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Carlos pena jr i love marina by marinamajica-d474lnp

Carlos Pena Jr.

Carlos PenaVega, [1] born as Carlos Roberto Pena Jr. is an American actor and singer. He is best known for starring on the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush as Carlos Garcia in addition to being a member of the band Big Time Rush. Carlos PenaVega has three kids with his wife Alexa PenaVega.

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Little Carlos

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Early Life[]

Carlos is the son of Margarita and Carlos Pena Sr. He was born in Columbia, Missouri on August 15, 1989 but raised in Weston Florida. His mother is from the Dominican Republic and his father is Spanish and Venezuelan. He attended Sagemont Upper School. His first major role was a guest shot at age 15 on ER followed later that year by guest-starring roles on Judging Amy, Summerlan'd, and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. He appeared in local productions of Grease and Man of La Mancha. He also had a role in the American Heritage School, where he attended before leaving for Los Angeles to pursue an acting career on production of Titanic. During his run in Titanic he fell in love with singing and dancing. While still in high school Pena appeared in television commercials for the Super Soaker brand recreational water gun and his image even appeared on the toy's packaging.

Pena and his mother commuted between South Florida and Hollywood California, to accommodate his television acting roles and he was homeschooled during this time. He returned to The Sagemont School where he starred in shows like "Grease", "Les Miserable", "Little Shop of Horrors" (which landed him a South Florida Cappie nomination for Lead Actor in a Musical), and "Once Upon a Mattress". He received his high school diploma from The Sagemont School in 2008. After graduating from high school he attended the Boston Conservatory.

Pena was studying music at the Boston Conservatory when his manager urged him to audition for Big Time Rush. Although he was reluctant to do so he submitted an audition tape and got the role a month later. Pena then moved to Hollywood in August 2009.

Acting Career[]

2004-09: Pre-BTR[]

His first acting role was a guest star at the age of 15 on ER, followed later that year by guest-starring roles on Judging Amy, Summerland, and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. While still in high school, PenaVega appeared in television commercials for the Super Soaker brand recreational water gun, and his image even appeared on the toy's packaging. PenaVega was studying musical theater at the Boston Conservatory when his manager urged him to audition for Big Time Rush. Although he was reluctant to do so, he submitted an audition tape and won the role almost two years later. PenaVega moved to Hollywood in August 2009.

2009-14: The Big Time Rush Era[]

Carlos was third to be cast in Big Time Rush, replacing Nico Tortorella.

The show premiered to a record-breaking 6.8 million viewers, making it the highest-rated premiere for a live-action series in Nickelodeon history. The show would also last 4 seasons spanning over 74 episodes, and would also have a television movie, Big Time Movie, released on March 10, 2012, to 13.1 million viewers in the U.S. alone.

During his BTR era, Pena Vega alone with his bandmates would also guest star in other Nickelodeon shows, such as How To Rock and Marvin Marvin.

2014 - Present: Post Big Time Rush[]

PenaVega competed on the 21st season of Dancing with the Stars in Fall 2015. His wife was also a contestant that season. His professional partner was Witney Carson. PenaVega and Carson reached the finals but were eliminated on the week's performance night and ended the competition in fourth place.

In 2017 he starred alongside his wife in the Hallmark movie Enchanted Christmas and alongside Adelaide Kane in A Midnight Kiss. In 2018 he starred alongside his wife again in the Hallmark movie Love at Sea. He was a series regular in the one season CW series Life Sentence. In 2019 PenaVega and his wife starred in the Hallmark movie series Picture Perfect Mysteries.

Music Career[]

2009-14: Big Time Rush Era[]

Main Article: Big Time Rush

Big Time Rush is an American pop boy band that formed in 2009. The band consists of PenaVega, Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, and Logan Henderson, all on vocals. Nickelodeon signed Big Time Rush and the debut album, titled BTR, was released on October 11, 2010 and debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. Later was certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 copies in the U.S. On February 15, 2011, "Boyfriend" was released as the band's first official single to mainstream US radio and peaked at number seventy-two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their most successful song to date.

PenaVega and the group announced they would be recording their second studio album, just after Nickelodeon renewed the series for a third season. Their second album, Elevate, was released on November 21, 2011 and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, selling over 70,000 copies in its first week. Though for a lower peaking than their previous, the album sold more copies than the previous album. The first single, "Music Sounds Better with U", was released on November 1, 2011.

