Damian Urra

Damian Urra was born in Matanzas, Cuba on May 31, 1972 to Jorge A. Urra and Concepcion Montenegro. His father was a well known singer and musician in the island throughout the mid to late 70s. His mother was a housewife who took care of her three sons. Damian is the youngest of the three brothers. Life was difficult for the adults in the family, but for Damian it was not unusual. That life was all he knew. What he didn't know was that shortly before his 8th birthday his life was going to change. In may 1980, a Cuban military squad burst into their home in the middle of the night and ordered them to leave everything behind and go to the piers. They were rushed into a boat overflowing with people. The passengers spanned from convicted criminals to the most prominent individuals and business owners. They were all being ushered onto a one-way exodus off the island of Cuba towards the United States of America. In a matter of days Damian's life became completely foreign. Things didn't match up. Everything was confusing to him. A different language, different customs and a different living environment made the U.S. both full of wonders and frightening to him. The culture shock he experienced dissipated as Damian adapted with the support of his extended family that also had painstakingly labored to extract them from Cuba safely. By the mid 80s his Dad had opened a small vidoe store on Main Street, in Tarrytown, New York. Here, Damian spent hours reading the jackets of the videos in order to help customers make their selections. His knowledge and passion for films grew stronger as time went by and without realizing, Damian found himself studying the career paths of his favorite actors. He loved to seek out their obscure beginnings and follow their growth analyzing how they became household names. One day while working late at the video store, a man came in almost at closing time. He started coming in regularly and always just before closing. Not knowing who he was, Damian befriended him. they would often sit and talk about their favorite movies, actors and directors. The man was Keith Hamiltan Cobb from All My Children who unknowingly sparked in Damian the desire to become an actor. Today Damian is walking that arduous road and is enjoying it ever step of the way. He knows there is much to come and looks forward to some day igniting in someone else that same spark his friend Keith left in him.