Next person biography:
Giancarlo Ruiz is a bilingual artist born and raised in Tijuana, B.C. to a Mexican lawyer father and an Italian philosopher mother. Growing up near the US-Mexico border, he often crossed into the United States with his friends and family. He developed a knack for mimicking voices and fell in love with movies at an early age. After attending a production of "Hamlet" at The Old Globe Theater in San Diego, he decided to pursue acting as a career.
Ruiz began working in film as a production assistant on the 1992 film "Garden of Eden" directed by Maria Novaro. He then moved to Mexico City, where he worked in theater and studied with various teachers. He also worked with the Almada Brothers on their low-budget films. In 1996, he wrote and produced his first play "Shit" and later co-founded a theater company with actress/producer Raquel Presa, which ran for 14 years.
Ruiz began directing short films in 1997 and went on to direct over 15 short films, 10 art videos, and 15 plays. His short films won prizes at various festivals, and he showcased his work at the Binacom festival in Cuba. In 2017, he wrote and directed his first feature film "El Vecino," which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Macabro: International Horror Film Festival in Mexico City.
As an artist, Ruiz has produced many art videos and collage work. He was part of the art collective YONKE Art and curated the itinerant movie experience Cineumatico. He also worked as the media specialist for the UCSD Graduate School of Visual Arts before permanently moving to Los Angeles in 2014.
Ruiz has had many roles in theater, including his favorite role as R.P. McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." He has also produced, written, and directed many films and has worked in front of and behind the camera. In 2017, he landed a recurring role on the Netflix show "Tijuana" and has recently appeared in the film "El Rey de la Fiesta," which is set to be released in February 2022.
