Ektor Rivera recently starred as the legendary latin singer Daniel Santos in the critically acclaimed feature film La Ultima Gira (The Last Tour), winner of the Best International Feature at the 2021 New York Latino Film Festival and The Leo Award winner at the Davinci International Film Festival in Los Angeles. The film follows the retired singer as he decides to undertake one last tour of South America, where he was known as “El Jefe” and where he expects to be again applauded and acclaimed only to find himself competing with a popular newcomer for the public’s adoration.
Rivera also recently played the title role of Usnavi in Lin Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award winning musical In The Heights, directed by Marcos Santana, to sold out audiences at the Coliseum of Puerto Rico, and Peron in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s classic Evita at the Regent’s Park Theater in London, directed by Jamie Lloyd.
His Broadway debut was playing Emilio Estefan in On Your Feet! at the Marquis Theatre, Broadway. The cast was headed by Ana Villafañe, who played Grammy winner Gloria Estefan and was directed by Jerry Mitchell. Choreography by Tony nominee Sergio Trujillo with book by Golden Globe and Oscar winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman).
In 2021, Rivera starred in “Sugar Plum Twist,” a Hallmark Movie Now original. His other television credits include “Fantasy Island,” “NCIS” and “StarUp,” among others.
Rivera was also selected by the singer/actress Jennifer López to be one of the lead singers in the USA TV & Live Show “Q’Viva! The Chosen.” Seen by over 30 million television viewers it was produced by Lopez, Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony and choreographer Jamie King. The show, created by Simon Fuller, was the first of its kind to be broadcast in the United States on both Univision and FOX simultaneously, and was presented live at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas before an audience of over 10,000 people.
Other leading roles in plays and musicals include Rent, Hairspray, Godspell, High School Musical, Piaf, The Outsiders and The Mousetrap, among others.
As a painter, Riveria holds a Bachelor Degree in Arts, with honors (Magna Cum Laude), on Imaging and Digital Design from the School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico. His first art exhibition was in 2005, and his paintings have traveled the world. One of his paintings (“Don Quijote”) made history at the Miss World International 2010 competition held in Shanghai, China. It was auctioned during the charity gala and designated as the piece of art with the highest collections. Art Collectors, politicians and artists such as Alejandro Fernández (international Mexican singer), Oliver Stone (director) and Benicio del Toro (actor) have acquired his paintings. He also maintains virtual galleries in the United States, Colombia and Spain. To see more of Ektor Rivera’s art, access: www.EktorRiveraArt.com.
