Adan Canto

Summary

Adan Canto (5 December 1981 – 8 January 2024) was a Mexican actor. He portrayed Sunspot in the 2014 superhero film X-Men: Days of Future Past, Paul Torres on the Fox drama series The Following, and A.J. Menendez in the ABC prime-time series Blood & Oil. He appeared as Rodrigo Lara Bonilla in the Netflix drama series Narcos, Aaron Shore in the ABC/Netflix political drama Designated Survivor,[1] and starred on Fox's The Cleaning Lady until his death.

Adan Canto
Born(1981-12-05)5 December 1981
Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico
Died8 January 2024(2024-01-08) (aged 42)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active2009–2024
Spouse
Stephanie Lindquist
(m. 2017)
Children2

Canto wrote and directed his first short film Before Tomorrow in 2014. His short film The Shot earned several festival awards for Best Narrative Short Film in 2020.

Early life edit

Canto was born in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, on 5 December 1981.[2][3] He crossed the border daily as a child to attend an American Catholic school in Del Rio, Texas.[4][5] He grew up riding horses at his grandfather's ranch in Acuña where his father was a charro. With the encouragement of his mother, Canto began performing on stage as a singer at the age of 7. He was introduced to the traditional boleros and mariachi music from a young age and performed in and around his home state through his teenage years.[4][5]

Canto left home at the age of 16 to pursue a career as a musician.[2][6] He had success as a singer/songwriter in San Antonio after collaborating with Studio M. He spent five years working as a musician in Mexico City where he performed as lead singer for the jazz band Del Canto. Canto wrote for and produced several songs for film and TV in Mexico.[3][4] He began acting in a handful of commercials in Mexico City and was soon cast in a television series called Estado de Gracia.[2][7] Canto eventually turned to the stage after being cast as a lead in the adaptation of Pedro Almodóvar's All About My Mother.[6][7]

Career edit

In 2013, Canto made his debut on American television, playing the role of Paul Torres on the Fox drama series, The Following during its first season.[8] He later was cast as Sunspot in the 2014 superhero film X-Men: Days of Future Past.[9][10] Also in 2014, Canto was regular cast member on the ABC comedy series, Mixology. He later co-starred in the Amazon pilot Hysteria,[11] and NBC's The Curse of the Fuentes Women.[12] In 2015, Canto was cast as A.J. Menendez in ABC prime time series, Blood & Oil.[13][14] He later had a recurring role on the Fox drama series, Second Chance, and guest-starred on ShondaLand's The Catch.

In 2016, Canto was cast in the ABC political drama series Designated Survivor, playing White House Deputy Chief of Staff and later Chief of Staff Aaron Shore opposite Kiefer Sutherland, Natascha McElhone, and Maggie Q.[15] The show was renewed by Netflix for a third season which was released on 7 June 2019.[16]

 
Adan Canto on the set of The Shot in Dripping Springs, Texas

In 2019, Canto was cast opposite Halle Berry in her highly anticipated directorial debut film Bruised.[17]

Canto started his production company Canto House Pictures in 2013 and directed his first short film Before Tomorrow the following year.[2][18] His most recent short film The Shot, a period drama set in 1844 Texas, earned several festival awards for Best Narrative Short Film in 2020.[3] Canto was developing projects for film and TV through his production company based in Los Angeles, California at the time of his death.[2]

In March 2020, Canto was cast in a main role of mobster Arman Morales for the Fox series The Cleaning Lady,[19][20][21] which he starred in for two seasons. His declining health prevented him from immediately rejoining the cast for the show's third season, although, at the time of his death, he had planned to eventually return to the show.[2][22]

Personal life edit

Canto met American sculptor and painter Stephanie Lindquist in 2012 while filming The Following in Brooklyn, New York. Their first artistic collaboration was the short film Before Tomorrow in 2014.[23] The two married in June 2017 and lived in the Hollywood Hills. They had a son in 2020 and a daughter in 2022.[24][25]

Canto died of appendiceal cancer on 8 January 2024 at age 42.[22] His body is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood, California.