The second and last single, "Windows Down", was released on June 25, 2012, and peaked at number ninety-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number thirty-five on the Mainstream Top 40, making their third top forty entrance in the chart. With its success, the song peaked at 37 on the US Pop Songs and 15 on the US Heatseekers Songs. The song then debuted at 97 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was included in a re-release of the group's second album Elevate. It has also sold over 120,000 digital units as of August 4th, 2012. The music video was filmed in Maui Hawaii and was released on June 22 three days before the single's iTunes release.

On April 15, in an interview on Cambio, Big Time Rush announced that their third studio album, 24/Seven would be released sometime in early June 2013. It was released on June 11, 2013, and was certified Gold in Mexico for shipping over 30,000 copies. It was the number one album, and the fastest-selling pop album of 2013 in Mexico.

PenaVega co-wrote the song "Oh Yeah" off of the group's first album, BTR. On the second album, he wrote "Invisible" along with Charley Greenberg, Cody Williams, Daniel Andrew Wayne and J.R. Rotem. On 24/Seven, he co-wrote "Picture This" with bandmate, James Maslow. PenaVega wrote "Lost in Love" for his wife, Alexa PenaVega. He also wrote the song "Na Na Na" on 24/Seven. In addition, BTR embarked on the Summer Break Tour, in support of the album.

The band went into an indefinite hiatus in early 2014.

2014-17: Solo Career[]

He released his first solo single in Spanish on February 4, 2014, titled "Electrico". The song charted in the top 10 of the Latin iTunes songs charts. He was presented for the first time at the first annual Nickelodeon Colombia Kids' Choice Awards given in Bogotá. In 2017 he released the single Bésame featuring MAFFiO.

2020-Present: BTR Reunion, Tour[]

On April 20, 2020, the BTR reunited virtually, as they uploaded a video on the band's social media platforms, sharing some wishes to their fans about the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 19, 2021, the group released a video announcing reunion performances which occurred in December 2021 in New York and Chicago. The band also made an appearance at several Jingle Ball concerts in December 2021. In 2022 they announced the Forever Tour that would take them around the U.S. and Mexico. His family has travelled on the tour with him.

Personal Life[]

In August 2013, PenaVega became engaged to actress Alexa Vega after meeting at Bible study. The couple married on January 4, 2014, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, both taking PenaVega as their married name. They are both devout Christians. They share a YouTube channel, LexLovesLos. The couple has two sons, born in December 2016 and June 2019. In December 2020, they announced they were expecting their third child, a daughter, born in May 2021.

Carlos and Alexa PenaVega released a book in 2022 called What If Love is the Point.

Biography[]

Biography: Carlos Pena stars on the new Nickelodeon live-action comedy series Big Time Rush as music group member Carlos who loves to have fun and treats life like one big playground.

Pena who was born to a Dominican mother and a Spanish/Venezuelan father. He spent the first part of his youth in Columbia, Missouri before moving to Weston, Fl. Once settled in Weston he joined a boys choir and found himself at home in musical theater. While developing his vocal skills he also studied guitar and piano. Looking for an opportunity to break into show business he landed a job for the Super Soaker Water Gun campaign where he appeared in numerous national commercials and was featured on the Super Soaker packaging.

Soon after Pena landed a recurring role on Nickelodeon’s Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. In addition he has guest-starred on ER, Judging Amy and Summerland. He competed on the MTV reality show Making Menudo where he found himself among the final nine contestants trying to be in the next Menudo.

When the opportunity to audition for Big Time Rush came along, Pena was ready to embark on his first year at the Boston Conservatory and decided to pass on the audition. Thanks to his manager’s tenacity, Pena later sent in an acting piece to the producers, and a month later, landed the gig. Satisfied to put his attendance at the Conservatory on hold, for now, Pena says, “I’m thrilled to be on this show. I didn’t realize how amazing this experience would be – to be able to act and sing and be a part of a very funny TV show.”

Pena hopes to bring a multi-dimensional aspect to his character Carlos. “He is a tough guy with the fun personality and he has everyone’s back” Pena commented. “But when he gets into the recording studio, this soft side of him comes out and he is singing romantic ballads for the ladies.”

