12 APR 2024 · Carrying talent, the requisite good looks, and plenty of on-screen charisma, Jay Hernandez was born in Morelia, Mexico and grew up in Los Angeles, California, to Isis (Maldonado), an accountant and secretary, and Javier Hernandez, Sr., a mechanic. He is of Mexican descent. Jay had a serendipitous experience that led to his career. While riding an elevator in a high-rise building in Los Angeles, the young man was approached by talent manager Howard Tyner, who suggested Hernandez had what it took to have a successful career in Hollywood. In 1998, he made his TV series debut as "Antonio Lopez", one of the high school basketball players in the NBC Saturday morning teen sitcom, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111994/?ref_=nmbio_mbio, and stayed with the show for two seasons. Departing NBC, Hernandez moved to MTV with the short-term role of pizza delivery guy "Eddie" on the popular late-night serial, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190106/?ref_=nmbio_mbio, before segueing to the big screen. In 2001, Hernandez co-starred with https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000379/?ref_=nmbio_mbio in the teen romance, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250224/?ref_=nmbio_mbio, portraying stalwart, straight-A high school student "Carlos Nunez", whose plans to attend the US Naval Academy are threatened by his growing attraction to a self-destructive rich girl, (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000379/?ref_=nmbio_mbio). He next appeared in Disney's surprise hit film, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265662/?ref_=nmbio_mbio, as high school baseball team captain Joaquin "Wack" Campos. He also had a supporting role in the video-game-ish action flick, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329691/?ref_=nmbio_mbio. Also in 2004, he was in the action-packed drama, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349710/?ref_=nmbio_mbio, as "Keith Perez", and in the other action-packed drama, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390022/?ref_=nmbio_mbio. In 2006, he next starred in https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0744834/?ref_=nmbio_mbio's https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450278/?ref_=nmbio_mbio, a brutal horror flick about two American college buddies (Hernandez and https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1277177/?ref_=nmbio_mbio) lured to an out-of-the-way hostel in a Slovakian town rumored to house desperate, but beautiful Eastern European women. Following their wrong heads, both Americans get trapped in a truly sinister situation that plunges them into the dark recesses of human nature.