Rodrigo Obregón Osorio was born on October 28, 1951, in the City of Light, Paris, France, to a family that would soon relocate to Colombia. Growing up, he was presented with a crucial decision by his choreographer mother: pursue a career in dance or academics. Choosing the former, he embarked on a worldwide dance tour at the tender age of fifteen, accompanied by his mother, visiting numerous countries including the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, India, and France.
However, his journey took an unexpected turn in Paris, where he decided to leave his family and hitchhike across Europe. Eventually, Interpol caught up with him a couple of months later, and he returned to Colombia. Later, he was granted permission to travel to the United States, where he joined a theatre group in New York and began taking acting lessons.
Years later, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he met director Andy Sidaris, who would go on to cast him in Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987). Sidaris was so impressed with Rodrigo's work that he continued to cast him in almost all his subsequent films, considering him a "good luck charm."
Rodrigo's life took a tragic turn when he passed away suddenly on September 25, 2019, in Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia. In the years preceding his death, he had directed the National Ballet of Colombia, a prestigious institution that had been led by his mother before her passing in 2011. His father, Alejandro Jesús Obregón, was a renowned Colombian artist, further highlighting Rodrigo's artistic heritage.