Wilson Cruz

Wilson Cruz, born Wilson Echevarría on December 27, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American actor of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry. His family relocated to Rialto, California, where he attended Eisenhower High School and graduated in 1991. At nineteen, Cruz came out as gay to his parents. His mother initially reacted with hurt and shock before accepting the news, while his father responded by asking him to leave the house. Cruz spent several months living in his car and at the homes of friends before eventually reconciling with his father.

Cruz moved to Hollywood with the intention of being openly gay from the outset of his career. In 1994, he was cast as Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, a gay teenager, in the television series My So-Called Life. The role made him the first openly gay actor to portray an openly gay character in a leading role in an American television series. After the show's cancellation, he appeared in Oliver Stone's film Nixon, playing Joaquin, a servant to J. Edgar Hoover, and took a small role in the television movie On Seventh Avenue. In 1996, he appeared alongside David Arquette in Johns, portraying a character named Mikey. That same year he appeared in the film Joyride, followed by All Over Me in 1997. In 2000, he played Victor in the final season of Party of Five and appeared in the film Supernova. Later film credits include Party Monster in 2003, Bam Bam and Celeste in 2005, Coffee Date and The Ode in 2007, and He's Just Not That Into You in 2009. He also starred in The People I've Slept With in 2009. Television guest appearances span series including ER, Ally McBeal, The West Wing, Noah's Arc, and Grey's Anatomy, and he held a recurring role as Rafael de la Cruz on Raising the Bar. From 2017 to 2024, Cruz portrayed Dr. Hugh Culber on the science fiction series Star Trek: Discovery. Since 2020, he has appeared as a recurring guest on the game show 25 Words or Less.

Cruz's Broadway career spans 1996 to 1997 and includes appearances in both Rent and tick, tick... BOOM! Rent, which opened during that period, became one of the most celebrated musicals of its era, and Cruz's participation in productions associated with that work reflects a formative chapter of his stage career.

Beyond performance, Cruz has been a sustained advocate for LGBTQ youth, with a particular focus on young people of color. He volunteered as host for the Youth Zone, an online community at Gay.com serving LGBT youth. He served as Grand Marshal of the West Hollywood Gay Pride parade in 1998, the Chicago Pride Parade in 2005, and the Fierté Montréal Pride Parade in 2019. In 2008, he delivered the keynote address at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Lavender Graduation and Rainbow Banquet. Cruz joined the board of directors of GLAAD in 1997 and later joined the organization's staff in 2012 as a National Spokesperson and Strategic Giving Officer. In 2023, he became the new chair of the board of directors for GLSEN. In 2020, Out magazine honored him on one of the covers of its annual Out100 issue. On October 23, 2025, Cruz and Marti Gould Cummings received the Upstander Award from the Tyler Clementi Foundation at their 11th annual Upstander Legacy Celebration in New York.

Cruz's maternal stepaunt, Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, was among the 49 people killed in the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting. Cruz stated that she died while shielding her son Isaiah, who survived.