Filmography edit

Film edit

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Te Presento a Laura Manuel [4]
Sin Memoria Coco [26]
2011 Amar no es querer Mauro [18]
2012 Al Ras Adan Short film[27]
2014 Before Tomorrow Joseph Short film; also director,
writer, and producer[18]
X-Men: Days of Future Past Sunspot [18][26]
Almost Thirty Sid [26]
2017 Amanda & Jack Go Glamping Nate [18][26]
2020 2 Hearts Jorge Bolivar [18][26]
Bruised Desi [18][26]
The Shot Director, writer, and producer[3]
2021 The Devil Below Darren [18][26]
2022 Agent Game Kavinsky [18][28]

Television edit

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Estado de Gracia Leon [2]
2010 Los Minondo Episode: "El enfrentamiento"[29]
2013 The Following Paul Torres 10 episodes[18][26]
2014 Mixology Dominic 13 episodes[18][26]
Hysteria Matt Sanchez Episode: "Pilot"[26]
2015 Narcos Rodrigo Lara Episode: "The Men of Always"[4][26]
Blood & Oil A.J. Menendez 9 episodes[18][26]
2016 Second Chance Connor Graff 5 episodes[18][26]
The Catch Jeffery Bloom Episode: "The Real Killer"[26]
2016–2019 Designated Survivor Aaron Shore Main role[18][26]
2022–2024 The Cleaning Lady Arman Morales Main role (seasons 1–2)[18][26]

References edit

  1. ^ Nellie Andreeva (8 February 2016). "'Designated Survivor': Adan Canto Joins Kiefer Sutherland ABC Drama – Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Sherman, Maria (9 January 2024). "Adan Canto, known for his versatility in roles in 'X-Men' and 'Designated Survivor,' dies at 42". Associated Press News. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Medina, Eduardo (10 January 2024). "Adan Canto, Actor in 'The Cleaning Lady' and 'X-Men,' Dies at 42". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Valdez, Jonah (9 January 2024). "Adan Canto, 'The Cleaning Lady' and 'Designated Survivor' actor, dies at 42". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b Chang, Kee (5 April 2022). "A Conversation with Adan Canto". Anthem. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Mexican Actor Adan Canto plays Sunspot in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'". Entertainment Affair. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b Sun, Rebecca (27 March 2013). "'The Following' Actor Signs With UTA (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Adan Canto". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Adan Canto Joins The X-Men – Movie News – Empire". empireonline.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  10. ^ "The Following's Adan Canto Joins 'The X-Men'". Vibe. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  11. ^ "'Mixology' Star Lands Lead in Amazon's 'Hysteria' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  12. ^ Elizabeth Wagmeister (9 February 2015). "'The Curse of the Fuentes Women': Adan Canto Cast In NBC Drama Pilot – Variety". Variety. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Adan Canto Boards ABC's 'Blood and Oil' as Series Regular (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  14. ^ Rebecca Iannucci. "'Blood & Oil': Adan Canto Replacing Yani Gellman as Series Regular – TVLine". TVLine. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  15. ^ Nellie Andreeva (8 February 2016). "'Designated Survivor': Shore's character recently left the White House. Adan Canto Joins Kiefer Sutherland ABC Drama – Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  16. ^ Nellie, Andreeva; Petski, Denise (18 October 2018). "'Designated Survivor': Anthony Edwards & Julie White Cast In Season 3 On Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  17. ^ Anthony D'Alessandro; Amanda N'Duka (4 December 2019). "Halle Berry MMA Feature 'Bruised': Shamier Anderson & Adan Canto Step Into Ring For Oscar Winner's Directorial Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Adan Canto". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (4 March 2020). "Shannyn Sossamon To Headline 'The Cleaning Lady' Fox Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  20. ^ Petski, Denise (9 March 2020). "Ginger Gonzaga Joins 'The Cleaning Lady' Fox Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  21. ^ Petski, Denise (9 March 2020). "'The Cleaning Lady': Vincent Piazza Joins Shannyn Sossamon In Fox Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  22. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (9 January 2024). "Adan Canto Dies: 'The Cleaning Lady' & 'Designated Survivor' Star Was 42". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  23. ^ Ben Kaplan (28 September 2017). "Cover Story: Adan Canto". Post City Toronto. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  24. ^ https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/adan-canto-mexican-actor-singer-dead-at-42/507-373aaa5d-0db6-4931-a449-8d5ada17614f?ref=exit-recirc Son Roman Adler and daughter Eve Josephine
  25. ^ "Adan Canto Dies: 'The Cleaning Lady' & 'Designated Survivor' Star Was 42". 9 January 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Adan Canto List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Adan Canto Movies". Moviefone. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  28. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (23 April 2021). "Jason Isaacs, Barkhad Abdi & Adan Canto Board Indie Spy Thriller 'Agent Game'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  29. ^ Orozco, Gisela (22 May 2014). "Adan Canto, el 'X-Men' mexicano". Chicago Tribune (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2024.

External links edit