Birth Name: Jose Solano, Jr.
Birthdate: February
22, 1972
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Current Residence: San Francisco, California
Marital
Status: Single
Hair/Eyes: Dark Brown/Dark Brown
Height/weight: 5
feet, 7 inches tall/N/A
Heritage: Americian with Mexican and Nicaraguan decent
Education: College/Associates
Degree in Liberal Arts (City College of San Francisco)
Parents: Father, Jose Solano, Sr., a
minister (his son Jose's manager)/Mother, a homemaker
Children: None
Siblings: 2 younger brothers
Showbusiness start: Big
break came when he beat out hundreds of others candidates during Baywatch production's month long nationwide
search to fill the role of Manny Gutierrez.
Hobbies/Interests: Body
sculpting; charities; music; sports
Jose Solano was born in Southern Califonia and raised in Daly City, California, a
suburb of San Francisco. He grew up in a very close, loving family. Jose's father is a minister and his
parents taught him and his brothers the importance of God and family at an early age. Potential girlfriends
are approved by both parents. They still have strong connections to their church and their native culture, and celebrate
traditional Latin American holidays, in addition to American holidays.
The acting bug hit Jose while performing in a fourth grade talent show. He played
John Travolta in a skit based on the movie Urban Cowboy. It was the first time that he performed before a live audience
and he knew then that he wanted to be an actor. He became an active participant in his school's glee club and their yearly
talent contest.
Jose was a natural athlete who played sports as a child. He garnered numerous awards as a teenager.
Among those awards included becoming a Jr. Olympic medalist in soccer. In high school, he broke two cross country track
records and was named his soccer team's Most Valuable Player. After graduating from high school, he joined the
U.S. Navy and served on an amphibibious assault ship during the Persian Gulf War. He was honorably discharged
in 1994. He then settled in San Francisco with his family and earned his Associates of Arts Degree from the City College of
San Francisco.
Jose followed his dream and tried his hand in acting when he along with hundreds of other candidates
auditioned for the role of Manny Gutierrez. Baywatch Productions did a nationwide search for one month. Jose was
working in a store at the time and asked if he could have the time off to audition for the role. When his request for the
time off was rejected outright, he quit so that he could have the chance for the role. His decision to quit turned out
to be a great one in his favor. As he beat out the other candidates and landed the job. He began his dream as an
actor. He realized the importance of the role. With two younger brothers, he has stressed that he has always tried
to be a positive role model and with the role on Baywatch he would be able to encourage others to go for their dreams.
The handsome screen and TV legend Ricardo Montalban had presented Jose with the Nosotros
Golden Eagle Award in 1997 as the most promising actor for his role as Manny Guiterrez for the series Baywatch.
In 1998, he followed that up with an Alma Award nomination for his outstanding individual performance for
the series Baywatch. Jose garnered a well-deserved Emmy Award nomination for hosting the special,
Latin Rock Revolution/UPN.
Jose's acting credits include a guest apperance on the comedy Caroline in the City/NBC
(1998), as a bullfighter and JAG/CBS (2002). He has a regular role as Jaime Carrillo on the highly
acclaimed series, Resurrection Boulevard/Showtime (2000). Jose's most current role is his appearance in
the movie Devil's Knight (2003).
