ActorAmericanMalaysian AmericanBrown University

Joel de la Fuente

Joel de la Fuente is an American actor known for his roles in "Space: Above and Beyond," "The Man in the High Castle," "Hemlock Grove," and "Law & Order: SVU."

1. Overview

Joel de la Fuente (born April 21, 1969) is an American actor. He first gained recognition for his role as 1st Lieutenant Paul Wang in the science fiction television series Space: Above and Beyond. He is widely known for his roles as Dr. Johann Pryce in Hemlock Grove, Kempeitai Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido in The Man in the High Castle, and for his recurring appearances as Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) Tech Ruben Morales on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. More recently, he has voiced General Sam Lane in My Adventures with Superman and played Mark Nava in William Atticus Parker's 2023 film Atrabilious, and Losang in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

2. Early life and education

De la Fuente's early life was shaped by his family background and his pursuit of education in the performing arts.

2.1. Birth and family

De la Fuente was born on April 21, 1969, in New Hartford, New York. He is the middle child of three boys born to Filipino immigrant parents. His older brother is two years his senior, and his younger brother is six years younger. In addition to his Filipino heritage, he is also of Chinese and Malaysian descent.

2.2. Education

He grew up in Evanston, Illinois, and completed his secondary education at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Illinois, graduating in 1987. He continued his academic journey at Brown University, where he earned his BA degree in theatre arts in 1991. Subsequently, he pursued advanced studies in acting, receiving his MFA degree in 1994 from NYU's graduate acting program at the Tisch School of the Arts.

3. Personal life

Joel de la Fuente is married to Melissa Bowen. They first met while performing together in a Shakespeare in the Park production. The couple married in June 2000 and have two daughters: Elena, born in 2001, and Tallulah, born in 2005.

4. Career

De la Fuente has established a diverse acting career spanning film, television, video games, and theatre, taking on a wide range of roles.

4.1. Film

De la Fuente has appeared in numerous films, often in supporting roles across various genres.

  • Roommates (1995) as Toby
  • Return to Paradise (1998)
  • Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002) as Thavi Matola
  • Heights (2005)
  • Goodbye Baby (2007)
  • The Happening (2008) as Realtor
  • The Greatest (2009)
  • Taking Chance (2009) as Ticketing Agent
  • Work of Art (2010)
  • The Adjustment Bureau (2011) as Thompson's aide
  • Brief Reunion (2011) as Aaron
  • Forgetting the Girl (2012) as Derek
  • Julia (2014) as Dr. Lin
  • Ava's Possessions (2015) as Escobar
  • Red Sparrow (2018) as U.S. Senator
  • The Same Storm (2021) as John Park
  • Atrabilious (2023) as Mark Nava

4.2. Television

His television career includes main roles and recurring appearances in a variety of acclaimed series and TV movies.

  • Due South (1994) as Charlie Wong (Episode: "Chinatown")
  • Space: Above and Beyond (1995-1996) as Lt. Paul Wang (main role)
  • High Incident (1996) as Detective Aquino (3 episodes)
  • When the Cradle Falls (1997) as Bill Avila (TV Movie)
  • ER (1997) as Med Student Ivan Fu (2 episodes)
  • 100 Centre Street (2001-2002) as Peter Davies (12 episodes)
  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2002-2011) as TARU Tech Ruben Morales (52 episodes)
  • All My Children (2007) as Seamus Wong (4 episodes)
  • Canterbury's Law (2008) as Assistant Attorney General Peter Upton (2 episodes)
  • Nurse Jackie (2011) as a priest (1 episode)
  • Hemlock Grove (2013-2015) as Dr. Johann Pryce (main role)
  • Blue Bloods (2015) as Edward Gomez (Episode: "Flags of Our Fathers")
  • The Man in the High Castle (2015-2019) as Chief Inspector Kido (main role, 39 episodes)
  • Limitless (2016) as Daniel Lee (Episode: "A Dog's Breakfast")
  • Madam Secretary (2017-2019) as President Datu Andrada (3 episodes)
  • Bull (2017) as Brent Janson (Episode: "How to Dodge a Bullet")
  • Manifest (2018-2020) as Dr. Brian Cardoso (2 episodes)
  • The Blacklist (2019) as Dr. Guillermo Rizal (Episode: "Guillermo Rizal")
  • Devils (2022) as Cheng Liwei
  • The Good Doctor (2022) as Jacob (Episode: "Growth Opportunities")
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society (2022) as Officer "Cannonball" Zhao (2 episodes)
  • Hello Tomorrow! (2023) as Bill Blankenship (1 episode)
  • My Adventures with Superman (2023-present) as General Sam Lane (voice, recurring role)
  • The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023-2024) as Losang (main role, 6 episodes)

4.3. Video games

De la Fuente has also lent his voice to video game characters.

  • The Warriors (2005) as Additional Civilian
  • Homefront (2011) as Hopper Lee

4.4. Theatre

His stage work includes notable performances, such as his role in Hold These Truths.

  • Hold These Truths (2018) as Gordon Hirabayashi and other characters.