Pena hopes to someday perform on Broadway and to be one of the few Latinos to win a Best Actor award at the Oscars. A certified rescue diver, Pena enjoys spending his time underwater scuba diving. A recent transplant to Los Angeles, Pena’s family and four dogs still live in Florida. He dated an actress named Samantha Droke. They broke up and then confirmed that on Twitter. On September 11th he became engaged to Alexa Vega who starred as herself on Big Time Dreams and as Carlos Garcia's love interest. They tied the knot on January 4th 2014 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Ariana with carlos

Carlos with Ariana

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Carlos: Love, Family, Determination, Persistence, Earth Wind & Fire, Good fortune, Good health, Peace.....

Discography[]

See also: Big Time Rush Discography

Singles[]

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US

Latin

"Electrico" 2014 17 Non-album single
"Bésame"

(featuring MAFFiO)

2017
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other appearances[]

Title Year Other(s) artist(s) Album
"Principio Y Fin" 2015 Evan Craft Principio Y Fin
"Summer Nights" 2016 Grease: Live cast Grease: Live
"We Go Together"
"Greased Lightnin'" Aaron Tveit

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Little Birds Louis
2012 Yak: The Giant King Krudd Voice role (English dub)
2014 Code Academy Marcos
2015 Spare Parts Oscar Vasquez
2017 Killing Hasselhoff Pedro
2018 Sleep Away Joaquin
2020 Mighty Oak Pedro
2021 The Loud House Movie Bobby Santiago Voice role[better source needed]

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2004 ER Arlo Escobar Episode: "Shot in the Dark"
2004–2005 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide King Bee Recurring role (season 1)
2005 Judging Amy Diego Valdesera Episode: "Diego Valdesera"
Summerland Student Episode: "Sledgehammer"
2009–2013 Big Time Rush Carlos Garcia Main role (as Carlos Pena Jr.); director: "Big Time Tour Bus"
2011 Hand aufs Herz Himself Episode: "August 11, 2011"
Nick News Himself Episode: "Lies We Tell In Middle School"
2012 Big Time Movie Carlos Garcia Television film
How To Rock Himself Episode: "How to Rock an Election"
Cupcake Wars Guest judge Episode: "Big Time Rush"
2012–2013 Figure It Out Himself Panelist
2013 Marvin Marvin Himself Episode: "Big Time Marvin"
2014–2015 Webheads Himself Host
2015 Dancing with the Stars Himself Contestant (season 21)
The Thundermans Tech Rider Episode: "No Country for Old Mentors"
The Penguins of Madagascar Carlos the Beaver Episode: "Tunnel of Love"
Instant Mom Roger Episode: "Turning a Blind Eye"
2016 Grease: Live Kenickie Television special
2016–present The Loud House Bobby Santiago Recurring voice role
2017 Enchanted Christmas Ricardo Archuleta Television film (Hallmark)
2018 Love at Sea Tony Rieves Television film (Hallmark)
A Midnight Kiss David Campos Television film (Hallmark)
Life Sentence Diego Main role
2019 Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newlywed and Dead Detective Sam Acosta Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2019–present The Casagrandes Bobby Santiago Main voice role
2020 Blue's Clues & You! Himself Episode "Happy Birthday, Blue!"
Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds Detective Sam Acosta Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit, Stage Death Detective Sam Acosta Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2021 The Loud House Mega Music Countdown Himself Host
2022 Love in the Limelight Nick Mendez Television film (Hallmark)

Trivia[]

