Luis Ávalos

Luis Ávalos (September 2, 1946 – January 22, 2014) was a Cuban-American actor born in Havana, Cuba, who built a career spanning Broadway, television, and film. He came to the United States with his family as a child and later earned a theater degree from New York University.

Ávalos trained and performed with the Lincoln Center Repertory Theater before establishing a Broadway presence between 1970 and 1972. His stage credits include three productions that opened in 1970: The Good Woman of Setzuan, Beggar on Horseback, and Camino Real. He returned to Broadway in 1972 with Narrow Road to the Deep North.

His most prominent television role came through the PBS children's series The Electric Company, which he joined in its second season in 1972. He remained with the show through its cancellation in 1977, with his most recognized character being Doctor Doolots, a comedic figure whose name played on that of Doctor Dolittle. A fellow cast member on the series was Rita Moreno, with whom Ávalos maintained a close friendship.

On film, Ávalos appeared as Ramon in the 1979 comedy Hot Stuff, alongside Dom DeLuise, Jerry Reed, and Suzanne Pleshette. He also took the role of Stavi in The Ringer, a comedy featuring Johnny Knoxville. His television work extended to series regular roles, including Jesse Rodriguez on the situation comedy Condo with McLean Stevenson, and Dr. Tomas Esquivel on E/R alongside Elliott Gould and Mary McDonnell. Additional television credits include Dr. Sanchez on NBC's Highcliffe Manor in 1979, Crecencio Salos in the CBS production Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life in 1993, and two appearances on Barney Miller, in 1977 and 1982. In 1989, he made a guest appearance as a judge in Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder.

In 2000, Ávalos founded the Americas Theatre Arts Foundation in Los Angeles, an organization established to support Latin American-inspired dramatic productions. He died on January 22, 2014, of heart failure following a heart attack, and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles.