J.R. Martinez(III)
- Actor
Jose Rene "J.R." Martinez is an actor, best-selling author,
motivational speaker and U.S. Army veteran.
Jose Rene
Martinez was born June 14, 1983 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Maria
Zavala. His two sisters, Consuelo and Anabel, were raised in El
Salvador with his mother's family. He never met Anabel, who died as a
young child. At nine years old, J.R. moved with his mother to Hope,
Arkansas, where he lived until he was 17. He then moved to Dalton,
Georgia, a place he proudly calls his hometown. J.R. always loved
playing football and had aspirations of becoming a pro football player,
even though he was injured his junior year playing with the Bobcats in
Hope. During his senior year he played strong safety for the Dalton
High School Catamounts and they went on to Georgia's State
Championship.
After high school, he joined the army. J.R. was proud to serve, as a
way to give something back to a country that had already given so much
to him and to his family. In September of 2002, J.R. underwent Basic
and Advanced Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he gained skills
as an 11-B Infantryman. After reporting to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in
January of 2003, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry
Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.
In March of 2003, J.R. was deployed to Iraq. On April 5, less than a
month into his deployment, he was driving a Humvee in Karbala when his
left front tire hit a roadside bomb. The three other soldiers were
ejected from the burning vehicle, but he was trapped inside and
suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to 34 percent of his body.
J.R. claims that while he was fighting for his life and awaiting
medical help, his sister, Anabel, appeared to him giving him the
strength to live.
J.R. was evacuated to a local medic station in Iraq and then to
Landstuhl, Germany, for immediate care. He spent 34 months in recovery
surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas. He
has undergone 33 different surgeries, including skin grafts and
cosmetic surgery. During recovery, a nurse asked him to speak to a burn
patient, who had just seen his body for the first time and had become
withdrawn. After a brief visit, the patient opened the curtain, letting
light in his room and his heart. J.R. then understood the impact he had
on this patient and decided to use his experience to help others. He
continued to visit patients sharing his story and listening to theirs.
While J.R.'s experience was certainly life-changing, amazingly he
claims this is actually a change for the better. When he does have
leisure time, J.R. likes to spend it with his family, friends and his
black lab, Romeo.
J.R. can be seen starring as Alfonso Rivera, a Los Angeles
paramedic/firefighter and a member of the U.S. Air Force Pararescue
team, in the nationally syndicated drama series "SAF3" (pronounced
SAFE), which premiered September 2013 in national syndication in over
90 markets across the country. The series is being shot on location in
Cape Town, South Africa, and Martinez commutes back and forth to the
United States where he continues the successful motivational speaking
aspect of his career.
Martinez is the author of the New York Times best-selling book "Full of
Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength, and Spirit," a memoir about how
he took his own personal tragedy and turned it into inspiration for
others. Published by Hyperion, the book came out in October 2012. J.R.
was also host of the highly successful "The J.R. Martinez Show" on KFI
AM 640 in Los Angeles, one of the highest-rated talk radio stations in
the country.
The past two years have been quite something; he and his dance partner,
Karina Smirnoff, won ABC's season 13 of "Dancing With The Stars." J. R.
was the cover of People Magazine, featured in their Sexiest Man Alive
issue and one of the magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2011. Many
awards and honors have been bestowed upon him including an Ivy Award,
for his work with burn survivors and disabled veterans in the
entertainment community, and the 2012 National Red Cross Spirit Award.
He was the recipient of the 2012 National Disabled American Veteran of
the Year Award and he also received the 2012 California DAV of the Year
Award.
J.R was featured on Katie Couric's 2011 ABC Special "The Year" and
narrated the CNN documentary series "In America: Vets Wanted?" Talk
show guest appearances include: "Access Live," "Entertainment Tonight,"
"The Oprah Winfrey Show," "60 Minutes," "Ellen," "The View," "Good
Morning America," "Dr. Oz," CNN, FOX News and Univision. He has been
featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York
Times, Guidepost, Success, Salute, U.S. Veterans and DAV Magazines.
J.R. guest starred on Lifetime's "Army Wives" as a physical therapist
in the season finale. He played Brot Monroe, a combat veteran who was
injured in Iraq and returned home to face new challenges of civilian
life, on the Emmy Award winning daytime drama "All My Children." In
true Hollywood fashion, he was encouraged by a friend to go on the open
casting call that AMC put out for a veteran to join the cast. After
several meetings with producers he was cast and an actor was born. Due
to his popularity, what started as a three month story arc, developed
into a three year role.
Martinez has become a highly sought-after motivational speaker and he
travels the country spreading his message of resilience and optimism.
He devotes himself to showing others the true value of making the most
of every situation. He is called on by a wide-range of groups including
corporations, veterans groups, non-profits and schools. He is a
spokesperson for Operation Finally Home, an organization that builds
mortgage-free homes for disabled veterans, and he is involved with
Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, Rebuilding America's Warriors
(R.A.W.) and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
motivational speaker and U.S. Army veteran.
