Gene Gabriel is a Cuban-American actor and writer most notable for originating the role of "Rodriguez" in Richard Greenberg's award-winning play Take Me Out in London and on Broadway. He is also co-founder of South Floridaimprov troupe Just The Funny. Most recently he has been recurring on CBS's Numb3rs and NBC's Days of Our Lives.
Career
Gabriel began his acting career by writing and starring in a play in the fifth grade. In 1990 he got his first professional gig in a small role in Joseph Vásquez's film The Bronx War. His family eventually relocated to Miami and he soon followed. He continued to work in local theatre there appearing in several plays. In 1995 he answered an ad for an improv comedy troupe to be one of their apprentices. The troupe was 'Laughing Gas '. Gene soon became one of their star apprentices and almost immediately became a company member. In 1998 he and nine other members co-founded what has now become South Florida's number one comedy improv troupe and training center, Just The Funny. He starred in director Luis Saumell's award-winning Spanish language short, Porque. He returned to New Yorkin the summer of 1999. He worked with Freestyle Repertory Theatre an improv comedy troupe that also toured the tri-state area performing and educating children in improv as well as performing a weekly adult show. In early 2002 he auditioned for and won the part of Rodriguez an immigrant baseball player who refuses to speak English to his teammates in Richard Greenbergs play Take Me Out. The play opened at the Donmar Warehouse in London to rave reviews and then moved on to the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York. The play transferred to Broadway in early 2003 and won three Tony's including best play for Greenberg and best director for Joe Mantello. He is thanked in the published version of the play along with fellow cast members James Yaegashi and Robert M. Jimenez. Gabriel has appeared on the Broadway stage originating the role of "Rodriguez" in Take Me Out and opposite Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Brad Garrett in The Odd Couple. He starred in the cult sci-fi thriller The Ethereal Plane and has appeared on TV shows such as The Sopranos as a policeman, Walker, Texas Ranger as a sadistic murderer, Guiding Light as a mobster and ' as Detective Alvarez. He has had recurring roles on the CBS show Numb3rs as a Bomb Squad technician, One Lifeto Live as Father Ignacio and Days of Our Lives as Sgt. Ceron., Currently he is the creator of the series, Montecito Heights, and is the writer of an action comedy film entitled Above the Title''.
