Carlos Ponce

Carlos Ponce (Carlos Armando Ponce Freyre Jr.) was born on September 4, 1972 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the son of Cuban emigrants Carlos Ponce Sr. and Esther Freyre. After their arrival in Puerto Rico the family moved to Humacao, where a young Carlos spent his childhood performing in school plays and entertaining his family with impromptu singing bouts. By age six he was already appearing in local television commercials, and his talent earned him the title of best student‑actor of the southern United States while he attended South Miami Senior High after the family relocated to Miami in 1986. A scholarship win at the 1990 Southeastern Theatre Conference brought him to the New World School of the Arts, but an offer to host Univision’s Hablando prompted him to leave formal studies and launch his first serious TV role. His early telenovela work with Televisa’s Guadalupe and Sentimientos Ajenos garnered him the “Actor Revelation of 1997” award and solidified his reputation as a charismatic leading man in Latin‑language drama. Following his success in Mexican soaps, Ponce expanded into American media, becoming a familiar face on series such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and 7th Heaven and later joining Entertainment Tonight as a correspondent in 2003. He has since balanced a dual track as an actor and a recording artist; his 1998 self‑titled debut album topped the Latin Billboard charts for nine weeks, earning a Double Platinum certification and spawning three number‑one singles—Rezo, Decir Adiós and Escúchame. In film he has taken on memorable supporting roles, from the yoga instructor in Couples Retreat to the witty Rodrigo in Lipstick Jungle and the CIA operative Matthew Wright in Spy. On television he headlined the ABC sitcom Cristela as Félix González, voiced Santiago Santos for the animated series Maya & Miguel, and hosted high‑profile events such as Miss Universe 2006. Ponce’s personal life has been equally public: he married photographer Verónica Rubio in 1996, fathering four children before their 2010 divorce, and later married Mexican host Karina Banda in 2020. Throughout his multifaceted career he continues to be celebrated for his versatility, charisma, and enduring influence across Latin and mainstream entertainment.