  • Carlos named his first child, Ocean King, in his vlog with Alexa PenaVega during their cruise trip.
  • He is the opposite of Kendall when it comes to being organized. Kendall is not organized and Carlos is. Carlos has said that he keeps Kendall's area clean and organized.
  • He has 3 brothers: Javier, Antonio, and Andres Pena.
  • He has said that he got three new brothers (Kendall, James, and Logan).
  • Full Name: Carlos Roberto Pena Jr
  • Date of Birth: August 15, 1989
  • Place of Birth: Columbia Missouri
  • Height: 5’6"
  • Weight: 145 lb
  • Nickname: 'Los 'litos, Carlitos
  • Favorite TV Show: Modern Family
  • Favorite Flower: Rose
  • Favorite Book: Into The Wild
  • In school: Took school seriously
  • Favorite Color: Purple
  • Favorite Animal: Monkey
  • Favorite Band: Train
  • Favorite Sport: Hockey
  • Favorite Episode So Far Big Time Mansion
  • Favorite Football Team: The Miami Dolphins
  • Favorite Cereal: Fruity Pebbles
  • Favorite Superhero: Hulk
  • Favorite Number: 14
  • Favorite TV Show: The Walking Dead
  • Favorite Movie: The Usual Suspects
  • Favorite Song: "Slow Dance" - John Legend
  • Favorite Food: Anything with potatoes
  • Favorite Hobby: Scuba Diving
  • Favorite Body Part: Teeth
  • Fears: Ketchup
  • Carlos has a German Shepard named Sydney.
  • His first job was working at Publix, a grocery store in Florida.
  • Carlos says if he wasn't in a band he would want to be a mammal trainer at Sea World.
  • Carlos is a black belt in Taekwondo.
  • Scuba Diving is one of Carlos' biggest passions. He is a certified rescue diver.
  • Carlos’ first kiss was when he was 13 and it was with a 15-year-old at a dance.
  • One of Carlos’ many celebrity crushes is Megan Fox! He says “Her tattoos and her body turn me on!”
  • Carlos is more into fun dates. Even if they’re not romantic they’re still fun! "You should just have a cool time. I think that people should be friends before they start a relationship".
  • Carlos went to prom all 4 years of high school.
  • Carlos loves to shop at Banana Republic and American Apparel.
  • Carlos loved jamming out to Jackson 5 as a kid.
  • Carlos writes a poem and turns it into a song in his process of songwriting.
  • Carlos broke his toe during a Nerf Gunfight on the tour bus.
  • Carlos and the band would have loved to work with Michael Jackson if he was still alive.
  • Carlos loves shopping for Electronics.
  • Carlos’ favorite instrument to play is the piano.
  • The first time Carlos got star struck was when he saw Megan Fox.
  • Carlos Pena says he's the most insecure out of all of the Big Time Rush boys.
  • Carlos is the most responsible, they sometimes call him the mom because he's always advising them & telling them to be careful & stuff.
  • Carlos would love to go out with a British girl again.
  • Carlos says that so many kids asked him where his helmet was & he always laughs so hard. He says he might have to take it on tour soon.
  • Carlos says they use every day to do something new & that they're really grateful for their awesome jobs & lives.
  • Carlos says their tour bus sounds like a machine gun because of all the Nerf guns they use.
  • If Carlos had to cook for his date he would make her a sandwich made with love.
  • Carlos' bad habit is worrying about people too much. When he accidentally bothers someone he always keeps asking "are you okay" and it gets annoying.
  • Favorite fruit: Mangoes and Plums.
  • Carlos would love to go shopping for toys because he hasn't been to a toy store in a long time.
  • Carlos' best pickup line is "I lost my phone number, can I have yours?"
  • Carlos says Harry Potter is one of the greatest book series ever.
  • Carlos says it’s really hard to keep the scene going without laughing. He says the second Kendall smirks then they all start laughing.
  • Carlos likes to wear sunglasses a lot!
  • Carlos really wants to go to New Zealand.
  • One of Carlos' biggest dreams is to win an Academy Award one day.
  • Carlos is serious about talking to kids about giving their all at school & not giving in to peer pressure.
  • He is always looking for charities for the BTR gang to help out with.
  • Carlos is always happy to make an appearance to help with a worthwhile cause to raise money (especially in the California area)
  • If Carlos had to pick between Lady Gaga & Rihanna, he would choose Rihanna.
  • Carlos' favorite part of the holidays is the food. He loves all the food his mom makes!
  • Nothing gets Carlos in a better mood for the holidays than food.
  • Carlos loves to go snowboarding.
  • Favorite Holiday: Valentine’s Day!
  • Carlos loves a girl who can be funny, talk about guy stuff, loves to have fun, and can be a real girl.
  • Carlos Chat with Yahoo's OMG UK:
  1. Describe yourself in three words Fun, organized, determined.
  2. What’s the best advice someone in the industry’s given you? Stay focused on your goals.
  3. Tell us your celebrity crushes… Cheryl Cole
  4. Who’s the most famous person in your phone? Justin Bieber
