E. J. Bonilla

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E. J. Bonilla
Born
Edward Joshua Bonilla

(1988-09-08) September 8, 1988 (age 35)
OccupationActor
Years active2006–present

Edward Joshua Bonilla (born September 8, 1988)[1] is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his role as Rafe Rivera on Guiding Light.

Early life[edit]

Bonilla was born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents. He attended John Ericsson Junior High School 126 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he became involved in poetry, dance, and band, playing the trumpet. He also participated in musical theater while in junior high school and high school. Bonilla attended high school for Environmental Studies. He first became interested in acting in the ninth-grade, when he was cast as Danny Zuko in a performance of Grease.[2] He graduated from high school in 2006 and then attended Bard College.

Career[edit]

His first role was a non-union commercial for a Hilary Duff film called Raise Your Voice. After graduating from high school, he went on to originate the role of Rafe, Natalia Rivera Aitoro son, on Guiding Light in May 2007.[3]

Bonilla starred in the independent film Musical Chairs. It is a story of a couple (played by Bonilla and actress Leah Pipes) who enter a wheelchair ballroom dancing competition after the girl is disabled in a traffic accident. The film was released on March 23, 2012.

Bonilla received an Imagen Award nomination for his performance as "Dexter," a former high school basketball player whose best days are behind him, in Joshua Sanchez's directorial debut, Four.[4] The film was released on September 13, 2013.[5]

Awards[edit]

Award Date Film/show Category Result
28th Annual Imagen Awards[6] August 16, 2013 Four Best Actor/Supporting Actor - Feature Film Nominated
Los Angeles Film Festival[7] June 24, 2012 Four Best Performance in the Narrative Competition (Ensemble Cast) Won
36th Daytime Emmy Awards[8] August 30, 2009 Guiding Light Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series Nominated

Filmography[edit]

Feature films[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Don't Let Me Drown Lalo
2011 Yelling to the Sky Rob Rodriguez
2011 The Mortician Noah
2011 Mamitas Jordin Juarez
2011 Musical Chairs Armando
2013 The House That Jack Built Jack
2013 Four Dexter Nominated – Imagen Award
2019 Gemini Man Marino
2019 The Kitchen Gonzalo Martinez
2023 The Exorcist: Believer Father Maddox

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2006 The Ron Clark Story Hispanic Kid Television film
2006 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Fraco Episode: "Watch"
2007–2009 Guiding Light Raphael "Rafe" Rivera 158 episodes
Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award
2009 Law & Order Carlos Episode: "Bailout"
2009 Bored to Death Francisco Episode: "The Case of the Stolen Skateboard"
2010 Cold Case Ronnie Tavares '93 Episode: "Shattered"
2011 Blue Bloods Julio Episode: "Dedication"
2012 The Big C Scott Episode: "What's Your Story?"
2012–2013 Revenge Marco Romero 4 episodes
2013 Shameless Jesus Episode: "Civil Wrongs"
2015–2016 Unforgettable Denny Padilla Main cast
2017 The Long Road Home Shane Aguero 8 episodes
2017 Madam Secretary Juan-Luis Moreno 1 episode
2018 Insecure Beat Crew Guy 2 episodes
2018 Bull Gabriel 6 episodes
2022–present The Old Man Agent Raymond Waters
2024 Chicago P.D. Officer Danny Alvarado Episode: "Safe Harbor"

References[edit]

  1. ^ About the Actors: E.J. Bonilla SoapCentral.com. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  2. ^ "'Buzzworthy: E.J. Bonilla". Retrieved 2013-07-27.
  3. ^ E.J. Bonilla biography Archived 2009-03-28 at the Wayback Machine CBS.com. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  4. ^ The Imagen Foundation Archived 2014-11-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "Controversial Award-Winning Film - FOUR - Embraced by AMC". The Wall Street Journal. July 16, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  6. ^ "Nominees for the 28th Annual Imagen Awards Announced". Imagen Award. June 2013. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Winners Announced for 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival". Film Independent. 24 June 2013. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards: Full List of Nominees". Daytime Emmy Awards. 14 May 2009. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.

External links[edit]