Biography
With a dedication to his craft, and consummate appetite for the world and people around him, Dave Baez has built a career on character study and cultivated a passion to share his experience with a new generation of theater and film actors.
Born in the old New England fishing town of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Dave grew up in a multi-ethnic family, deeply rooted in Portuguese and Puerto Rican culture. Raised with unwavering support from his parents, Dave developed a passion for the arts, leading him to the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. There, he majored in Theater Studies, performing in several plays as well as establishing a program for students called, "The Experimental Stage," a creative outlet for free speech and the performing arts on campus.
After college, Dave moved to Miami, and was cast in his first professional theater production as King Philip of France, in "A Lion In Winter." A chance encounter with Frances Grill, founder of the CLICK modeling agency led to a meeting with fashion photographer Bruce Weber, who booked Dave for ads for Versace, Ralph Lauren, Brooks Bothers among others. Dave's focus, however, remained on acting as he used his newfound opportunity to move to New York and enroll in the acclaimed Herbert Bergdorf studio, studying under the late, celebrated actor, William Hickey, as well as an acceptance into the "Absolute Theater Company," which produced off Broadway plays. After benefiting from a donation from Al Pacino, the Company was able to produce a showcase in Los Angeles, which in turn, allowed Dave to make his destined move out west.
With experience and a solid resume, Dave quickly booked a role in the final installment of the Crow franchise, The Crow: Wicked Prayer, for Dimension Films in 2005, opposite Danny Trejo and Dennis Hopper. Several parts in film and television followed, including recurring roles in NBC's "Miss Match," alongside Alicia Silverstone and Ryan O'Neil, "Las Vegas," opposite Josh Duhamel and Vanessa Marcil, and a five-episode arc on Showtime's "Dexter," where Dave played Gabriel, the boyfriend to the title character's sister.
Dave can also be seen in the feature Mothers and Daughters, opposite Sharon Stone, Susan Sarandon, Selma Blair, Christina Ricci, and Courteney Cox, playing a doctor who develops a personal relationship with Selma Blair's character, as she struggles to make a tough decision regarding an unexpected pregnancy.
Other credits include the Daytime Episodic, "Days of Our Lives," CBS' "The Mentalist," The CW fantasy-drama, "The Secret Circle," the long-running Paramount comedy, "All of Us," co-created by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, and the popular IFC series "Maron" in 2015, along with countless commercials for brands such as, Bud Light, Craftsman, Honda, Toyota, Buick, Caress, Verizon and AT&T, among others.
For Dave, acting is a companion to his natural thirst for life and intense reflection into his own soul. He is keenly aware that an actors journey never ends, the craft never perfected, but only built layer upon layer. This intense passion has led Dave to a new endeavor as he transitions into teaching the craft as well, sharing his experience, trade-craft and unique insights of the industry that has fulfilled him for over a decade.
