‏Jose Yenque‏

Born in Brooklyn, New York Jose Yenque has over a decade of experience as a professional actor and devoted humanitarian, which earned him an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from California State University San Marcos. Jose Yenque grew up in the theater. At the age of 14 years, Yenque's life was turned around by the transformative power of art when his mother New York veteran actress Teresa Yenque (30 Rock, Law & Order) enrolled him in a drama workshop that helped him go from a shy, 230lbs young man who stuttered, to a confident and gifted actor, at home on the stage and comfortable with himself. Thanks to this life-changing experience, Yenque has a passion for helping teens make it through those sometimes-difficult years, using art as a vehicle for development of life skills, self-confidence and founded Arts for a Better Tomorrow. After graduating High School he was offered a scholarship to Ballet Hispanico of N.Y. Yenque also trained extensively in several NY Theater companies. He then toured internationally 'West Side Story' where he received rave reviews for his portrayal of "Bernardo" before moving to Los Angeles. His television performances have been seen on hit prime shows such as ER, Lincoln Heights, Without a Trace, CSI: Miami, NYPD Blue and the The X-Files. Most television viewers remember Yenque as "Gabriel" in 'Lifetime' Network's 'The Division'.In 2004, He played an immigrant dad struggling to make a better life for his American-born son played by Jeffrey Licon in the AFI short Wednesday Afternoon (2004) (dir. Alonso F. Mayo), which was picked in 2005 by the 'Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' as the Gold Medal winner in the 32nd Annual Student Academy Awards.Yenque starred in the film Between (2005) (dir. David Ocanas) opposite Poppy Montgomery, Patricia Reyes Spíndola and Danny Pino which premiered at the 2005 'Sundance Film Festival' and is aired on the Lifetime' network in 2007.As Founder of Arts for a Better Tomorrow, a supporter of and frequent collaborator with higher education, Jose Yenque has presented at several major academic conferences, including the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and the International Association for Language Learning Technology. He aims to continue inspiring others, particularly today's youth, with his work both on and off screen.