Rudy Reyes (actor)

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes
Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes
	Reyes in 2019
Nickname(s)	Fruity Rudy, the Associate
Born	December 3, 1971 (age 52); Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Kansas City, Missouri
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1998–2005
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	1st Reconnaissance Battalion
Battles / wars	War on Terror Iraqi Freedom; Enduring Freedom;
Other work	Presenter, actor, martial arts instructor

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes (born December 3, 1971, in Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Kansas City, Missouri) is an American conservationist, martial arts instructor, actor, and former active duty United States Marine. He is best known for portraying himself in the HBO TV miniseries Generation Kill.

Early years

Reyes was born in 1971^[1] to a United States Marine father en route to Vietnam. Reyes was raised by his grandparents until 1976 when both his grandmother and grandfather died in the same year. He spent the next few years being shuffled between relatives and eventually the Omaha Home for Boys. At 15, Reyes started studying kung fu.^[2] At 17, Reyes emancipated himself and took custody of his two younger brothers, after which he moved to Kansas City, Missouri. There, he continued to study and teach kung fu with his brothers. Both Rudy and one of his younger brothers, Michael, worked at Lucille's Restaurant in Westport, Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1990s.

Military career

In 1998, Reyes joined the United States Marine Corps and was ultimately selected for (and passed) Marine Recon training. He served in Afghanistan and took part in the Iraq war. Reyes served on the USS Dubuque and often led platoon PT sessions on ship.^[3] During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Reyes was a team leader within the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, which became the tip of the spear as the 1st Marine Division advanced on Baghdad; journalist Evan Wright embedded within Reyes' platoon and later wrote Generation Kill, a book depicting the events of the invasion from the perspective of the Recon Marines.

Stunts, actor, and writer

After leaving the military in 2005, Reyes became a fitness trainer at a gym in San Diego.^[4] His acting roles included himself in Generation Kill (2008)^[5] and the TV series Apocalypse Man, Ultimate Survival Alaska, and Spartan Race. He is also one of the interviewees of the 2020 documentary series Once Upon a Time in Iraq; in the latter, he detailed the killing of civilians during the invasion by himself and others. He played Penny in The Demeter, Rick in Beach Massacre, "Solomon Goodblood" in the 2021 film The Secret of Sinchanee. In 2022, he became the lead instructor on SAS: Who Dares Wins. He also portrays the playable character "Enzo Reyes" in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II multiplayer.

Reyes wrote the book, Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power (2009), with Angela Smith.^[6] He has also authored articles for OFFGRID magazine.^{[citation needed]}

Conservationist

In 2016, Rudy Reyes founded the Force Blue Team, taking special operators- SEALS, Recon Marines, Pararescuemen, Special Forces and teamed them up with scientists to rebuild and restore coral reefs.^[7]

References

^ Bayer, Jeff. "Fitness Interview: Rudy Reyes". AskMen IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
^ "Rudy Reyes Interview". Budomate.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
^ Fick, Nathaniel (2001). One Bullet Away – The Making of a Marine Officer. Houghton Mifflin. p. 70. ISBN 0-618-55613-3.
^ Elder, Adam (13 November 2009). "The hero life: For Rudy Reyes, inspiring others is a full-time job". militarytimesedge.com. Gannett Government Media Corporation. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
^ Wollaston, Sam (14 January 2009). "It looks more real than anything I've ever seen". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
^ Reyes, Rudy; Angela Smith; Evan Wright (2009). Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power. New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-451-22810-9.
^ "Our Story". forceblueteam.org. Retrieved 8 June 2024.

External links

[1] Bayer, Jeff. "Fitness Interview: Rudy Reyes". AskMen IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

[2] "Rudy Reyes Interview". Budomate.com. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

[OneBullet-3] Fick, Nathaniel (2001). One Bullet Away – The Making of a Marine Officer. Houghton Mifflin. p. 70. ISBN 0-618-55613-3.

[edge-4] Elder, Adam (13 November 2009). "The hero life: For Rudy Reyes, inspiring others is a full-time job". militarytimesedge.com. Gannett Government Media Corporation. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

[5] Wollaston, Sam (14 January 2009). "It looks more real than anything I've ever seen". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

[6] Reyes, Rudy; Angela Smith; Evan Wright (2009). Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power. New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-451-22810-9.

[7] "Our Story". forceblueteam.org. Retrieved 8 June 2024.

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