TV star and voice actor Kamar de los Reyes has died at the age of 56, according to an official statement shared with PEOPLE. Best known for roles such as Coach Montes in “All-American,” Ryan Caradine in “The Rookie,” and Raul Menendez in the “Call of Duty” video game series, the late talent’s career spans several notable projects stretching back to the late 1980s. Among the actor’s lengthy list of guest star credits is an appearance on “Blue Bloods,” though longtime viewers will have to think back to the program’s early days to remember who exactly he played.
De los Reyes specifically appeared in just two installments of “Blue Bloods” — Episodes 22 and 23 of Season 3. The episodes see Donnie Wahlberg’s Detective Danny Reagan and several compatriots working to take down a notorious gang. De los Reyes played the morally twisted leader of the gang — a man named Santana. As far as “Blue Bloods” villains go, Santana is a particularly cruel piece of work, even going so far as attempting to kill his own girlfriend to keep her quiet. While Danny inevitably serves justice to the criminal, not everyone makes it out of this particular case unscathed.
De los Reyes shook up the Blue Bloods status quo
While Kamar de los Reyes’ time on “Blue Bloods” may have had an abbreviated stint on “Blue Bloods,” his appearances as Santana ended up having a fairly significant impact on the show’s status quo at the time. Specifically, the actor’s character is responsible for the saddest moment in “Blue Bloods” Season 3, in which Jamie Reagan’s (Will Estes) partner, Vinny Cruz, is tragically shot and killed by members of Santana’s gang. While Santana is ultimately arrested, the consequences of his gang’s actions stick in the Reagan family’s minds for long after.
In a more behind-the-scenes sense, it seems that having the opportunity to appear on “Blue Bloods” was also an impactful — and enjoyable — experience for de los Reyes. During the filming of his respective episodes in early 2013, the actor posted a photo to Facebook of him on-set, alongside fellow guest stars Rick Gonzalez and Ana Nogueira. The star finished off the post with a single word: “Gangsta!!”
“Blue Bloods” is far from the only major procedural series De los Reyes guest starred in throughout his career. The actor also made appearances — some far less villainous than his role as Santana — in “Law & Order,” “CSI: Miami,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Mentalist,” and “The Rookie,” among others.