Rafael de La Fuente

Rafael Alfredo De la Fuente Torres Jr. (born 11 November 1986) is a Venezuelan-born American actor and singer. He is known for his roles in the fantasy television series Grachi (2011–2013) and as Sam "Sammy Jo" Jones in the CW soap opera reboot Dynasty (2017–2022) His other notable role was in the first and second seasons of the drama series Empire (2015–2016) and Diego Moreno in the CBS drama Fire Country (2023–2025).

Early life Rafael Alfredo De la Fuente Torres Jr. was born in Caracas, Venezuela. on 11 November 1986, to Rafael Sr., a bariatric surgeon, and Helena. He has one younger sister, Alma. From childhood, his ambition was to pursue a career as a singer, and he sang in his church choir from the age of nine.

After high school, he moved to the United States to study theatre at the University of Tampa, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2009. He began acting on stage at the nearby Falk Theater before transitioning to on-screen roles. In 2011, he appeared as Max in the telenovela Aurora In 2014, de la Fuente appeared as Coach Julio on Every Witch Way, an English-language remake of produced for Nickelodeon.

Also in 2014, he appeared in the feature film The One I Wrote For You, followed by Lift Me Up (2015).

Breakthrough in American television (2015–2017) De la Fuente gained wider recognition in American primetime television with his recurring role as Michael Sanchez, the boyfriend of Jamal Lyon, in the Fox musical prime time soap opera, Empire (2015–2016). In 2017, he appeared as Cleve Jones's boyfriend Ricardo Canto in the ABC miniseries When We Rise.

In 2017, he appeared as Ricardo Canto, the long-term partner of activist Cleve Jones, in the ABC miniseries When We Rise, a historical drama chronicling the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

During the run of the show, he also appeared in the films ¡He matado a mi marido! (2018) and Antidote (2018).

Post-Dynasty (2023–present) In 2023, De La Fuente starred opposite Katie Leclerc in the Hallmark Christmas movie, Letters to Santa.

Also in 2023, he was cast in the recurring role of Diego in the second season of the CBS drama series, Fire Country. Playing a charming paramedic, firefighter, and combat veteran who trained Gabriela Perez and became romantically involved with her.

In January 2026, he starred alongside Jaicy Elliot in the Hallmark Channel television film Love on the Amazon, playing Danny, a riverboat captain who guides a woman through the Amazon in search of her sister.

Other works De La Fuente is a spokesperson for Uniquely You, a brand of ACV gummy vitamins, and the charity website Every.Org. He actively supports many charitable causes, especially those effecting the environment and the LGBTQ community.

Personal life De La Fuente is gay. He has spoken about the significance of Ricky Martin's coming out as a formative moment that gave him the courage to embrace his own identity. In an interview on Latino Alternative TV's The Q Agenda, de la Fuente recalled that seeing a fellow Latino artist come out so publicly made him feel that he too could live authentically both on and off screen, having kept his queerness private for years despite coming out at age 21.

He has been an active advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility, as well as for Latinx representation in Hollywood, frequently drawing on his experience as a Venezuelan immigrant to speak about immigration issues. In a 2020 interview, he described the importance of showing that immigrants "are just people that are trying to survive, especially because they come from places that are in political turmoil."

de la Fuente was romantically linked with singer-songwriter John Duff.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2014 The One I Wrote for You Rafael Amato 2015 Lift Me Up Erik 2018 Antidote Manuel 2019 ¡He matado a mi marido! El Topo 2023 Letters to Santa Enrique Hallmark Channel 2026 Love on the Amazon Danny Hallmark Channel TBA Cuba, Paraíso Jovan

Television Year Title Role Notes 2009 Más sabe el diablo Jorge Giraldo Episodic role 2011 Aurora Max Episodic role 2011–2013 Grachi Diego Forlán Main role 2014 Every Witch Way Julio Recurring role 2015–2016 Empire Michael Sanchez Recurring role 2017 When We Rise Ricardo Canto 2 episodes 2017 American Horror Story: Cult Picnic Guy Episodic role 2017–2022 Dynasty Sam "Sammy Jo" Jones Main role 2023–2025 Fire Country Diego Moreno Recurring role