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Born in Medellin, Colombia, Héctor Luis Bustamante and his family moved to the United States when he was 12. Like many artists, Hector realized his passion for acting at an early age and landed his first theatrical role in a Hackensack High School production of "West Side Story." While his performance was well received and led him to roles in several other productions, his drama teacher told him that he would never be a professional actor because his accent was too thick for American TV.

Discouraged but not defeated, Hector decided to put his acting dreams on hold for a while and after high school, spent the next several years honing his first love, art. He started working as a graphic designer and by age 19, he was the art director for New Jersey Golf magazine. In 1995, Héctor enrolled in the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. He put himself through school by working in retail as a security guard and eventually became a corporate investigator for one of New York's renowned retail stores on Fifth Avenue.

But his dream of becoming a professional actor never went away. In the fall of 1999, anxious to start acting again, Hector used his work in the security field to transfer to San Francisco. While still working as an investigator in the Bay Area, Hector enrolled in acting classes at the Shelton's Actors' Studio, where he studied under the watchful eye of acting coach and mentor Jean Shelton. Hector's talent was soon recognized, and soon after, he appeared in numerous plays as well as winning roles in indie films, which very fittingly, often playing a detective. Hector was even considered for a series regular role on a project based on the life of a very colorful New York City private investigator. He didn't get the part, but it was just a prelude to the opportunities to come.

In fact, while still in San Francisco, Héctor made his major TV appearance on CBS' "The Agency," playing the head of the Colombian police. Within weeks he landed his second role in one of his favorite TV shows, "NYPD Blue" opposite Dennis Franz and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Héctor quickly reached a point in his career where it seemed that acting was truly his calling, and on the spring of 2003, he resigned from his corporate investigation's job and moved to Los Angeles. In 2005, after a very spotty three-year TV career, Héctor broke onto the movie scene as one of Bruce Willis' police officers in the film Hostage for Miramax. Since then, with recent memorable roles on ABC's Big Shots, FOX's 'Til Death, and NBC's Heroes, the Colombian-born actor has proven to be adouble threat able to conquer both comedic roles and those that demand a more dramatic approach.

Currently, Héctor has a recurring role on FX's hit series, The Shield, as well as a principal role on the NBC daytime drama Passions. And although his childhood dreams have been realized in spite of what a teacher said to him early in his life, Héctor has become one of the faces in television that inspires others. Luckily for viewers everywhere, this former corporate investigator/ graphic artist has no plans to slowdown and with his combination of talent, handsome Latin looks and bad-boy edge, Hector continues to be a toure de force with a talent that will push him and set him apart from the other actors of his generation.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt
(American 26th US President (1901-09), 1858-1919)