Algenis Perez Soto

Algenis Pérez Soto
Born	Quisqueya, Dominican Republic
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2007–present

Algenis Pérez Soto is an actor from The Dominican Republic. He was discovered playing a casual game of baseball with friends and chosen to star in his first acting role ever, Sugar, a movie about a baseball player’s struggle to rise from amateur playing to the major leagues, and to lift himself and his family from poverty to plenty.

Like the movie in which he plays Miguel “Sugar” Santos, in real life, professional baseball was Soto’s dream. He grew up in Quisqueya, a suburb of San Pedro de Macoris.

The film’s directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, discovered Soto playing baseball with friends, and interviewed him for the role. He was one of about 500 actors interviewed for the role.

Soto graduated from high school and has taken computer classes. He played amateur baseball for three years in the hopes of being discovered, usually playing shortstop or second base. However, when his baseball dream wasn’t realized, he went to work as front desk clerk at a hotel in San Pedro. If the movie opportunity had not come along, it’s likely that he would have remained undiscovered on the island.

Soto speaks Dominican Spanish and knew little English until he prepared for and starred in the film, which was shot in the Dominican Republic, New York City, Arizona and Iowa. Ironically, he had dreamed of visiting the US to play baseball, but could have never imagined that he would do so as an actor whose character is playing baseball.

While he promotes the film which opened April 3, 2009, Soto is living with his girlfriend in Salem, Massachusetts.’’ He recognizes that his life has taken a different and brighter path in the past two years. “I think I have more opportunity here," he said, his eyes eager and earnest. "I've been like a different person now. Hopefully, this opens more doors."

During the baseball season, for fun, he is planning to play in an adult amateur baseball league in the Boston area.

He grew up as the middle of three sons. By local standards, Soto’s family was well-off, with his mother working as a high school secretary and his father running a small business.

...
Wikipedia