Jose Rene
Martinez was born June 14, 1983 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Maria
Zavala. His two sisters, Consuelo and Anabel, were raised in El
Salvador with his mother's family. He never met Anabel, who died as a
young child. At nine years old, J.R. moved with his mother to Hope,
Arkansas, where he lived until he was 17. He then moved to Dalton,
Georgia, a place he proudly calls his hometown. J.R. always loved
playing football and had aspirations of becoming a pro football player,
even though he was injured his junior year playing with the Bobcats in
Hope. During his senior year he played strong safety for the Dalton
High School Catamounts and they went on to Georgia's State
Championship.
After high school, he joined the army. J.R. was proud to serve, as a
way to give something back to a country that had already given so much
to him and to his family. In September of 2002, J.R. underwent Basic
and Advanced Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he gained skills
as an 11-B Infantryman. After reporting to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in
January of 2003, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry
Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.
In March of 2003, J.R. was deployed to Iraq. On April 5, less than a
month into his deployment, he was driving a Humvee in Karbala when his
left front tire hit a roadside bomb. The three other soldiers were
ejected from the burning vehicle, but he was trapped inside and
suffered smoke inhalation and severe burns to 34 percent of his body.
J.R. claims that while he was fighting for his life and awaiting
medical help, his sister, Anabel, appeared to him giving him the
strength to live.
J.R. was evacuated to a local medic station in Iraq and then to
Landstuhl, Germany, for immediate care. He spent 34 months in recovery
surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas. He
has undergone 33 different surgeries, including skin grafts and
cosmetic surgery. During recovery, a nurse asked him to speak to a burn
patient, who had just seen his body for the first time and had become
withdrawn. After a brief visit, the patient opened the curtain, letting
light in his room and his heart. J.R. then understood the impact he had
on this patient and decided to use his experience to help others. He
continued to visit patients sharing his story and listening to theirs.
While J.R.'s experience was certainly life-changing, amazingly he
claims this is actually a change for the better. When he does have
leisure time, J.R. likes to spend it with his family, friends and his
black lab, Romeo.
J.R. can be seen starring as Alfonso Rivera, a Los Angeles
paramedic/firefighter and a member of the U.S. Air Force Pararescue
team, in the nationally syndicated drama series "SAF3" (pronounced
SAFE), which premiered September 2013 in national syndication in over
90 markets across the country. The series is being shot on location in
Cape Town, South Africa, and Martinez commutes back and forth to the
United States where he continues the successful motivational speaking
aspect of his career.
Martinez is the author of the New York Times best-selling book "Full of
Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength, and Spirit," a memoir about how
he took his own personal tragedy and turned it into inspiration for
others. Published by Hyperion, the book came out in October 2012. J.R.
was also host of the highly successful "The J.R. Martinez Show" on KFI
AM 640 in Los Angeles, one of the highest-rated talk radio stations in
the country.
The past two years have been quite something; he and his dance partner,
Karina Smirnoff, won ABC's season 13 of "Dancing With The Stars." J. R.
was the cover of People Magazine, featured in their Sexiest Man Alive
issue and one of the magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2011. Many
awards and honors have been bestowed upon him including an Ivy Award,
for his work with burn survivors and disabled veterans in the
entertainment community, and the 2012 National Red Cross Spirit Award.
He was the recipient of the 2012 National Disabled American Veteran of
the Year Award and he also received the 2012 California DAV of the Year
Award.
J.R was featured on Katie Couric's 2011 ABC Special "The Year" and
narrated the CNN documentary series "In America: Vets Wanted?" Talk
show guest appearances include: "Access Live," "Entertainment Tonight,"
"The Oprah Winfrey Show," "60 Minutes," "Ellen," "The View," "Good
Morning America," "Dr. Oz," CNN, FOX News and Univision. He has been
featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York
Times, Guidepost, Success, Salute, U.S. Veterans and DAV Magazines.
J.R. guest starred on Lifetime's "Army Wives" as a physical therapist
in the season finale. He played Brot Monroe, a combat veteran who was
injured in Iraq and returned home to face new challenges of civilian
life, on the Emmy Award winning daytime drama "All My Children." In
true Hollywood fashion, he was encouraged by a friend to go on the open
casting call that AMC put out for a veteran to join the cast. After
several meetings with producers he was cast and an actor was born. Due
to his popularity, what started as a three month story arc, developed
into a three year role.
Martinez has become a highly sought-after motivational speaker and he
travels the country spreading his message of resilience and optimism.
He devotes himself to showing others the true value of making the most
of every situation. He is called on by a wide-range of groups including
corporations, veterans groups, non-profits and schools. He is a
spokesperson for Operation Finally Home, an organization that builds
mortgage-free homes for disabled veterans, and he is involved with
Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, Rebuilding America's Warriors
(R.A.W.) and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.