Biographie
Tim Perez was born in Fresno, California, the middle child among five girls and two boys in a close-knit Latino family. His father, an athlete, served as Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Fresno State University, while his mother earned a PhD from Stanford University and was a professor and chair of the Education Department at the University of North Carolina.
The Perez household valued hard work, upward mobility, and community activism, nurturing two lawyers, a doctor, and a scholar in Aztec literature.
During junior high and high school, Tim served as student body president and was voted most outstanding student. He was City Champion in junior varsity cross country, high hurdles, low hurdles, and triple jump. He earned varsity letters in cross country, track and field, and basketball, captaining his varsity basketball team. Recognized as the most outstanding thespian in drama, he was also nominated for the B'nai B'rith Student Athlete award, ultimately losing to Henry Ellard, future Los Angeles Rams star receiver. Additionally, Tim apprenticed as an actor at the California Shakespeare Festival.
At age 20, following a successful junior college basketball career, Tim was accepted by audition to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He was one of 18 chosen candidates, and the only Latino selected from the applicant pool. He earned an MFA in Acting in 1986.
Legendary New York producer Joe Papp cast Tim in his first professional role, acting opposite F. Murray Abraham in A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by two-time Tony Award winner A.J. Antoon. Tim performed in eight Off-Broadway productions at the New York Public Theater, including Shakespeare in the Park, as well as leading regional theaters.
On stage, Tim has collaborated with Academy Award-winning actors F. Murray Abraham, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Hunt; Tony-winning directors Des McAnuff and A.J. Antoon; and prominent theater figures such as Artistic Directors Oskar Eustis, Garland Wright, Richard Hamburger, Carlos Gimenez, along with Obie Award-winning directors JoAnne Akalaitis and David Greenspan.
Tim has been featured on Spanish CNN, KTLA, and in national print media including Espectaculos, Estylo, Daily Variety, and Latin Style, with reviews appearing in The New York Times. He recently performed a one-man show, "An Evening With Fidel and My Mother The Radical," at the Walker Theatre in NYC, exploring the life of Fidel Castro and border separation. He has written a full-length play, "El," about the early days of the Cuban Revolution, as well as three screenplays. Tim’s acting is referenced in F. Murray Abraham’s book, "Actors on Shakespeare."
With over 60 television and film credits, Tim starred opposite Academy Award nominee Jennifer Tilly in "Relax... It's Just Sex," a Sundance Film Festival selection and inductee into the Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival Hall of Fame.
Tim currently resides in Canada with his wife, designer and fine artist Gail Taylor, and their son.
