‘One Life to Live’ star Kamar de los Reyes dies at 56

Kamar de los Reyes, known for his portrayal of Antonio Vega on the soap opera “One Life to Live,” died Sunday in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer, his wife’s publicist told Variety. He was 56.

De los Reyes also was known for voicing the villain Raul Menendez in the popular “Call of Duty” video game franchise. The New York Times noted the character is often seen as one of the best villains in the franchise.

His wife’s publicist said de los Reyes was in the middle of filming more episodes for the CW sports drama “All American,” the Times reported, and he had shot roles in the upcoming series “Daredevil: Born Again” and the miniseries “Washington Black.”

De los Reyes was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to a Cuban father. He was raised in Las Vegas and moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue acting. The Times noted that “in his first big break,” De los Reyes played Pedro Quinn in an off-Broadway play, “Blade to the Heat.”

“More than any words he utters, the actor’s haunted eyes, sunken cheeks and shaved head convey the extent of Pedro’s torment,” theater critic David Richards wrote of the performance at the time. “In repose, he’s almost spectral. In the ring, he’s like a short circuit, and his silent scream of triumph is a guaranteed spine-tingler.”

De los Reyes acted in nearly 300 episodes of “One Life to Live,” according to IMDB. The Times described his character as a gang member-turned-police officer who was released from prison after it was revealed on the show that his character was acting in self-defense, during the incident for which he was charged with murder.

The soap opera was known for its diverse cast at the time, which de los Reyes noted in an interview with Urban Latino magazine in 2007.

“We’re one of the few soaps that has an all-Latino family, a Puerto Rican family, which you don’t see much of, not only on daytime but prime time television overall, and is something I feel network television needs to work harder on,” he said of the show, the Times reported. “I think ‘One Life to Live’ has done a formidable job of that.”

He is survived by his wife, actor Sherri Saum, three sons, two brothers, two sisters and both his parents, according to Variety.

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