Lorenzo Fernando Lamas (born January 20, 1958) is an American actor. He is widely known for his role of Lance Cumson, the irresponsible grandson of Angela Channing—played by Jane Wyman—in the prime time hit Falcon Crest (1981–1990), for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
Lamas is also known for his roles as Reno Raines in the crime drama series Renegade (1992–1997), Dr. Hollywood on the Nickelodeon TV show Big Time Rush (2009–2013), Hector Ramirez in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (2004–2006), and Meap on the television show Phineas and Ferb. He served as a judge on ABC television's Are You Hot?, and starred in his own reality show, Leave It to Lamas, a series about his real-life family.
As an executive producer, he worked on such films as: Night of the Warrior (1991, starring himself, his wife Kathleen Kinmont and his mother, Arlene Dahl), Ulterior Motives (1993, starring: Thomas Ian Griffith, Mary Page Keller and Ken Howard), and Mom and Dad Save the World (1992, starring: Teri Garr, Jeffrey Jones and Jon Lovitz).
Early life Lamas was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Argentine actor Fernando Lamas and Norwegian American actress Arlene Dahl. He is the stepson of swimmer and film star Esther Williams, who married his father when Lamas was 11 years old. Both Williams and Dahl were best friends of actress Jane Wyman (who knew him from birth), and would later work alongside Lamas on Falcon Crest. He was brought up in Pacific Palisades, California, and moved to New York City in 1971. In 1979, he took up Taekwondo, earning a third-degree black belt, also Shotokan Karate, Ju jitsu and Aikido, earning black belts in each. He graduated from the Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey, in 1975.
Career
Early career Lamas had longed to be in show business since the age of five, when he approached his mother and said, "I want to be a star...I mean, an actor." With a smile, she replied, "I heard you the first time, son.""The Complete Directory to Prime-Time TV Stars: 1946--Present" by Tim Brooks; page 487
Lamas first studied acting in Tony Barr's Film Actors Workshop and quickly thereafter obtained his first TV acting role in 1976. As a last-minute replacement for Steven Ford, Lamas secured a non-speaking role as a jock in the 1978 musical film Grease, in which he dyed his hair blond.Gliatto, Tom; and O'Neill Anne-Marie. "Grease Is the Word: Twenty Years Later, the Stars Are Still True to Their School", People (magazine), April 13, 1998. Accessed September 13, 2011. "'I always felt Jan was the person most like the audience,' says Jamie Donnelly, 50, who dyed her prematurely gray hair to play the pigtailed Pink Lady. 'She wasn't as cool as the other ones.' The Teaneck, N.J., native now lives in La Canada, Calif., with her husband, screenwriter Stephen Foreman, son Sevi, 10, and daughter Madden Rose, 8." In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Lamas had guest-starring roles in a number of TV series including: Switch, Sword of Justice, Dear Detective, Secrets of Midland Heights, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat and Hotel.
Falcon Crest (1981–1990) In 1980, Lamas auditioned for and won the role of Lance Cumson, for the pilot of a new series entitled The Vintage Years. The pilot was later retooled to become the hit prime time drama series Falcon Crest, which aired on CBS for nine seasons from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. During a 2006 TV interview with a Norwegian television team, Lamas said that to get the role he had auditioned twice and beat out five other actors for the part. Lamas was nominated for a Golden Globe and two Soap Opera Digest Awards for his work on the series; he was the only actor to appear in all 227 episodes.
During his tenure on the show, Lamas had the lead role in the poorly received film Body Rock (1984), where he was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. He also performed a song on the film's soundtrack, and the track "Fools Like Me" became his only single to date to crack the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #85. The co-founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards, John J. B. Wilson, later named Body Rock as one of "The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made".
Later career Lamas began carving out a niche for himself as an action-hero, showcasing his martial-arts skills by starring in such movies as the Snake Eater trilogy (1989–1992), Bounty Tracker (1993), Gladiator Cop (1995), Terminal Justice (1996), and many similar low-budget action-films. From 1992 to 1997, Lamas played the lead role of Reno Raines (a falsely accused cop) in the syndicated series Renegade, which allowed him to exercise his enthusiasm for Harley-Davidson motorcycles as well as martial arts. The show was seen in over 100 countries, and during its fifth and final season, it moved from first-run syndication to the USA Network. Lamas had been keeping his hair long (past his shoulders) during this time, so when he had it cut short following the end of the fourth season of Renegade, he had to wear a long-haired wig for filming of the final season. In 2004, Lamas joined the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Hector Ramirez, remaining on the show until 2006.
In August 2007, Lamas starred as the King of Siam in The King and I at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine. That fall, he performed at Kean University Premiere Stages in Union, New Jersey, in the title role in Steven Dietz's Dracula. In June 2008, he performed as El Gallo in The Fantasticks at the Casa Mañana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. In June 2009, Lamas returned to the Ogunquit Playhouse as Zach in A Chorus Line.
In 2015, Lamas was a cast member of the reality TV series The Celebrity Apprentice.
As of 2016, Lamas was working as a helicopter pilot, flying people on day trips to the Grand Canyon from Los Angeles. According to his Twitter account, he is currently flying as a helicopter tour pilot with HeliNY in New York City. In 2023, he posted that he was working as a safety manager for Vezer Industrial.
