Childhood & Early Life
Jon Huertas was born Jon William Scott Hofstedt on October 23, 1969, in New York City, New York, to a Puerto Rican / African-American father and a Caucasian mother. He was brought up by his grandparents.
Huertas studied at the ‘John Handley High School’ in Winchester, Va. By 10 years of age, he began taking part in the school plays. Once he had to sing a solo and his performance seemed to have moved a nun [who had given him that role as a punishment] in that strict Catholic Convent school. This helped him make up his mind to pursue acting.
In 1987, Huertas joined the ‘US Air Force’ as an aircraft nuclear / conventional weapon specialist. He was a part of the ‘Operation Desert Storm,’ and ‘Operation Just Cause.’ He served for 8 years, and while in the armed forces, he obtained a degree in theater.
Continue Reading Below
Career
After his Air Force service, Huertas decided to join the entertainment industry. In 1993, he began his acting career with an uncredited part [of a pimp] in the series ‘The Webbers.’ He moved to California in 1995, and worked in some minor roles. He appeared on ABC’s ‘Movie of the Week’ alongside former ‘The Wonder Years’ star Jason Hervey, whose mother later became Huertas’ manager and that helped his career.
He appeared in small parts in various series including ‘Beverly Hills,’ ‘JAG,’ ‘90210,’ and ‘Nash Bridges.’ During 1998-1999, Huertas worked in the UPN TV series ‘Moesha’ wherein his performance as ‘Antonio’ was noticed. In 1998, he also worked as ‘Joe Negroni’ in a romantic drama film, ‘Why Do Fools Fall in Love?’ This role, where he worked alongside Halle Berry, Paul Mazursky and Ben Vereen, brought him appreciation.
The following year, Huertas worked in 2 movies – as ‘Darius’ in the horror film ‘Cold Hearts,’ and as ‘Lt. Bradley Elias’ in the action movie ‘Stealth Fighter.’ Besides other series such as ‘St. Michael Crossing,’ ‘Undressed,’ and ‘Time of Your Life,’ he played ‘Brad Alcerro, the witch hunter,’ in the comic based sitcom ‘Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.’ For this role he got nominated for the ‘2000 ALMA Award.’
In 2000, Huertas worked in several movies including, ‘Buddy Boy,’ ‘Auggie Rose,’ ‘A Family in Crisis,’ and TV series ‘Touched by an Angel.’ This was followed by various supporting roles in such movies as ‘Bug,’ ‘Borderline,’ ‘The Yard Sale,’ ‘Right at Your Door,’ ‘The Insatiable,’ and TV series such as ‘NYPD Blue,’ ‘The Division,’ ‘The Joe Schmo Show,’ ‘Crossing Jordan,’ ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,’ ‘Invasion,’ ‘Prison Break’ and others.
In 2008, Huertas got a major break with HBO TV series, ‘Generation Kill,’ in which he played ‘Sergeant Antonio ‘Poke’ Espera,’ where his performance received accolades. In the same year, he appeared as ‘Trevor’ in Fox science fiction show, ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.’
From March 2009 to May 2016 he starred in the ABC comedy police procedural drama, ‘Castle,’ in the role of ‘Homicide detective Javier Esposito.’ He [and co-star Stana Katic] won ‘Performance in a Drama Episode’ award at the ‘16th PRISM Awards.’
In November 2010 Huertas started his music record company and his Hip-hop single, ‘Sex is the Word,’ was released in June 2011. In the same year, he also directed a short film, ‘Lone’ [2010] [loosely based on the ‘Lone Ranger’].
From September 2016, for one year he served as an alternate member of ‘The National Board of Directors’ and as a member of the ‘Hollywood Division Board of Directors’ of the ‘Screen Actors’ Guild.’
His recent appearances include CBS suspense drama, ‘Elementary’ [2016], and recurring role of ‘Miguel’ in NBC’s comedy drama series, ‘This is Us’ [2016 to present].
Family & Personal Life
Huertas is regularly present at the charity events for the war veterans, such as ‘Wounded Warriors,’ and ‘Puppies Behind Bars.’
On May 4, 2014 Huertas married his girlfriend of many years, Nicole Bordges, in Tulum, Mexico.
