Vico Ortiz (born October 10, 1991) is a Puerto Rican actor, drag king, and activist.[3] They are best known for portraying Jim Jimenez on the HBO Max television series Our Flag Means Death.[4] Ortiz is a recipient of the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award[5] as well as a GLAAD Media Award winner.[6]
Vico Ortiz | |
|---|---|
 Ortiz in 2024 | |
| Born | October 10, 1991 |
| Education | American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Early life and education
editVico Ortiz was born on October 10, 1991,[7] in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were raised.[1][2][8] They are fluent in Spanish and English; Spanish was the first language they learned.[9]
Ortiz received their education at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles.[10]
Career
editOrtiz started their acting career in 2011 when they starred in the short film Oprah's Audience Moves On. For the following years, they had many small roles in other shorts and TV shows.[11]
Around 2017–2018, Ortiz told their agent that they wanted to go for roles of all genders, whether non-binary like them, or not. When they were hired for non-queer roles, they started suggesting to the writers that their characters could be non-binary, and some shows accepted to make the change.[12]
In 2018, they starred in the queer web series Recon, about a group of teenagers attending a secret spy school, as Ren St. Claire, one of the main characters.[11] Later that year, they starred in two episodes of the TV show Vida.
In 2019, they starred in another queer web series titled These Thems, where they played Vero, a non-binary character befriending a 30-year old woman who had just come out.[11] Ortiz also wrote the Spanish subtitles for the show.[12]
In 2021, they had recurring roles in both The Sex Lives of College Girls and S.O.Z. Soldados o Zombies.[11]
In 2022, they had their first main role in a television show, Our Flag Means Death.[11] Ortiz plays a non-binary pirate in this queer comedy about the romantic relationship between Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet which quickly became a hit.[13] Ortiz says that their interactions with fans have changed their life, and that they felt encouraged to get top surgery after seeing fan art of their character, Jim, getting gender-affirming surgery from the show's cook and de facto surgeon Roach (played by Samba Schutte).[14]
In 2023, they had two recurring voice acting roles in the animated television show Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.[11] They voiced the supporting characters Hunter, Skater Y and Fern.
In 2024, Ortiz was a featured guest in the second season of the GLAAD digital series Dímelo.[15]
Personal life
editOrtiz is non-binary. They use they/them pronouns in English[16][17][18] and elle/le/e in Spanish.[3][19] In an episode of the podcast Gender Reveal, they identified as genderfluid as well as non-binary, comparing their gender to a waterbed, "constantly moving, but in a fun way".[12]
Ortiz performs as a drag king named "Vico Suave".[3] Their character takes inspiration from both their Hispanic/Caribbean and American culture,[10] as well as "men who are comfortable with their femininity", such as Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and Bad Bunny.[20] They have another drag king persona named AJ when performing with their boy band the Backstreet Butches.[12] Ortiz's drag king career started when a friend convinced them to participate in a show before they even knew what drag was.[20]
In July 2023, Ortiz revealed they are in a polyamorous relationship and shared photos of their partners.[21]
Ortiz is an activist in subjects such as Puerto Rican federal voting rights, anti-racism, and gender neutrality in the Spanish language.[3]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Transparent | Cindy | 1 episode |
| 2015 | The Fosters | Cole's buddy | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Criminal Minds | Worker | 1 episode |
| 2018 | Vida | Tasha | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | American Horror Story | Rudy | 1 episode |
| 2020 | Everything's Gonna Be Okay | Lyndsey | 2 episodes |
| 2021–2022 | The Sex Lives of College Girls | Tova | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | S.O.Z. Soldados o Zombies | Sgt. Vicky Valencia | Recurring role |
| 2022-2023 | Our Flag Means Death | Jim Jimenez | Main role |
| 2023 | Harley Quinn | Tefé Holland (voice) | |
| 2023 | Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Hunter/Skater Y/Fern (voice) |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Craig Before the Creek | Serena (voice) |
Web series
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Recon | Ren St. Claire | Main role |
| 2019 | These Thems | Vero | Main role |
| 2024 | Dímelo | Themself | Featured guest |
| TBA | Atlantis Rocks | Ben | Main role[22] |
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Nominated Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | The Queerties | These Thems | Performance in a Digital Series | Nominated | [23] |
| 2022 | Gold Derby TV Award | Our Flag Means Death | Best Comedy Supporting Actor | Nominated | [24] |
| GLAAD Media Award | Primer Impacto (Univision) | Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism | Won | [25] | |
