Rudy Reyes (actor)

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes (born December 3, 1971 in Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Kansas City, Missouri) is an American conservationist, martial arts instructor, actor, and former active duty United States Marine. He is best known for portraying himself in the HBO TV miniseries Generation Kill.

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes
Nickname(s)Fruity Rudy, the Associate
Born (1971-12-03) December 3, 1971
Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Kansas City, Missouri
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service1998-2005
Rank Sergeant
Unit1st Reconnaissance Battalion
Battles/warsWar on Terror
Other workactor, martial arts instructor

Early years

Reyes was born in 1971[1] to a United States Marine father en route to Vietnam. Reyes was raised by his grandparents until 1976 when both his grandmother and grandfather died in the same year. He spent the next few years being shuffled between relatives and eventually the Omaha Home for Boys. His childhood hero was Bruce Lee, and at 15 Reyes started studying kung fu.[2] At 17, Reyes emancipated himself and took custody of his two younger brothers, after which he moved to Kansas City, Missouri. There, he continued to study and teach kung fu with his brothers. Both Rudy and one of his younger brothers, Michael, worked at Lucille's Restaurant in Westport, Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1990s.

Military career

In 1998, Reyes joined the United States Marine Corps and was ultimately selected for (and passed) Marine Recon training. He served in Afghanistan and took part in the Iraq war. Reyes served on the USS Dubuque and often led platoon PT sessions on ship.[3]

Trainer, actor, and writer

After leaving the military in 2005, Reyes became a fitness trainer at a gym in San Diego.[4] His acting roles included playing himself in Generation Kill (2008)[5] and the TV Series Apocalypse Man, Ultimate Survival Alaska, and Spartan Race.

Reyes wrote the book, Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power (2009), with Angela Smith.[6] He has also authored articles for OFFGRID magazine.

See also

References

  1. Bayer, Jeff. "Fitness Interview: Rudy Reyes". AskMen IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  2. "Rudy Reyes Interview". Budomate.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  3. Fick, Nathaniel (2005). One Bullet Away – The Making of a Marine Officer. Houghton Mifflin. p. 70. ISBN 0-618-55613-3.
  4. Elder, Adam (13 November 2009). "The hero life: For Rudy Reyes, inspiring others is a full-time job". militarytimesedge.com. Gannett Government Media Corporation. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  5. Wollaston, Sam (14 January 2009). "It looks more real than anything I've ever seen". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  6. Reyes, Rudy; Angela Smith; Evan Wright (2009). Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power. New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-451-22810-9.
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