Carlos Lacámara

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Carlos Lacámara (Book) was born in Havana, Cuba on November 11, 1958. He and his parents fled Fidel Castro’s dictatorship when Lacámara was just two years old and moved first to Washington D.C., later to Puerto Rico and finally to California where he resides now. He graduated from UCLA, and then started his acting career.

A professional actor for 30 years, Lacámara has appeared in over 100 television shows, including recent appearances in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mighty Med and Heroes Reborn. He played “Paco” on NBC’s Nurses for three years and the father in Nickelodeon’s The Brothers Garcia for four seasons.

In April 2000, Lacámara returned to Cuba after an absence of 40 years. His observations and conversations with his family and other Cubans inspired him to write the play, Becoming Cuban, which the Los Angeles Times called “a rare, insightful new play,” and the LA Weekly proclaimed the “Best Political Drama of 2002.” Set in an advertising agency during Fidel Castro’s revolution, Lacámara’s next play, Havana Bourgeois, was presented at the 59E59th Theatre in New York City, The Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles and The Miracle Theater in Miami. His play, Nowhere On The Border, won The MetLife and Hola awards for Best New Play. It premiered at The Hayworth Theatre in 2006 where The Los Angeles Times described it as a work of “raw poignant power and insight.” The play also enjoyed productions at Repertorio Español in Manhattan and Stageworks Hudson in Hudson, New York. Exiles, the third play in Lacámara’s trilogy of Cuban plays, premiered at Artists Repertory Theatre last season. Cuba Libre is his first musical.