Ramario Xolo Ramirez (born June 9, 2001), known professionally as Xolo Maridueña ( SHOH-loh mah-ree-DWEH-nyə; Spanish: [ˈʃolo maɾiˈðweɲa]), is an American actor. He began his career as a child, starring as Victor Graham in the NBC drama Parenthood (2012–2015), and rose to prominence for playing Miguel Diaz, Johnny Lawrence's first student in the Netflix action series Cobra Kai (2018–2025), and Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle in the DC Comics superhero film Blue Beetle (2023).
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Early life
Maridueña was born on June 9, 2001, in Los Angeles, California to Omar G. Ramirez and Carmelita Ramirez-Sánchez. He has four sisters. He is of Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian descent. His birth name, Ramario, is a combination of Ramón and Mario, the names of his maternal uncles.
Maridueña grew up in the El Sereno neighborhood and attended El Sereno Middle School. When he was around 10 years old, Maridueña joined the CASA 0101 theater company where he trained as an actor and performed in his first productions. He later studied at Cathedral High School and Pasadena City College.
Career
Maridueña's first professional job was modeling for a Sears catalog. He then first starred on the series Parenthood when he was 11, between 2012 and 2015. He then appeared in Cobra Kai as the lead role of Miguel Díaz when he was 16; he appeared in every episode of the show.