Personal life Lamas has been married six times and has six children. His first marriage was to Victoria Hilbert (1981–1982). His second marriage (1983–1985) was to his publicist, Michele Cathy Smith, with whom he had two children: son Alvaro Joshua "A.J." (b. 1983) and daughter Shayne (b. 1985), both actors. Lamas was then in a relationship with actress Daphne Ashbrook; the couple had a daughter Paton Lee Ashbrook.
Lamas was married to his third wife, Renegade co-star Kathleen Kinmont, from 1989 to 1993. Playmate of the Month Shauna Sand (who made guest appearances in Renegade) became Lamas' fourth wife in 1996. The couple had three daughters before divorcing in 2002.
After five months of dating, Lamas married his fifth wife, Shawna Craig, 2011 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He told reporters that he would change his name to Lorenzo Lamas-Craig. This decision was motivated by the fact that his previous wife, Shauna, kept the surname Lamas, and is legally named Shauna Lamas, and new bride Shawna, whose given name is a homonym and almost identical to that of Shauna, did not wish to have a virtually identical full name. Shawna Craig was also a surrogate who carried Lamas' grandson after Shayne suffered a miscarriage and Shayne could never carry a baby again. Craig gave birth to the baby boy on July 4, 2015. In June 2018, Lamas filed for divorce from his fifth wife citing irreconcilable differences.
Lamas started dating Kenna Scott in April 2020. The couple got engaged in Las Vegas in February 2021. The wedding was on October 29, 2023, at the Wonderland on the cruise ship Wonder of the Seas. In June 2025, it was reported that Lamas had filed for divorce.
Lamas enjoyed close friendships with his Falcon Crest co-stars Ana Alicia and Jane Wyman. He continually praised Wyman's professionalism and credited her as a "huge influence" on his life and career. After Wyman's death in 2007, Lamas released a statement: "Next to my parents, Jane was the most influential person in my young career. She has left an incredible body of work and accomplishments that cannot go without being recognized and celebrated. I will miss her greatly."
Lamas' stepmother, Esther Williams, died on June 6, 2013, at the age of 91, in Los Angeles, California. He stated on Twitter: "The best swim teacher and soul mom RIP."
Lamas published his autobiography, Renegade at Heart (co-written by celebrity biographer Jeff Lenburg) in December 2014.
Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes 1969 100 Rifles Indian Boy Film debut; uncredited 1978 Grease Tom Chisum 1979 Take Down Nick Kilvitus Tilt Casey Silverwater Promises in the Dark Josh Uncredited 1984 Body Rock "Chilly" Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor 1989 Snake Eater Officer Jack "Soldier" Kelly Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster 1991 Night of the Warrior Miles Keanealso producer Killing Streets Charlie Wolff 1992 Final Impact Nick Taylor The Swordsman Andrew Garrett Snake Eater III: His Law Jack "Soldier" Kelly CIA Code Name: Alexa CIA Agent Mark Graver 1993 Bounty Tracker Johnathan Damone Direct-to-video CIA II: Target Alexa CIA Agent Mark Graver 1994 Final Round Tyler Verdiccio Direct-to-video Bad Blood Travis Blackstone 1995 Midnight Man John Kang Gladiator Cop Andrew Garrett Also known as Gladiator Cop: The Swordsman II 1996 Mask of Death Detective McKenna / Lyle Mason Terminal Justice Sergeant Bobby Chase 1997 Black Dawn Jake Kilkanin The Rage Nick Travis 1998 Undercurrent Mike Aguayo Back to Even Mitch 1999 The Muse Himself 2002 The Circuit 2: The Final Punch Max Direct-to-video 2003 Rapid Exchange Ketchum 13 Dead Men Santos Dark Waters Dane Quatrell Direct-to-video 2004 Motocross Kids Evan Reed Latin Dragon Frank Braun Sci-Fighter Andrew Dean Unseen Evil 2 Biggs Direct-to-video 2005 Lethal Anatoly Federov Thralls Mr. Jones Killing Cupid Shane The Nowhere Man 2006 18 Fingers of Death! Antonio Bandana Direct-to-video 2007 Succubus: Hell-Bent Flight Instructor 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea Lieutenant Michael Arronax 2008 Chinaman's Chance: America's Other Slaves Father Smith 2009 Mexican Gold Cole Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus Allan Baxter 2011 Backstabber Frank Prather 2012 Return to Vengenance Brady 2013 Raptor Ranch Special Agent Logan Cathedral Canyon Carl Romero A Little Christmas Business Billy Baxter 2014 Grace of God Jerold Being American Tom Bro, What Happened? Cheeba My Name Is Nobody Senor Santiago 2015 WWJD What Would Jesus Do? The Journey Continues Jack American Beach House Lifeguard Joe Atomic Eden Nathan "The Snake" God's Club Spencer Rivers 2016 Prayer Never Fails Judge Rogers Beyond the Game Trainer Movie Madness Detective Avery 2017 Secrets of Deception Gregg Boone: The Bounty Hunter Walker BorderCross Danny Jackson 2018 Railroad to Hell: A Chinaman's Chance Father Smith Driver Reggie Unwritten General Lane 2019 Las Vegas Vietnam: The Movie Zapata Sr., Gang Leader Water Frank Johnson 2020 Scorpion Girl Awakening: The Movie FBI Agent Real Blood: The True Beginning Father Diaz Bleach Elmer Paxton
Television