Who is Mike Vitar?
Michael Anthony “Mike” Vitar is an American actor who used to be a youngster. He was most known for his roles as Benjamin Franklin “Benny the Jet” Rodriguez in “The Sandlot” (1993) and Luis Mendoza in “D2: The Mighty Ducks” (1994) and “D3: The Mighty Ducks” (1995).
Children’s actors Mike Vitar had a busy decade in the 1990s. There were enough parts to go around, and there were plenty of overeager parents willing to throw their children into the whirlwind of stardom and the constant scrutiny that comes with it.
Only a few of these well-known child performers, however, were able to make the seamless and successful transition to adulthood as celebrities. While many others succumbed to booze and drugs, a select handful sought out alternative paths, finding happiness away from the limelight. Vitar belongs to the last group. He began his acting career at the age of 12 and ended it at the age of 19, and he is now a firefighter and a respected part of his Hollywood neighborhood.
Professional Career
- Mike Vitar was seen by a casting manager in line for a ride at a school carnival when he was 12 years old. He made his acting debut in Peter Maris’ action thriller ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ in 1991 as Arturo. In the same year, he made his television debut in the CBS family drama ‘Brooklyn Bridge,’ playing Anthony Gambuzza in the episode ‘Boys of Summer,’ about a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the 1950s.
- In the 1993 neo-noir mystery film ‘Sunset Grill,’ he collaborated with Peter Weller. The film is set in Los Angeles and follows a police officer who becomes a private investigator in order to solve a mystery involving illegal immigrants from Mexico.
- Following that was the 1993 film ‘The Sandlot.’ Vitar excelled as the nice, kind, and gifted Benjamin Franklin “Benny the Jet” Rodriguez, leading a cast of mostly juvenile actors. Not only did the film earn positive critical reviews, but it also grossed $33 million at the box office. The film’s cult reputation is due to its timeless plot of underdogs triumphing against insurmountable circumstances paired with likable characters.
- Vitar didn’t appear in the first ‘Mighty Ducks’ film in 1992, but his performance in ‘The Sandlot’ persuaded the makers of the first sequel, ‘D2: The Mighty Ducks,’ to cast him as Luis Mendoza, jersey #22. Despite receiving negative reviews, the picture grossed $45.6 million at the box office. He returned to the role in the third installment of the trilogy, ‘D3: The Mighty Ducks,’ released in 1996. These films have also become cult classics during the last 21 years.
- Before retiring from acting in 1997, he made cameo appearances on ABC’s ‘NYPD Blue’ (1996) and CBS’s ‘Chicago Hope’ (1997).
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Quick Facts
- Nick Name: Michael Anthony Vitar
- Also Known As: Michael Anthony Vitar
- Age: 43 Years
- Spouse/Ex-: Kym Vitar, Née Allen (Wife)
- Siblings: Elizabeth (Sister), Pablo (Brother)
- Actors American Men
- Height: 1.84 M
- Ancestry: Cuban American
- U.S. State: California
- City: Los Angeles
Controversies and Scandals
Vitar, along with another off-duty firefighter, Eric Carpenter, and a third man, Thomas Molnar, reportedly assaulted 22-year-old Samuel Chang for “handing out candies to children” on Halloween night 2015. They accused Chang of being a paedophile and smashed his jaw, leaving him in a coma with significant brain damage. Vitar and Molnar were both charged in December with one count of ‘assault by means of force likely to create substantial bodily injury,’ while Carpenter was charged with ‘personally inflicting grievous bodily injury on the victim.’ Vitar was originally facing a four-year sentence, but he was able to avoid it by paying Chang $2,000 and being suspended from work for six months without pay.
Personal Experiences
- Mike Vitar was born on December 21, 1978, in Los Angeles, California, and is of Latin ancestry. He is the youngest of three brothers and sisters. In 1996, his older brother, Pablo, who played Benny’s older brother in ‘The Sandlot,’ became a Los Angeles police sergeant. He died on January 29, 2008, after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Elizabeth is the name of his older sister.
- He graduated in 1997 from St. Francis High School in La Caada, California. He’d been working at Gerber Ambulance in Torrance since 1996, and he’d used the experience to get into his current job as a firefighter. He joined the Los Angeles Fire Department in June 2002.
- He married Kym Allen in 2006, and the couple has three children: two sons and a girl. Currently, the family resides in Los Angeles.
- Due to excessive jogging and exercising, Trivia Vitar had to have reconstructive surgery on one knee.
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