Kamar de los Reyes, who played the villain Raul Menendez in the popular video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” and starred as Antonio Vega in the soap opera “One Life to Live,” died on Sunday in Los Angeles after a brief battle with cancer, his wife’s publicist confirmed to Variety. He was 56.
De los Reyes was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was raised in Las Vegas. In the late 1980s, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting after he studied singing and dancing growing up. He originated the role of Chicano boxer Pedro “Roadman” Quinn in the off-Broadway play “Blade to the Heat” in 1994 and later starred opposite Patrick Stewart in a 1995 production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”
His first major role came on the long-running ABC soap Opera “One Life to Live.” From 1995 to 1998, he played Antonio Vega, who is serving a life sentence for murder when he’s introduced but is later released when it’s revealed he was acting in self-defense. His character was originally raised as the son of matriarch Carlotta Vega, but it’s soon unveiled he was actually the son of Carlotta’s brother, Manuel Santi. De los Reyes returned to the show in 2000 and starred as Antonio until 2009.
In the popular 2012 video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops II,” de los Reyes played the antagonist Raul Menendez, a Nicaraguan arms dealer and terrorist who sparked another Cold War in a futuristic 2025. He reprised the character in “Call of Duty: Black Ops IV” and “Call of Duty: Vanguard.”
His other credits included films like “Nixon,” “The Cell,” “Salt” and shows such as “Sleepy Hollow,” “The Rookie” and “All American.” According to his wife’s publicist, De los Reyes had roles in Marvel’s upcoming show “Daredevil: Born Again” and Hulu’s “Washington Black.”
De los Reyes is survived by his wife, actor Sherri Saum; sons Caylen, Michael and John; his brothers Daniel and Walfredo Jr.; his sisters Lily and Ilde; his mother, Matilde; and his father, Walfredo.