S A L U D O S H I S P A N O S At the age of 15, he emigrated to Miami, Florida. He attended high school, after which he studied business administration on a baseball scholarship at St. Thomas University. Around that time, he began to pursue an interest in modeling and acting. His good looks and chiseled abs got him signed up with a prestigious modeling agency, and he appeared in numerous ad campaigns. He was subsequently featured in two reality shows broadcast by Telemundo: Isla de la Tentación and Protagonistas de Novela 2. Although he was a successful model, he found that acting was his true passion and he was not willing to give it up. The next step towards achieving this dream was to move out to Los Angeles and start taking acting lessons, which he did while still booking modeling jobs and going to auditions. He also continued his acting studies in Miami and Mexico City. In 2005 he performed at the Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan, Puerto Rico, starring in the play La Nena Tiene Tumbao. Then, he made his acting debut on the Spanish-language channel Univision in the Venevision International production of Olvidarte Jamas, a Telenovela. He later appeared in supporting roles in Mi Vida Eres Tu and Acorralada. Levy’s big break came in 2007 when he was invited by television producer Carla Estrada to star in Pasión, his breakthrough in Mexican soap operas. Levy gained instant recognition and his acting career skyrocketed as a consequence of the novella's popularity. After Pasión, he traveled to Ecuador and participated in his first movie, Retazos de Vida. Shortly after, Levy returned to Mexico for his first leading role in Cuidado con el Angel, a soap opera production that consolidated him as one of Mexico's most sought-after leading actors. The show was first broadcast in Mexico in June 2008, and began airing in the United States in September 2008 on Univision. It was a solid hit which averaged 45.7 million viewers per evening. In 2009, Levy starred in Sortilegio, starring with actress Jacqueline Bracamontes. The finale on Univision drew 6.6 million viewers, beating ABC and CBS for viewers in that time slot. He received excellent reviews on this project, obtaining several awards for his work. The same year, he lent his voice to the Spanish version of the animated movie Planet 51, which won an award for best animated Spanish-language film of 2009. Levy also stretched his acting muscles, that year touring several Mexican cities with the play Un Amante a la Medida, which also went to the United States in June 2010. On television, Levy appeared in the Mexican telenovela Triunfo del Amor, a remake of the Venezuelan classic Cristal, appearing again with frequent co-star Maite Perroni. Levy got more international exposure when he starred as Jennifer Lopez's love interest in her music video "I’m Into You", from her album Love? in May 2011. He also got some unwanted attention from the tabloids, and had to deny rumors that he was involved in the JLo/Marc Anthony breakup. It didn’t hurt his career. Later that fall, William Levy and Maite Perroni had the honor of co-hosting the 25th Hispanic Heritage Awards gala on September 15, 2011, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Levy is enthusiastic to have the attention of his new followers but remains proud knowing that his Latin fans continue supporting him. "People become interested, they believe in your work," he says. "Little by little things are happening." The actor is currently working on a film about boxing titled In My Corner. In January 2012, it was announced that Levy will appear in two episodes of the VH1 television series Single Ladies, with Denise Vasi. It is unclear if Levy is single himself at the moment, but he has two young children with longtime lady Elizabeth Gutierrez. Levy is making a good impression in the US with his appearance on Dancing with the Stars, and seems to be on his way to crossing over to bigger and better roles both in the US and abroad. His timing is good. “Our Latino power is getting bigger man,” he says with a laugh in a recent CNN interview. Which is really cool, I love it. I appreciate so much that America is giving us this opportunity too, because we come here to work--to do good things. I'm so grateful this country gives us the opportunity to keep growing and keep doing things in life.
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