Renoly Santiago

Renoly Santiago is a Puerto Rican actor, singer, and writer born on March 15, 1974, in Lajas, Puerto Rico. He was raised in Union City, New Jersey, and later settled in New York City.

Santiago first gained recognition in the United States through the 1993 television series CityKids, in which he played the character Tito. He co-wrote the pilot episode of the series, which received an Emmy nomination. His work on CityKids led to film opportunities, beginning with a role as Raúl Sanchero in the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. The following year, he appeared in Hackers as Ramón Sánchez, known by the alias "Phantom Phreak," alongside a cast of established Hollywood actors. He also appeared in Daylight as a character named Mikey during this period.

In 1997, Santiago played Ramón Martínez, an androgynous criminal nicknamed "Sally-Can't Dance," in Con Air. He then stepped away from screen work to appear on Broadway in Paul Simon's The Capeman in 1998, taking on the role of Tony "Umbrella Man" Hernandez, leader of a gang called The Vampires. His performance earned him a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. As a recording artist, Santiago has worked alongside Marc Anthony, Paul Simon, Danny Rivera, and La India.

Santiago returned to film in 2000 with Punks, in which he portrayed a character named Dante. The film screened at the Sundance Film Festival. By 2001, he was appearing on television again, playing Miguel Acosta in an episode of Touched by an Angel that aired on January 7, making a brief appearance in the March 29 episode of Big Apple, and portraying Chiggy Rios in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "The Faithful." In 2002, he played Cesar Rojas in The Street King, followed by another extended break from screen acting. He returned in 2005 as "Scorpio" in Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy, and in early 2011 portrayed Johnny Pacheco in The King, a biopic centered on salsa musician Hector Lavoe.

In 2013, Santiago co-wrote a screenplay titled "Union City Streets" with filmmaker Mario Cerrito. From March 6 to May 8, 2014, he taught a ten-week professional acting course at The William V. Musto Cultural Center in Union City, New Jersey, as part of the Grace Theatre Workshop, covering monologue and scene studies.