Jose Santiago

Jose Antonio Santiago Jr., is a Latin – American actor born on April 5th, 1974 in East Chicago, Indiana. Jose worked as an executive Chef, until life threw him a curve ball and he took it as a sign to pursue acting. Jose exhibited a selfless act of chasing down two armed bank robbers and helping the Hammond Police Department apprehend the suspects. Unarmed himself, Jose displayed courage, passion for what’s right and a loyalty to the public with this heroic act that landed him The Key to The City. He also received a Citizens Assisting Police Award. As a result of this heroic act, Jose did multiple interviews on local news stations. After being thrown into the spotlight, Santiago was highly sought after by local talent agencies. He eventually signed and booked his first acting role in a chefs’ commercial for Best Foods. He appeared in numerous independent projects and was soon being talked about in Chicago as the Latino Pacino.

Jose was featured in Sinister 2, then became a member of SAG-AFTRA. He continued on his path to success and booked his first co-star role on NBC’s award winning, hit dramas Chicago Fire and Chicago PD as Johnny Marquez. Jose Santiago feels blessed to have worked with talent such as Director/actor Bill Duke, Richard Gant, and Marla Maples. He has also worked with Jason Beghe and Jon Seda on Chicago PD. Taylor Kinney and Jesse Spencer on Chicago Fire.

Jose stays in shape running his business Santiago Construction LLC. He spends a lot of his time in LA auditioning and working on set. He is also a role model to kids back home and a motivational speaker with the group, Limitless. Jose speaks on topics of abuse, depression, suicide and addiction. Jose evolved from the streets to film sets in a matter of a few years. He is always helping others and never expects anything in return. He’s passionate about helping in areas of child abduction, trafficking and working with children with special needs. He has a personal passion and desire to advocate for keeping all kids safe.

Mini bio by: Sue McGaughey