San Juan native now calls Hollywood home

Name: David Barrera

Age: 39

Hometown: San Juan

Where he lives now: Los Angeles

Past projects: HBO mini series "Generation Kill," "Evan Almighty," the USA network series "Shark," NBC's "Heroes," "Navy NCIS," "CSI: Miami," "The West Wing," "Veronica Mars," "Nip/Tuck," "ER," "NYPB Blue," "24," and the list goes on...

You saw him last on: TNT's "The Closer." He played Martin Vasquez, a comandante from Mexican internal affairs, on the ninth episode of the show's fourth season.

Project he's working on: Auditioning. He's up for a part in a new Samuel Jackson film.

What you might not know about him is: Barrera is married to Maria Canals-Barrera, who is Selena Gomez's TV mom on Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place."

Actors he admires: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Andy Garcia

Three favorite movies: "Godfather" I and II and "The Ten Commandments"

Favorite scene he's ever done: Any scene from the "NYPD Blue" episode "Heart and Souls," which is the Emmy award-winning episode where Jimmy Smits' character dies; he played Smits' doctor. Barrera - and millions of people - even saw one of his scenes with Smits broadcast during the 1999 Emmys. "It was really great to see something you worked on and enjoyed to be recognized like that," he said. "I was a fan of the show and it was satisfying to work on it in such an important role."

Advice to aspiring actors: "Get trained."

On the Valley: He visits his parents, sister and brother at least twice a year and says he always loves coming back. "It's really a special place. I always say it made me who I am," he said

Globetrotter: While filming "Generation Kill," Barrera lived in Africa for six months.

Check out more of Festiva's Hometown Hollywood profiles of Valley-born movers and shakers on the West Coast.