| The Queerties | Our Flag Means Death | Favorite TV Performance | Nominated | [26] | |
| 2023 | Audie Awards | Velorio | Spanish Language Title | Nominated | [27] |
| Peabody Awards | Our Flag Means Death | Entertainment | Nominated | [28] | |
| 2024 | Annie Awards | Craig Before the Creek | Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Media Production | Nominated | [29] |
| The Queerties | Our Flag Means Death | Favorite TV Performance | Runner-up | [30] | |
| Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series | Nominated | ||||
| Fan Favorite Out LGBTQ+ Actor | Won |
Other Accolades
edit- Human Rights Campaign — Visibility Award (2022)[32]
- 29 Queer Film Festival — Coyote Courage Award (2024)[33]
References
edit- ^ a b Del Rosario, Alexandra (April 13, 2022). "'Our Flag Means Death,' 'Vida' Actor Vico Ortiz Inks With Paradigm". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ a b Kelleher, Patrick (March 17, 2022). "HBO's new swashbuckling, non-binary pirate is 'reclaiming our stories', actor Vico Ortiz says". PinkNews. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Politics & Pride: Getting To Know Vico Ortiz". Ladygunn. June 25, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Vico Ortiz". LezWatch.TV. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ Ortiz, Vico [@V_Vico_Ortiz] (August 25, 2022). "Wrote some stuff, said some words and am beyond humbled to have received the @HRC Visibility Award" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Huff, Lauren (March 31, 2023). "Bros, A League of Their Own, and more honored at 2023 GLAAD Media Awards: See full winners list". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ @V_Vico_Ortiz (April 19, 2022). "Been getting a lot of lovely congratulations but just wanted to say that it is not my birthday tomorrow. Not sure how that happened… but I was born 10/10/91 at 10:10am 🖤✨ hahahaha 😅 I'm a confused millennial in their 30s ✌🏽" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @V_Vico_Ortiz (April 19, 2022). "For the girlies doing my chart I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico 💅🏽💁🏽♂️✨" (Tweet). Retrieved May 11, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Vico Ortiz Talks 'Our Flag Means Death,' Being a Non-Binary Actor & Working with Taika Waititi". Remezcla. April 26, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ a b "Vico Ortiz Bio". IMDb. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Vico Ortiz". IMDb. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Gender Reveal: Episode 72: Vico Ortiz". gender.libsyn.com. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "All of "Our Flag Means Death's" Impressive Rankings". The Geekiary. April 13, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "'OFMD's Vico Ortiz Says Fan Art Encouraged Them to Get Top Surgery". Out.com. April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "GLAAD Announces Premiere of Digital Original Series, "Dímelo," Spotlighting Latine LGBTQ Voices in Comedy, Produced in Partnership with Latination Media". GLAAD. September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ Dawson, Lamar (September 17, 2021). "Latinx actor Vico Ortiz talks coming out non-binary, breaking down gendered barriers". Today.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ Rude, Mey (March 17, 2022). "Vico Ortiz Talks Playing a Nonbinary Pirate in Our Flag Means Death". Out. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ Spielberger, Daniel (March 3, 2022). "Vico Ortiz Plays A Pirate Grappling with Gender on "Our Flag Means Death"". them. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ "Vico Ortiz". Twitter. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b "Vico Ortiz Takes on the Binary and Zombie Apocalypse". Advocate.com. September 27, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ Mackey, Joshua S. (July 17, 2023). "'Our Flag Means Death' Actor Vico Ortiz Shares Their Polyamorous Relationship With the World". Into.
- ^ Complex, Valerie (May 8, 2024). "Phil LaMarr, Tara Strong And Vico Ortiz Join Voice Cast Of Coty Galloway's Animated Series 'Atlantis Rocks'". Variety. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ "The Queerties 2021 - Performance Digital Series". Queerty.
- ^ Rosen, Daniel Montgomery,Chris Beachum,Denton Davidson,Marcus James Dixon,Joyce Eng,Christopher; Montgomery, Daniel; Beachum, Chris; Davidson, Denton; Dixon, Marcus James; Eng, Joyce; Rosen, Christopher (August 11, 2022). "2022 Gold Derby TV Awards winners ceremony: 'Only Murders, 'Pachinko,' 'The White Lotus' …". GoldDerby. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD.
- ^ "The 2022 The Queerties - TV Performance". Queerty.
- ^ "2023 Audie Awards". Audio Publishers Association.
- ^ "Our Flag Means Death Award Profile". Peabody Awards.
- ^ "51st Annie Awards 2023 Congratulations Winners". Annie Awards.
- ^ "The Queerties - TV Performance". March 13, 2024.
- ^ "Presenting The Winners Of The 7th Annual Autostraddle TV Awards". Autostraddle. September 13, 2024.
- ^ "Human Rights Campaign Gala - Join Us For Dinner!". Human Rights Campaign.
- ^ "29 Queer Film Festival announced for September". August 13, 2024.
External links
edit- Vico Ortiz at IMDb