Cristián Andrés de la Fuente Sabarots (Spanish pronunciation:[kɾisˈtjandelaˈfwente]; born March 10, 1974) is a Chilean actor, presenter, model and producer. He began his career appearing in the Chilean telenovelas before moving to United States for starring in television series Family Law (1999–2001) and Hidden Hills (2002–2003). De la Fuente later made his big screen debut in the 2001 action film Driven and later appeared in films Vampires: Los Muertos (2002) and Basic (2003). In later years he was a regular cast member in In Plain Sight (2008–12) and Devious Maids (2015).[2] De la Fuente also acted in a number of Spanish-language telenovelas.
Early life
Cristian De la Fuente was born in Santiago, Chile, the only child of chemist Hugo de la Fuente (died 1996) and Adriana Sabarots, a homemaker of French descent. He served in the Chilean Air Force reserve prior to attending the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he pursued a degree in civil engineering.[1]
Career
1998–2003
De la Fuente was spotted by a talent scout during his sophomore year as a civil engineering major at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and won a contest as Chile's next "Super Teen". Beginning with small network roles in prime time, he quickly went on to star in four prime time dramas including Eclipse de Luna and the highly acclaimed televised theatrical production of La Tía de Carlos. He starred in Chile's number-one rated variety program Venga Conmigo, the comedy Mi Tío y Yo alongside Gonzalo Robles, and the MTV-style music and dance program Generación 2000.
For his starring role in the independent thriller Minimal Knowledge, de la Fuente won the Individual Achievement Award for Best Male Actor at the Ajijic International Film Festival.[citation needed]
In 2004, De la Fuente hosted alongside Kate del Castillo the first annual Premios Juventud on the Univision television network. In 2005, he starred in the Venevisión's Miami-made telenovela Soñar No Cuesta Nada, starring alongside Mexican actresses Karyme Lozano and Laura Zapata. It was a huge hit in the daytime slot on Univision. It ran for 191 episodes. On Univisión there were talks for him to host a night time talk show, but nothing came of it. He also had a recurring role as Aaron in the CBS sitcom The Class.
In 2005, Cristián was seen in supporting roles in the indie romantic drama Sueño with John Leguizamo and the Latin-themed comedy Once Upon a Wedding. He was a popular host for Spanish-language specials and series during this period, including the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards, the 2006 Premios Juventud, and the Chilean reality series Golpe Bajo, for which he also served as executive producer and writer. In 2005, he starred in the popular VenezuelantelenovelaSoñar no Cuesta Nada, which filmed in Miami, Florida. De la Fuente also guest starred in three episodes of UPN's One on One, and in an episode of the wildly popular ABC show Ugly Betty. Amidst all the acting gigs, he continued to maintain his status with the Chilean Air Force, for which he occasionally performed as part of the aerial acrobatic troupe, Halcones. In the fall of 2007, he participated in the mini-series directed by Jennifer Lopez, Como Ama Una Mujer with the actress Leonor Varela.[3]
De la Fuente appeared as a contestant on the sixth season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars with dance partner Cheryl Burke.[4] They trained at Palm Beach, Florida's Paramount Ballroom, which is owned by former U.S. Nine-Dance Champion Alec Lazo.[5] De la Fuente suffered a ruptured tendon in his left arm biceps on the April 28, 2008 episode of Dancing with the Stars. The following week, performing with his injured arm, he and Burke led the field. He was eliminated on May 20, 2008, in 3rd place.