s racing drama “Driven” (2001), and partnered with Jon Bon Jovi as a vampire-hunting priest in “Vampires: Los Muertos” in 2002. That same year, de la Fuente married Chilean-born actress Angelica Castro, with whom he had a child. De la Fuente also turned up in John McTiernan’s military thriller “Basic” (2003) opposite John Travolta, and enjoyed several appearances on “CSI: Miami” as lab tech Sam Belmontes between 2003 and 2004.
De la Fuente was seen in supporting roles in the indie romantic drama “Sueno” (2005) with John Leguizamo and the Latin-themed comedy “Once Upon a Wedding” (2005). He was a popular host for Spanish-language specials and series during this period, including the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards, the music variety show “Premios Juventud 2006” (2006) and the Chilean reality series “Golpe bajo” (2007), for which he also served as executive producer and writer. In 2005, he starred in the popular Venezuelan daytime soap ““Soñar no cuesta nada,” which filmed in Miami, FL. The busy actor also found time to guest-star in three episodes of UPN’s “One on One” (2001-06), appear in a recurring role on the short-lived CBS comedy “The Class” (2006), and an episode of the wildly popular “Ugly Betty” (ABC, 2006- ). Amidst all the acting gigs, he continued to maintain his status with the Chilean Air Force, for which he occasionally performed as part of the aerial acrobatic troupe, Halcones.
In 2008, de la Fuente’s exposure in American markets grew exponentially larger when it was announced that he would perform as one of the celebrity dancers on the sixth season of “Dancing with the Stars.” He also began work on “Love and Virtue” (2008), an epic historical drama with an all-star cast, including Peter O’Toole, John Malkovich, and Stephen Dillane.