The Background & Stats on Actor Xolo Maridueña

Xolo Maridueña is an American actor known for his role as Miguel in Cobra Kai on Netflix. Maridueña got into acting professionally in 2011. He had a natural talent for it, landing dozens of roles within his first year.

Before Cobra Kai Maridueña could be seen performing smaller roles on a variety of TV shows, such as Twin Peaks and Major Crimes. His most significant role before he was cast as Miguel on Cobra Kai was as Victor Graham on Parenthood, one of the main characters in the comedy-drama series from 2012-2015.

Here’s all the stats and background you need to know about Xolo Maridueña.

Maridueña is a Los Angeles native

GettyXolo Maridueña attends HBO LUXURY LOUNGE

Maridueña was born on June 9, 2001 in Los Angeles, California. The 19 year old stands 5’8″ and has a relatively slim build. His figure suited him well for the role of Miguel on Cobra Kai, as his character develops from a bullied “loser,” as his sensei Johnny Lawrence would call him, into a champion fighter.

In an interview with Tell-Tale TV Maridueña talked about his decision to get into acting. Maridueña thought about acting because “most young people have that thought cross their minds, right? The difference, perhaps, was when I told my mom,” he says. “She got on the phone with an agent who had reached out to her a few years back when we lived in Vegas, and that agent was still interested in representing me. I think I liked the idea of seeing people who look like me on TV. I still like that idea.”

Maridueña’s unique look is a result of his heritage. According to his page on IMDB.com, he is of Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian heritage. His name, Xolo, translates to “Dog Star” in the indigenous Nahuatl language. It is derived from the name of a Nahuatl Lord, Xolotl, the god of fire and lightning. He was commonly depicted as a dog-headed man, and was meant to be the dark personification of the planet Venus, known as “the evening star.”

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What does Maridueña do for fun?

GettyXolo Mariduena attends the Pizza Hut Lounge at 2019 Comic-Con International

Maridueña enjoys pretty much all of the hobbies you would expect of a 19 year old. According to the same interview with Tell-Tale TV, Maridueña said that in his free time “I love to stay busy, so I play tennis on my school’s team, I like to play basketball, I love record shopping with my dad, playing video games, and writing.” Additionally, he added “I play Dungeons and Dragons,” something that he shares with his Cobra Kai co-stars Jacob Bertrand, who portrays Hawk, and Gianni Decenzo, who portrays Demetri.

As mentioned above, Maridueña is a fan of video games. He actually has his own Twitch channel, called Xolocrunch, where he can be found streaming games multiple days a week. His channel has amassed over 85 thousand followers.

According to an interview with Latina.com, Maridueña is a fan of “90s hip-hop like Camp Lo, Nas, 2Pac, N.W.A. and A Tribe Called Quest.” He added that his parents are also avid music fans, with a collection of “almost 40,000 records.” He says that his mother grew up in the music industry and was an on-air radio personality since she was 16 years old.

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