Alex Meraz

Alejandro "Alex" Meraz (born January 10, 1985) is an American dancer, actor and martial artist. Meraz is best known for playing the shape-shifter named Paul Lahote in the film New Moon.[2]

Alex Meraz
Meraz at a Twilight Saga: New Moon promotional appearance in Houston, Texas, November 10, 2009
Born
Alejandro Meraz

(1985-01-10) January 10, 1985[1]
Mesa, Arizona, U.S.
OccupationDancer, Actor, Martial Artist
Years active2005—present
Spouse(s)Kim (m. 2007)
ChildrenSomak and Talus Alexander (b. 2012)

Life and career

Meraz was born in Mesa, Arizona and is of Purépecha descent. He attended the New School for the Arts, and is an avid painter and illustrator.[1] Besides break-dancing, which he was advent in during the early 2000s under the name "Nomak," Alex excels in indigenous and contemporary dancing. He has studied mixed martial arts, winning numerous tournaments in karate and the martial art of Capoeira. Alex's first big film was The New World as one of the Powhatan core warriors, inspiring him to continue acting. Thereafter he was in the running for the film Apocalypto but in the end was turned down. His big break came when he was cast as werewolf Paul Lahote in the film New Moon.[3]

He is married December 31, 2007 to his Vietnamese-American wife, Kim. His wife, a Twilight fan, told him he should audition for New Moon, believing he was perfect for the part. They have a son named Somak, for whom his mentor, actor Raoul Trujillo, is the godfather.[3] Somak means "beautiful one" in Quechua, an indigenous language from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.[4][5] In June 2012 the couple had their second child: a son named Talus Alexander Meraz. He also starred in the latest season of CSI: New York. Meraz played a Seal Team member in the 2016 action film Suicide Squad.

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
2005The New WorldCore WarriorMovie
2007Two Spirits, One JourneyLukeShort film
Dancing with SpiritDancerTV, episode "Here on Earth"
2009
American ExperienceWarriorTV
The Twilight Saga: New MoonPaul LahoteFilm
2010The Twilight Saga: EclipsePaul LahoteFilm
2011City of GardensNicaraguaFilm
CSI: NYOdelin Gonzales Jr.TV
The RoommateFrat BoyFilm
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1Paul LahoteFilm
Never Back Down 2: The BeatdownZackFilm
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2Paul LahoteFilm; credit only
186 Dollars to FreedomNicaraguaFilm
2013The Bronx BullPacoFilm
The GladesMoses ClearwaterTV, episode "Happy Trails"
Vincent & LuzyEricPost-production
Big ThunderHosaTV Movie; post-production
2014Single LadiesSergioTV Show
New WorldsMascaMini Series
2016Suicide SquadGomez - Seal Team AFilm
2017Animal KingdomJavi CanoTV
BrightSerafinFilm

References
  1. Alex Meraz on IMDb
  2. Alex Meraz: Life On The Set Of 'New Moon'. Access Hollywood. 2009-04-16. Archived from the original on 2009-05-02. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  3. "Celebuzz". Celebuzz. Archived from the original on 2015-01-21. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  4. alexmerazus (11 November 2009). "Alex Meraz on Rachel Ray". Retrieved 17 July 2018 – via YouTube.
  5. "Somak - Meaning of Somak Name". www.birthvillage.com. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
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