Biography
Who is Dante Basco?
Early life and background
Dante Basco Roman Titus Basco was born on August 29, 1975, in Pittsburg, California, to Filipino parents. He grew up in Cerritos and Paramount alongside four siblings, including his brother Dion Basco. During the mid-1980s, the brothers formed a breakdancing crew and performed as street artists in their local area.
For his education, Dante attended Orange County High School of the Arts within the Music and Theatre Conservatory, graduating in 1993. Another well-known student in his classes was future actor Pedro Pascal. Before finishing high school, he also spent time at Los Alamitos High School and Paramount High School.
Acting career and breakthrough
Dante began his professional acting path with small television appearances before landing his major breakthrough role. In 1991, he appeared as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys, in Steven Spielberg's adventure film Hook alongside Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman. This performance earned him a Young Artist Award nomination for best young actor and a win for best ensemble cast.
Over the following decades, Dante expanded his resume to include independent cinema and stage work. He played Dolph in the cult movie But I'm a Cheerleader and took on the lead role of Ben Mercado in the independent feature film The Debut. In 1998, he helped establish the Da Poetry Lounge, which serves as a slam and spoken poetry venue located in Hollywood.
Voice acting and podcast work
Voice work became a major part of Dante's career through numerous animated television series. He provided the voice of the title character in the animated show American Dragon: Jake Long and portrayed Prince Zuko in Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender. His extensive voice credits also feature Zuko's grandson General Iroh II in The Legend of Korra, Quoc Wong in The Proud Family, Jingmei in The Boondocks, Tuck in Generator Rex, Scorpion in Ultimate Spider-Man, and Jai Kell in Star Wars Rebels.
In addition to television animation, Dante lent his voice to several video game projects. His gaming credits include roles in Aion, Mortal Kombat X, Saints Row, the Skate series, and the Call of Juarez series. By June 2021, he began co-hosting the official companion podcast titled Avatar: Braving the Elements alongside fellow voice actor Janet Varney, where they discuss episodes of the series with special guests.
Recent projects and family life
In 2017, Dante produced a short film titled Bangarang funded through Kickstarter, which focused on his famous character Rufio and was directed by Jonah Feingold. He later published a memoir titled From Rufio to Zuko through the independent publisher Not a Cult and regularly streams gameplay sessions on Twitch.
Regarding his personal life, Dante became engaged to filmmaker, actress, and television host Alice Rehemutula in April 2023. The couple married during September 2023 in China, and they welcomed their son together in October 2024.
Birthday and age
Dante Basco was born on August 29, 1975, which makes Dante 51 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Dante shares the date with 46 other famous people.
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