Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes (born December 3, 1970, in Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

) is an American conservationist,

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

instructor, actor, and former active duty United States Marine. He is best known for portraying himself in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

TV miniseries '' Generation Kill''.

Early years

Reyes was born in 1970 to a United States Marine father en route to Vietnam. Reyes was raised by his grandparents until 1976 when both his grandmother and grandfather died in the same year. He spent the next few years being shuffled between relatives and eventually the Omaha Home for Boys. At 15 Reyes started studying kung fu. At 17, Reyes emancipated himself and took custody of his two younger brothers, after which he moved to

. There, he continued to study and teach kung fu with his brothers. Both Rudy and one of his younger brothers, Michael, worked at Lucille's Restaurant in Westport, Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1990s.

Military career

In 1998, Reyes joined the United States Marine Corps and was ultimately selected for (and passed)

Marine Recon The United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions (or commonly called Marine Division Recon) are the Special Operations Capable reconnaissance assets of Marine Air-Ground Task Force that provide division-level ground and amphibious rec ...

training. He served in Afghanistan and took part in the Iraq war. Reyes served on the USS ''Dubuque'' and often led platoon PT sessions on ship. During the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, Reyes was a team leader within the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, which became the tip of the spear as the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...

advanced on Baghdad; journalist

Evan Wright Evan Alan Wright (born ) is an American writer, known for his extensive reporting on subcultures for ''Rolling Stone'' and '' Vanity Fair''. He is best known for his book on the Iraq War, ''Generation Kill'' (2004). He also wrote an exposé abou ...

embedded within Reyes' platoon and later wrote ''Generation Kill'', a book depicting the events of the invasion from the perspective of the Recon Marines.

Trainer, actor, and writer

After leaving the military in 2005, Reyes became a fitness trainer at a gym in San Diego. His acting roles included playing himself in '' Generation Kill'' (2008) and the TV series ''

Apocalypse Man ''Apocalypse Man'' is an American television series that premiered on January 6, 2010 on the History Channel. Hosted by U.S. Marine and martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons suc ...

'', ''

Ultimate Survival Alaska ''Ultimate Survival Alaska'' was an American television reality competition series produced by Brian Catalina Productions that premiered on the National Geographic Channel on May 12, 2013. The series was executive produced by Brian Catalina, Kris ...

'', and '' Spartan Race''. He is also one of the interviewees of the 2020 documentary series '' Once Upon a Time in Iraq''. He played "Solomon Goodblood" in a 2021 film ''

The Secret of Sinchanee ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

''. In 2022, he became lead instructor on '' SAS: Who Dares Wins''. He also portrays the playable character "Enzo Reyes" in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II multiplayer. Reyes wrote the book, ''Hero Living: Seven Strides to Awaken Your Infinite Power'' (2009), with Angela Smith. He has also authored articles for '' OFFGRID'' magazine.

Conservationist

In 2016, Rudy Reyes founded the Force Blue Team, taking special operators- SEALS, Recon Marines, Pararescuemen, Special Forces and teamed them up with scientists to rebuild and restore coral reefs.

Sunga Life Model

In 2019, Rudy began modeling for Navy SEAL founded swimwear and athleisure brand Sunga Life, promoting which sells items such as sungas, silkies, and performance board shorts.

References

External links

Rudy Reyes' Personal WebsiteRudy Reyes
on IMDb
Force Blue TeamRudy Reyes Sunga Life Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Rudy 1971 births Living people United States Marines Male actors from Kansas City, Missouri American male actors of Mexican descent United States Marine Corps personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War