Renoly Santiago was born in Lajas, Puerto Rico and spent his childhood in Union City, New Jersey. With a passion for the performing arts, he began singing, acting, dancing, and writing at a very young age, earning a dance scholarship to the Ballet Hispanico and a spot at The Professional Children's School in New York.
As a teenager, Renoly's talent and dedication led him to become a lead character and writer on the Emmy-nominated television series 'CityKids' at the age of 17. He made his film debut co-starring alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in the blockbuster hit 'Dangerous Minds'.
Renoly's impressive film credits include major roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as 'Hackers' with Angelina Jolie, 'Daylight' with Sylvester Stallone, and 'Con Air' with Nicolas Cage and John Malkovich. He has also appeared in indie films like 'Punks', 'The Street King' (aka 'King Rikki'),'Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy', and 'Lavoe: The Untold Story', which tells the story of Latin music legend Johnny Pacheco.
In addition to his film work, Renoly has made numerous episodic television appearances, including guest leads in 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', 'Touched by an Angel', 'Big Apple', and the one-hour television special 'Stand-up'.
Renoly has also had a successful career in theater, appearing in many off-Broadway productions under the direction of notable artists such as Liz Swados at Lincoln Centre and Graciella Danielle. He has also worked with Gabriel Barre in workshops for 'Blood Wedding' and 'Skin of Our Teeth', which featured Audra MacDonald and Sara Ramirez.
Renoly's Broadway debut was as the leader of the Vampires gang, Tony Hernandez, in Paul Simon's Latin rock-opera 'The Capeman', for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical. He starred alongside Marc Anthony, Ednita Nazario, and Ruben Blades.
In addition to his performing credits, Renoly has also written the book for the musical 'Bring in the Morning... A Wake-Up Call' at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, which starred Lauryn Hill. As a singer, he has been featured as back-up for recording artist India on her album 'Latin Songbird', and has performed duets with Danny Rivera and Marc Anthony, among others.
In 2011, Renoly is focusing on community arts projects in New York, as well as new acting, writing, and production ventures across various genres. He is also working on writing new songs in English and Spanish and recording music for his debut album.
