A Martinez (born Adolph Larrue Martinez, III September 27, 1948) is an American actor and singer with prominent roles in the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara and the primetime dramas L.A. Law and Profiler.
Martinez was born in Glendale, California, his family referred to him as "A", "Little Adolph", and "Little A" as a child to distinguish him from his father and grandfather. Over time, "A" became the name he would use. His heritage is Native American, Spanish, and Mexican. Martinez began his professional career at twelve years old as a singer earning him a talent competition title at the Hollywood Bowl. He graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, Los Angeles, CA. He was in a rock band in high school and was on the track team. He furthered his education and found his passion for acting at UCLA. He played on a semi-pro baseball team for five seasons.
He has starred in feature films including The Cowboys, Powwow Highway, and What's Cooking?.
The majority of his acting roles have been on television. He was introduced to viewers in Santa Barbara as Cruz Castillo, from the show's debut in 1984 until 1992; he won a Daytime Emmy award in 1990. Later, he appeared on General Hospital playing mobster and FBI informant Roy DiLucca from 1999 to 2002. During his time with General Hospital, he was awarded three consecutive ALMA Awards from 2000 to 2002. He has also worked on primetime television, including starring roles in series such as Profiler and L.A. Law.
In 2003 he put out a CD "Fragrance and Thom".
He was married briefly to actress Mare Winningham in 1981 (they divorced later that year). He married his current wife, Leslie Bryans, in 1982; they have one son, Dakota Lee, and two daughters, Devon Makena and Ren Farren.
