Orlando Williams-De La Rosa

Orlando is of Dominican and African-American descent. He speaks Spanish and English. He comes from a dysfunctional and abusive home in the slums of Baltimore City. The first seven years of his life, he bounced around to live with various family members before finally settling down to live the next two years with his mother. His father was incarcerated since his birth so there was no father figure around. Being the oldest, his mother would physically abuse and torture him as an outlet for her anger. She spent most of her time in the streets, using drugs and prostituting for money. Orlando and his younger siblings were often left in the house alone for many days and he had to take care of them alone. At the age of nine, his mother's psychological problems were too great and she abruptly turned him over to the state of Maryland's Department of Social Services. Too old to be adopted, he grew up in group-homes and juvenile correctional facilities as a ward of the state. Growing up as an orphan was not to hinder his future, though. It was actually a driving force to be something more than just another statistic. He was mainly a shy and solitary boy but it was soon discovered that he was a naturally talented artist in drawing, writing, and entertaining others with original skits and plays. He was then offered an opportunity to attend the Baltimore School for The Arts that he now regretfully decided to turn down. Instead, Orlando chose to attend public school to pursue another of his extremely gifted talents...sports. After excelling in High School sports, he was offered the opportunity to attend College on a football scholarship but he surprised everyone and instead enlisted into the Marine Corps where he served for 12 years. During that time he continued to act and play football and lacrosse in the Marines. After returning from the war in Afghanistan as a combat veteran, Orlando left the military behind to pursue acting full time.