David Castro

David Castro (born February 7, 1996) is an American actor, known for his role as Raphael Santiago on the Freeform fantasy series Shadowhunters.

Personal life Castro was born on Long Island, New York to a Puerto Rican father, Albee Castro, and Kathleen, an American mother of Italian and Jewish descent. He has three older sisters and an older brother and currently lives in Long Island, New York.

Career Castro made his acting debut in the 2004 film Palindromes. He later appeared in the 2006 independent films, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and Little Fugitive, alongside his sister Raquel. In 2007, he was featured in the independent film, Tracks of Color and the film Where God Left His Shoes.

He had a role in the 2008 film 27 Dresses, starring Katherine Heigl and the 2009 film The Ministers, starring John Leguizamo. He recently starred in Forged with Manny Perez directed by William Wedig and played Raphael Santiago in the Shadowhunters television series from 2016 to 2019.

Filmography + Film roles Year Film Role Notes 2004 Palindromes Carlito 2006 A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Reaper's Little Brother Bella David Little Fugitive Joey 2007 Arranged Eddie Where God Left His Shoes Justin Diaz Tracks of Color Luis Martinez 2008 27 Dresses Pedro 2009 The Ministers Dante / Perfecto (age 10) 2010 Forged Machito 2011 Fugly! Ray "Kid Ray" 2012 Tio Papi Manny 2019 Ruta Madre Daniel

+ Television roles Year Title Role Notes 2011 Are We There Yet? Frankie DeCosmo Episodes: "The Test Taker Episode", "The Lindsey Goes Vegan Episode" 2016-2019 Shadowhunters Raphael Santiago Recurring role, 25 episodes 2016 Blue Bloods Louis Edwards Episode: "The Greater Good" 2020 God Friended Me Private Joseph Martinez Episode: "Raspberry Pie" 2022 Power Book III: Raising Kanan Marco Boselli 4 episodes 2025 Law & Order Ernesto Ruiz Episode: "Sins of the Father"

Awards and nominations Year Group Award Role Result Refs 2008 Imagen Award Best Supporting Actor Where God Left His Shoes