Three decades into his acting career, Wilson Cruz is at the very top of his game.
After five seasons of boldly going where no queer person had gone before, Cruz disembarked from Star Trek: Discovery, when the Paramount+ sci-fi series came to a close, with its fifth and final season, which recently premiered in April.
Cruz made Star Trek history as his character, Dr. Hugh Culber, along with Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) were the first openly gay couple in the sci-fi franchise’s long history.
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In 2023, when it was announced that Discovery would be ending with its fifth season, Cruz took to Instagram to show his appreciation:
“I love Dr. Hugh Culber. His heart, his soul, his willingness to risk it all for the world and people he loves, his husband, his chosen family, his crew and for himself, so that we all could live up to our potential.
“It’s been an honor, a privilege to be him and to have learned so much from his journey, which informed my own,” he continued. “And to have shared the stage with these incredible people – these ridiculously talented and big-hearted humans, both in front of and behind the camera, who showed up everyday with enthusiasm and love for this show and each other.”
“I know I am a better person, friend and actor because of what I learned here, because of what I was entrusted with here and the confidence it has grown in me,” he added. “I will carry it all with me to wherever this path leads me next.”
It turns out what was next was an appearance at the Primetime Emmys in January 2024, where GLAAD was presented with the Television Academy’s 2023 Governors Award, which “honors an individual, company or organization that has made a profound, transformational and long-lasting contribution to the arts and/or science of television.”
Cruz, who is a former GLAAD staffer and Board Member, joined GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, onstage as she accepted the award.
This August will mark the 30th anniversary of My So-Called Life, the critically acclaimed cult classic starring Claire Danes, which only lasted one season, but made television history when it featured Cruz, who played teen Rickie Vasquez, and became the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay character as a series regular on a television show.
“I took it as an opportunity to shed light on LGBT youth issues and give a voice to young people,” Cruz told Entertainment Weekly back in 2018. “I felt like, at that time, there weren’t a lot of people who were willing to take those roles. Here I was, not only willing but excited to take them — and to make a difference because of them.”
In addition to Star Trek: Discovery, and celebrating the milestone anniversary of My So-Called Life, Cruz was also featured in the cast of the new Netflix original romantic comedy, Mother of the Bride, starring Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt.
From high school hallways to the vast ends of the universe, 30 years later, Cruz continues to be a beacon of LGBTQ+ representation.
