Noel Gugliemi is a 53 year-old American actor of Italian and Mexican descent who is best known as the Hector actor because of his portrayal of the character Hector in many of his movies.
It is not unusual for the public to associate an actor or actress with one of the characters they have portrayed in a movie. However, the unique aspect of Noel Gugliemi’s career is that several of the films and TV series he has appeared in, in over two decades of his acting career has seen him primarily cast in the role of a character named Hector. It has led to him being referred to as the Hector actor, as well as a few others erroneously assuming that his given middle name is Hector. This article uncovers the mystery behind this unique identification of Noel Gugliemi as the Hector actor.
Why Does Noel Gugliemi Always Play Hector?
This remains a mystery that even the actor himself has yet to fathom. We know that, despite his career commencing in 1999, he gained the attention of the media and the general public when he was cast as Hector in the first installment of the popular Fast and Furious movie franchise The Fast & the Furious in 2001.
Before and after reprising the role in Furious 7 14 years later, in 2015, Noel was cast as a character named Hector in more than a dozen of his total number of movie and TV series productions, currently exceeding 200.
In 2012, more than a decade after his first film as a character named Hector, he appeared as a character with the aforementioned name in a short movie named Vi. In 2013, he was cast as Hector in the movie Hope Cafe, and just a year later, he would play the character in two episodes of the TV series, Retail.
It May Have Something To Do With His Hispanic Background
One of the overarching theories surrounding why Noel Gugliemi always portrays the character “Hector” in many of his movies is that his Hispanic background has something significant to do with it. While essentially stereotypical, that supposition makes a lot of sense.
Part of this article has already stated the fact that Noel Gugliemi is an American of Italian and Mexican descent. To elaborate further on that aspect of his existence, we also believe it is necessary to point out the fact that he was born and raised in Santa Monica, California, an area noted for being home to predominantly members of the Hispanic community.
Gugliemi was born on October 15, 1970, a fact that means that he is currently 53 years old. Not much is known about members of his birth family, including his parents, who several sources have stated abandoned and left him homeless when he was just 13 years old.
List of Noel Gugliemi Hector Roles
Below is a complete list of Noel Gugliemi’s film and TV series credits where he played a character named “Hector”.
- 2001 – The Fast and the Furious
- 2012 – Vi
- 2013 – Hope Cafe
- 2014 – 2015 – Retail (2 eps)
- 2015 – Fast & Furious Flow (music video)
- 2015 – 2020 – Fresh off the Boat (16 eps)
- 2020 – GhettoBusters (1 ep)
- 2021 – The Cleaner
- *Bobby Brick (as Hector Olivera)
- *Second Chances
- *Cash Out
- *Unforgiven Road
- *Misery Man (as Little Hector)
- *King of the Street
*Still in production or post-production stages.
Noel Gugliemi Has Been Acting For More Than Two Decades Now
The Hector actor, as Gugliemi is fondly called, has been acting for more than two decades now. Through the years, he amassed more than two hundred acting credits in movies and TV series. Details of his formal educational background are currently unknown, but his relatively robust acting career began in 1999.
He earned his first acting credit with his appearance as Frank Ortez in the TV series Get Real. His first feature-length film credit arrived in the form of his role as Angel in Price of Glory in 2000.
As previously indicated, he has appeared in a host of other Hollywood productions, including The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000), Training Day (2001), alongside star actor Denzel Washington, The District (2004), Sleeper Cell (2005), Wisdom of the Crowd (2017), The Mustang (2019), Dawn of the Zombie Apocalypse (2020), and The Locksmith (2023).
Noel Gugliemi’s Net Worth Is Over $2 Million
While his career has seen him appear mainly as a supporting cast, Noel has done quite well for himself financially. He currently has a net worth of over $2 million to show for all his efforts in Hollywood.
Needless to say that the bulk of that net worth comes from his career as an actor. However, it is important to point out that the Furious 7 star has made significant contributions behind the scenes as a producer, screenwriter, and director.
Noel Gugliemi Used To Run With Gangs
A lot of Noel Gugliemi’s acting roles have seen him cast in the role of a gang member. Those scenes have been delivered masterfully by the actor, who has firsthand experience of what it means to be in a gang.
It’s no secret that the Hispanic actor had a rough childhood, which meant that he had to endure a lot of hardships, both physically and psychologically. Physically, he was abandoned and left homeless by his parents. The consequences of their action were more psychological than they were physical.
His desire to belong to a family was the main motivation behind his decision to join a gang when he was younger. According to the actor, he gravitated toward people who offered a sense of belonging.
Fortunately for him, the trajectory of his life changed from a criminal lifestyle to that of an actor after the father of his girlfriend kindheartedly took him in when he was 15 years old. The said girlfriend had dreams to be an actress, and Gugliemi often accompanied her to workshops.
During one such workshop, the producer offered him a role in a Taco Bell commercial. It was his first official TV gig, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Hector actor has a very close relationship with God, and he is often seen speaking in churches or other social events about the dangers of a life of crime and other community issues.
Noel Gugliemi Is Married With Kids
Noel Gugliemi has been married to Tomasa Gugliemi since 2008, which is well over a decade now. According to close sources, the couple was drawn to each other from the first moment they met each other.
During the early days of their relationship, they lived in different cities but somehow found a way to make things work between them. They now have three kids together, a son, and two daughters, all of whose identities have been withheld from the media and the general public.
