Carlos PenaVega

Carlos Peña inspired millions of teenage girls each time he appeared onscreen or performed onstage. With his comedic flair and natural charisma, Peña rose to fame when he starred on Nickelodeon's teen comedy series "Big Time Rush" (2009-2013). The series followed four hockey-playing best friends from Minnesota who move to Los Angeles and trade in their hockey gear for a chance at music stardom.

"Big Time Rush" showcased not only Peña's acting talent, but also his vocal and dancing abilities. The theater-trained star parlayed his love for performing into a full-blown career, first with guest appearances on various television shows, and then with his breakout role on "Big Time Rush". His success on the hit show made Peña a teen idol, yet he stretched his acting muscles in the feature drama "Little Birds" (2011), a sure sign that he had more to offer beyond his heartthrob years.

However, a stint on "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC 2005- ) and a leading role in the live musical "Grease Live" (Fox 2016) meant that Peña knew to play to his strengths. (After Peña married actress Alexa Vega in January 2014, both changed their surname to PenaVega).

Carlos Roberto Peña was born on Aug. 15, 1989 in Columbia, MO and raised in Weston, FL. The future star attended Sagemont Upper School, a private preparatory school located in Weston that helped him discover his love for performing. Peña acted in local theater productions of "Grease" (1978) and "Man of La Mancha" (1972) prior to appearing in television commercials.

He booked his first national TV advertisement for Super Soaker toys, which featured his image on the packaging. Peña also attended the American Heritage School in Plantation, FL before packing his bags and moving to Los Angeles to pursue a full-time acting career. At the age of 15, Peña made his onscreen acting debut on the long-running medical drama series "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009). He played a young man faced with the difficult decision to treat his seriously wounded policeman father.

Peña also landed a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" as King Bee, a junior high spelling ace and ruthless bully. In 2005, Peña guest-starred on two primetime series, the short-lived "Summerland" (The WB, 2004-05) and the court drama "Judging Amy" (CBS, 1999-2005), which starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly.

Peña took a short break from the entertainment industry to study musical theater at the Boston Conservatory in Massachusetts. Through his manager's urging, however, he found himself auditioning for a role on the Nickelodeon live-action series "Big Time Rush". Peña moved to Hollywood in the summer of 2009 after landing a starring role on the show.

He played Carlos Garcia, a playful prankster from Minnesota who ends up moving to Los Angeles with his three best friends (Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson) and forming the pop group Big Time Rush. However, the boys discover that their road to stardom is filled with plenty of hilarious misadventures, girl troubles and internal conflicts.

The show's debut episode drew in a record-breaking 7.1 million viewers, which made it the network's highest rated premiere in history. "Big Time Rush" also featured guest appearances from other celebrities, including rapper Snoop Dogg and Pussycat Dolls vocalist Nicole Scherzinger. The series received mixed reviews initially, with some critics describing it as a poor attempt at recreating Disney's success with the Jonas Brothers.

However, the boy-next-door charm of the cast, as well as the original songs featured, made "Big Time Rush" a hit with tween viewers. The show's success landed Peña and his co-stars on high-profile events such as "The 2010 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" (NBC) and in the made-for-television film "Big Time Christmas" (2010).

In 2011, Peña acted opposite Leslie Mann and Kate Bosworth in the coming-of-age drama "Little Birds". During the series run, Peña also appeared regularly on the revived panel game show "Figure It Out" (Nickelodeon 2012-13). After the series' end, PenaVega hosted the game show "Webheads" (Nickelodeon 2014) before joining the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" with his wife Alexa Vega in 2015; he finished in fourth place for the season.

The following year, PenaVega co-starred as Kenickie in the musical "Grease Live" (Fox 2016).