Ricky Martin
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Biography
While most of mainstream America may have been tangentially aware of him before his star-making performance on the 1999 Grammy Awards telecast, Ricky Martin was already well-known to a large part of the world as a member of the youthful singing group, Menudo, and later as Latin lover Miguel Morez on "General Hospital" (ABC, 1962- ). The Puerto Rican-born singer and actor was actually a showbiz veteran with some two decades of work to his credit before hitting the big time with the hits "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "La Copa de la Vida" ("Cup of Life") made him an international music superstar and the point-man for ushering in a late-1990s Latin revolution in both music and other media.
Born Dec. 24, 1971, Martin began his career at age six by appearing in locally-produced TV commercials. After two unsuccessful tries - he was deemed too small physically and too baby-faced at first - he landed a gig with the local singing group, Menudo, in 1983. Over his father's objections, Martin joined the fabled boy band, which he later characterized as suffering through "five years of discipline . . . it was like the military." Martin and the other four boys toured the world, singing in several languages and became something of a sensation in the States. However, once he hit the group's stated retirement age of 18, Martin retreated briefly to Puerto Rico before spending six months of unemployment in New York City. An offer to appear in a stage musical in Mexico broke the drought and led to Martin's casting on the Spanish-language telenovela, "Alcanzar una Estrella II" ("To Reach a Star") on which he portrayed a singer-musician. His character proved so popular that the fictional band from the show toured Mexico and was spun off into a feature based on the serial.
By this point, Martin had begun a successful solo singing career, releasing his first eponymous, self-titled solo album in 1988. Deciding to try his luck in Hollywood, the extremely handsome 6'2" singer-actor landed a recurring role on the short-lived NBC sitcom, "Getting By." He segued to American soap operas with a role as an orderly-turned-singing bartender on the popular soap opera, "General Hospital" from 1993 to 1994, sporting a longer hairstyle that most fans were used to seeing and doing his best to woo resident vixen Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil). While he proved a charismatic presence onscreen, his character was never fully integrated into the serial's storylines, although he was allowed to occasionally display his vocal abilities.
After checking out of "General Hospital," Martin fulfilled another dream by co-starring on Broadway in the musical "Les Miserables," playing the juvenile lead of Marius. All along, he was intent on pursuing a serious music career as well, releasing albums and making concert appearances in his quest to hit international heights. Recognizing his standing in the Hispanic community, Disney tapped him to sing the Spanish-language version of the theme to the animated feature, "Hercules" (1997) and then hired Martin to perform the title character's vocals as well.
In 1998, Martin enlivened things at the World Cup soccer games with his rendition of "La Copa de la Vida" ("The Cup of Life") off his latest LP, Vuelve, but it was several months later during the infamous 1999 Grammy telecast when he truly stole the show with a pelvis-thrusting, hip-swiveling performance of the same song that knocked the wind of the place. Even Madonna seemed smitten, as she and other veteran music stars clamored to congratulate the scene-stealer. After that career-defining performance, no one could escape Martin-mania even if they wanted to. His English-language debut album - also called Ricky Martin - debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1999 and contained the infectious follow-up number, "Livin' La Vida Loca" which became a staple on MTV, radio and everywhere else in between. Martin appeared on virtually every conceivable TV show and was featured in numerous magazines - including gracing the covers of TIME and TV Guide. So epic was his rise, he paved the way for other successful Latin artists, including Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony to chart a variety of singles and/or forge a path in film or on television.
It was clear that Hollywood would soon be beckoning again, but just as quickly as Martin rose to international fame, he came crashing down within little over a year, due in large part to oversaturation and young, fickle fans. Concentrating on his music, Martin continued to release albums in his native language and to make the occasional talk show appearance to promote either his music or his pet causes, including most importantly, the crime of child trafficking overseas. Martin continued to be a point of interest in the gossip blogosphere, when rumors of whether or not he was gay would surface from time to time. Martin refused to comment. In August 2008, Martin made headlines that year for confirming that he was the father of twin sons via a gestational surrogate mother. Only two years later, Martin took to his blog in March 2010 and finally addressed the one issue that had continuously dogged him for years; that he was, indeed, a homosexual man, and it was by having his two sons, he realized he wanted and needed to be honest with the public.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Life Events
1978
Began acting career at age six, appearing in television commercials
1984
Joined the popular teen singing group Menudo
1985
Legally changed first name from Enrique to Ricky
1989
Left Menudo to pursue solo acting and singing career
1991
Released his first solo album, the Spanish-language Ricky Martin
1992
Portrayed a musician/singer in the Spanish-language telenovela "Alcanzar una Estrella II/To Reach a Star"
1993
Reprised role as Pablo for the spin-off movie version of "Alcanzar una Estrella II/To Reach a Star"
1993
Released his second solo album Me Amarás, which sold more than a million copies worldwide
1993
Made U.S. TV debut on two episodes of the NBC sitcom "Getting By"
1994
Landed regular role as Miguel Morez on the ABC daytime drama "General Hospital"
1996
Made Broadway musical debut, playing the romantic lead Marius in "Les Misérables"
1998
Returned to the studio and recorded his fourth album Vuelve
1999
Enlivened the telecast of the Grammy Awards with live performance of "La Copa de la Vida," the official theme song of the '98 World Cup France
1999
Released his first English language album Ricky Martin; included the prominent single "Livin' la Vida Loca"
1999
Signed deal with PepsiCo for sponsorship of his 1999-2000 North American tour; appeared in commercials for the beverage
1999
Headlined own CBS variety special "Ricky Martin: One Night Only"
2000
Released second English-language album Sound Loaded, which included the hit single "She Bangs"
2003
Released a new Spanish-Language album Almas del Silencio/Souls of Silence
2005
Released the English language album Life; Martin co-wrote most songs on the album
2006
Performed at the Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony in Turin, Italy
2006
MTV aired "MTV Diary: Ricky Martin," showcasing scenes from the "One Night Only" tour, on the road and onstage
2007
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2010
Publicly acknowledged his homosexuality in a post on his official website
2011
Made musical comeback with ninth album Música + Alma + Sexo
2012
Guest starred as a night school Spanish teacher on "Glee" (Fox)
2012
Returned to Broadway, playing Ché in "Evita"
Family
Companions
