Victor Rasuk

In a role that seemed tailor-made for him thanks to the Dominican-American ties between the character and actor, thespian Victor Rasuk arrived onscreen sounding a graceful, soulful, and multilayered note, with a stunning lead portrayal in the coming-of-age romance Raising Victor Vargas (2002). As directed by Peter Sollett (Five Feet High and Rising), this sweet, finely-observed fable told of a young man's successful attempts to court a local Hispanic beauty -- and the lessons learned by each over the course of their relationship -- won the hearts of critics and audiences around the world. Unsurprisingly, this project foreshadowed the career accomplishments that lay ahead for Rasuk, on two levels: he consistently received respectable billing and consistently chose interesting, unpredictable work. His resumé through the late 2000s includes supporting roles in such pictures as Lords of Dogtown (2005), I'm Reed Fish (2006), and Adrift in Manhattan (2007).