Carlos Ponce a.k.a. "Carlitos Ponce" (September 4, 1972) born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, is an actor, singer and composer.

Carlos' family emigrated from Cuba, after the communist revolution and Fidel Castro came into power, and settled in Puerto Rico. After his birth, they moved to Humacao where Carlos was raised. As a child, he would actively participate in his school's plays and at home he would often put-on a show for the family where he would sing the latest tunes. "Carlitos", as he is known in Puerto Rico, started to appear in television comercials at the age of six. He attended high school in Humacao and was a member of the school's drama club.

In 1986, the Ponce family moved to Miami, Florida and Carlos continued to participate in his school's productions. He was named the best student actor of the southernregion of the United States.

In 1990, Carlos participated in the Southeastern Theater Conference and competed for the chance to win a scholarship. Upon winning, he enrolled in the New World of the Arts Conservatory school of the University of Miami. However, the Spanish language television station Univision offered Carlos the opportunity to host a show called "Hablando" (Talking). This became his official televison debut and he discontinued his university studies.

After the show came to its end, Carlos went to Mexico to visit a friend. While in Mexico, he visited the Televisa television station. The talent director of the station met Carlos and was very impressed with him. He offered Carlos a role in the soap opera "Guadalupe". Later he also participated in another soap opera for Televisa titled "Sentimientos Ajeno", in which he played the main character. Carlos also sang the theme song for the production. He received the "Actor Revelation of 1997 Award" by Eres magazine and named "Best Actor" by TV y Novelas magazine (both are Mexican entertainment publications).

In between productions, Carlos returned to Miami and Univision hired him as the host of a new show called "Control". He hosted the show for three years and won an "ACE Award" for his effort.

In 1998, Emilio Estefan signed Carlos to a record contract. His first album was titled "Carlos Ponce" and included three of his own compositions. The album reached the #1 spot in the Latin Billboards for nine weeks in the Hispanic community of the United States. It also reached the #1 spot in Central America and South America. He was Awarded a Double Platinum Award for the sales which his album generated.

In 1999, Carlos received many awards, among them "Best Pop Album" from Billboard magazine, "Artist Revelation" from Premios Lo Nuestro and "Pop Ballad Revelation of the Year" from Premios Tu Musica de Puerto Rico. During this period Carlos made his debut in American television with his participation in the T.V. series "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "7th Heaven". He also made guest appearences in "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" and in "Donny & Marie"

In 2000, Carlos recorded his second album titled "Todo lo que Soy" (Everything that I Am). The World Athletic Games held in Seville, Spain adopted the song "Amelia" from Carlos' second album as its official theme. That same year, he was contracted by the Disney Studios to vocalize the song "Bella Notte" for the animated film "Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure". He also participated in ABC's melodrama "Once and Again".

After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Carlos joined a group of 100 Latin American singers, who united to pay tribute to the victims by recording "Ultimo Adios" (Last Good-Bye). The proceeds of the recording was donated to the families of the victims.

In 2002, he recorded his third album, "Ponce" and that same year Carlos was contracted to host a reality show called "Protagonista de la Musica", which became one of the most popular Hispanic programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

In 2003, Carlos played himself in the movie "Chasing Papi" alongside fellow Puerto Ricans Roselyn Sanchez, Lisa Vidal, Barbara Bermudo and Walter Mercado. After this experience, he left for New Zealand, where he participated in the independent film "Gardner", written and directed by Iren Koster.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans