Wilson Echevarria was born on 27th December 1973, in Brooklyn, New York City USA, of Afro-Puerto Rican ancestry, and is an actor, best known for playing Rickie Vásquez in the television series “My So-Called Life” (1994 – 1995) and for being a recurring character in the series “Noah’s Ark” (2005 – 2006). As proud gay person, he is a consistent advocate for the LGBT community, especially blacks. Cruz has been active in the entertainment industry since 1994.
How much is the net worth of Wilson Cruz? It has been estimated by authoritative sources that the overall size of his wealth is as much as $2 million, as of the data given in late 2017. Film and television are the major sources of Cruz net worth.
Wilson Cruz Net Worth $2 Million
To begin with, Wilson Cruz was raised in Brooklyn by Puerto Rican parents, the oldest of three brothers. His parents encouraged him to try acting, so when he matriculated from San Bernardino Eisenhower High School, he attended California State University, where he majored in theatre and English, but dropped out of the university to devote himself to acting. At age 19, Cruz told his mother that he is gay. She was shocked initially, but finally accepted the news, but his father him from the house, and Cruz lived in his car and in friends’ houses for a few months, although years later he reconciled with his father.
Cruz moved to Hollywood to seek work as an actor, with the intention of being open about his sexuality from the beginning of his career. In 1994, he was chosen as Enrique ‘Rickie’ Vásquez, a gay adolescent with problems, in the series “My So-Called Life” – in an episode reflecting reality, Rickie tells the truth to his parents, who throw him out of the house. For his good performance, Cruz received the Young Artist Award in the category of the Best Performance of a Group of Young People in a Television Series in 1995. Cruz then portrayed Joaquin, the FBI director and hidden gay man in Oliver Stone’s film “Nixon” (1995), and also won a small role in the television movie “On Seventh Avenue” (1996). The same year, he appeared with David Arquette in the film “Johns” about the daily struggles of prostitutes.
Since 1997, Wilson Cruz has also appeared in various Broadway musicals, in 1997 featuring in the musical “Rent”. From 2007 to 2009, he starred alongside Evan Martinez in the television series “Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World”, and in the autumn of 2014, Cruz appeared in the drama “Red Band Society”.
Cruz advocates for the LGBT community (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals), and is especially dedicated to young blacks, volunteering as the online host of Youth Zone on Gay.com for LGBT youth. He was the Grand Marshal of the West Hollywood Gay Pride Parade 1998 and the 2005 Gay Pride Parade in Chicago. In 2008 he was the keynote speaker at the Lavender Graduation and the Rainbow Banquet that honoured the LGBT students at the University of Illinois.
Finally, in the personal life of the actor, Wilson Cruz keeps his private affairs exactly that, continuing to live in Los Angeles. His hobbies include playing the saxophone, clarinet and the flute.