  5. When was the last time you told someone you loved them and who was it? That would be my girlfriend.
  6. What was the last lie you told? That I wasn’t tired this morning.
  7. What’s your secret hangover cure? N/A
  8. What’s your favorite sandwich filling? Salami.
  9. What’s your random grooming/beauty tip? Not sure it’s a tip but I find the less make-up the better…on girls of course!
  10. Tell us your biggest omg! moment… When my dog ate a towel and had to have surgery to remove it.
  • He was born in Columbia, Missouri.
  • He is Dominican, Spanish, and Venezuelan.
  • He was in choir and musical theater as a child.
  • He knows how to play guitar and piano.
  • Carlos was featured in the Super Soaker water gun commercials as a child and was even on the packaging for the toy!
  • He has guest starred on television shows Ned's Declassified, ER, Judging Amy, and Summerland.
  • Another big television break, Carlos stared as one of the contestants on a Spanish singing competition show called Making Menudos at seventeen years old.
  • Carlos aspires to be on Broadway and win best actor in the Latin Grammys.
  • Ever notice in the opening credits for Big Time Rush Carlos jumps up and does what cheerleaders call a 'spread eagle'? Well that's because he was a cheerer for three years!
  • Carlos' favorite shirt is his vintage Batman Tee.
  • Carlos loves it when a girl smiles.
  • When Carlos received the call telling him he was going to star on Big Time Rush, he was in a movie theater watching Wall-E with his little brother Andres.
  • The cast of Big Time Rush has dubbed Carlos the cleanest of all of them. They even say he cleans their dressing rooms for them!
  • Carlos calls himself the very opposite of his character on the TV show. Everyone says he is the calmest out of everyone.
  • Carlos owns a Jeep.
  • Carlos got a fake tattoo on March 20, 2012. His tattoo was on his left side of the body. Click here to see it.
  • James Maslow and Carlos Pena joined Hallo (a new app that they discovered).
  • Carlos got his first real tattoo on his right side of his body. He got the tattoo the same days as Kendall got his fourth one.
    Carlos' meaning for his new tattoo is " Love Family Determination Persistence Earth Wind & Fire Good fortune Good health Peace..... instagr.am/p/OFVBrJiPZn/ "
  • Favorite BTR song: “Superstar
  • Sports fan: He played roller hockey growing up and was a Los Angeles Kings fan long before they won the Stanley Cup.
  • Sky diver: Pena, brother Antonio, and their dad went skydiving in the Keys in 2012. “Gotta do it again” he says. “But Nickelodeon may get upset.”
  • Social media: He was more than 100,000 off when asked if he knew how many Twitter followers he has at @TheCarlosPena (740,000 plus).
  • Friend of Victoria: He’s met Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice who grew up in Hollywood after they moved west but they never see each other. “It’s funny that we could grow up so close to each other with the same goals and aspirations … but it’s so hard to meet up.”
    • Incidentally, Justice would later guest star on Big Time Rush in the Season Four episode "Big Time Tour Bus", directed by PenaVega himself.
  • On the show, Carlos's favorite song is "Windows Down" but in real life his favorite song is "Superstar."
  • Carlos says his favorite Ninja Turtle is Donatello since his favorite color is purple.
  • He got his first kiss at summer camp.
  • He has a crush on Megan Fox.
  • He is a clean freak as said in an interview.
  • Before he was cast as Carlos in BTR, his name was supposed to be Jessie.
  • Favorite Food: Fish.
  • He plays guitar.
  • He used to do TV commercials for Super Soaker water guns.
  • Carlos loves dogs.
  • He directed the Season 4 episode Big Time Tour Bus.
    • He is the only member of the band to direct an episode of the show.
  • Carlos is married to actress Alexa Vega.
  • He is the host of Webheads, a Nickelodeon game show.
  • Carlos voices Kevin "Kevi" Pikachu in Disney's Anthros (the 2016 movie & the 2017 TV series)

Official Account[]

Gallery[]

Logo

References

Navigation

v · d · e Big Time Rush
Discography · Videography · Awards and nominations · Songs · Live performances
Members Kendall Schmidt · James Maslow · Carlos PenaVega · Logan Henderson
Studio albums BTR (2010) · Elevate (2011) · 24/seven (2013) · Another Life (2023)
Compilations The Greatest Hits (2016) · L'Intégrale (2016) · Ultimate Fan Edition (2016)
Extended plays Best of Season 1 (2010) · Holiday Bundle (2010) · Big Time Movie Soundtrack (2012) · Untitled Spanglish EP (2023)
Concert tours Big Time Rush in Concert · Better with U Tour · Big Time Summer Tour · Summer Break Tour · Live World Tour · Forever Tour · Can't Get Enough Tour
Promotional tours Big Time Rush & Walgreens · Big Time Rush Live
Virtual concerts Big Time Rush: The City Is Ours
Television 7 Secrets with Big Time Rush · Big Time Rush: Live from Times Square · Big Time Rush: Party All Night · BTR: Music Sounds Better with U · Big Time Tour
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