Who is Mike Vitar?

Mike Vitar is a former American actor known for his role as Benjamin Franklin “Benny the Jet” Rodriguez in The Sandlot.

In addition, he appeared as Luis Mendoza in the final two Mighty Ducks films. Making his acting debut at 12, Mike Vitar is currently employed as a firefighter. Mike Vitar retired from acting in 1997.

Quick Facts

Mike Vitar Birthday

Mike Vitar was born on December 21, 1978. He was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. As of 2023, he is 44 years old.

Early Life and Childhood

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Mike Vitar is the youngest of three children. Not much is known about his parents. Vitar comes from a family of Cuban Americans.

Vitar’s elder brother, Pablo Vitar, was also an actor. Pablo Vitar acted in The Sandlot alongside Mike Vitar and portrayed the role of the older version of Mike Vitar’s character, Benny. 

Following a brief stint as an actor, Pablo Vitar joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1996. Unfortunately, on January 29, 2008, Pablo Vitar died from colon cancer. Apart from this, Mike Vitar also has an older sister named Elizabeth Vitar.

Morevoer, Vitar studied at St. Francis High School in La Cañada, California. He graduated in 1997.

Career

Acting Career

At 12, Mike Vitar made his acting debut after being spotted by a casting manager at a school carnival. The year 1991 marked Vitar’s acting debut. 

Vitar played the role of Arturo in Peter Maris’ action thriller ‘Diplomatic Immunity .’He also made his TV debut in 1991 and appeared as the character Anthony Gambuzza in the episode ‘Boys of Summer’ in the CBS show Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Bridge was a family drama that revolved around a Jewish American family that resided in Brooklyn in the 1950s. In 1993, Mike Vitar collaborated with Peter Weller in the neo-noir mystery film Sunset Grill.

The movie, which was set in Los Angeles, follows the story of a police officer-turned-private-investigator as he makes an effort to solve a mystery surrounding illegal immigrants from Mexico. The same year, Vitar’s movie The Sandlot was released. 

The Sandlot helped push Vitar to overnight fame, and he became a household name soon after the movie’s release. In the film, Vitar played the role of “Benny the Jet” Rodriguez. Vitar’s performance was lauded by audiences and critics alike, and he outshined the film’s other adolescent actors. 

The film presents Mike Vitar’s character as kind, generous, and talented. The Sandlot was a box office hit, making over USD 33 million at the box office. 

The movie’s plot was classic and revolved around the story of underdogs successfully overcoming all odds. Along with its evergreen plot and a set of likable characters, over the years, The Sandlot has managed to gain cult status in the years following its release.

As a result of his impressive acting in The Sandlot, Mike Vitar was cast in the final two Mighty Ducks films despite not being a part of the original Mighty Duck film. Vitar was cast as Luis Mendoza in the hit film’s first sequel, D2: The Mighty Ducks. 

Although the movie could not gain critical acclaim, D2: The Mighty Ducks emerged as a box office success and earned USD 45.6 million. Following the film’s success, Mike Vitar reprised his role of Luis Mendoza in the trilogy film’s third and final installment, D3: The Mighty Ducks.

Like the previous two films in the Mighty Ducks franchise, D3: The Mighty Ducks became a significant hit at the box office. Over the years, all three films in the Mighty Ducks franchise have established themselves as cult classics. 

Apart from this, Mike Vitar has also had guest roles in several TV shows, including ABC’s NYPD Blue and CBS’ Chicago Hope. Following his guest appearance in Chicago Hope in 1997, Mike Vitar announced his retirement from acting. 

Despite his retirement from acting, Mike Vitar appeared in The Sandlot 2 as Benjamin Franklin “The Jet” Rodriguez in a flashback scene. The movie was released in 2005.

Later Career

A year before announcing his retirement from acting, Mike Vitar started foraying into alternate professions. In 1996, he worked for Gerber Ambulance in Torrance as an EMT. 

In 2002, he made his career switch to a firefighter. For the past 21 years, Mike Vitar has been working as a firefighter for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Mike Vitar Controversies and Legal Issues

Although Mike Vitar had long disappeared from news headlines since his retirement from acting in 1997, the Brooklyn Bridge actor became the focus of media scrutiny after the former actor was arrested on Halloween night in 2015. 

Mike Vitar, his colleague, off-duty fireman Eric Carpenter, and a third man, Thomas Molnar, were arrested after allegedly beating up a 22-year-old man named Samuel Chang for “handing out candies to children .”The trio attacked Samuel Chang and badly hurt his jaw, which left him in a coma. 

Additionally, Chang faced severe brain damage. According to reports, Vitar, Carpenter, and Molnar also accused Chang of being a pedophile. 

In December, Vitar and Molnar were charged with one count of ‘assault using force likely to produce great bodily injury .’Carpenter, on the other hand, faced charges of ‘personally inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.’ 

Due to his crimes’ severity, Vitar was possibly looking at a four-year sentence. However, the Diplomatic Immunity actor somehow managed to escape being imprisoned. Mike Vitar instead had to pay a total of USD 2,000 to Samuel Chang and also faced suspension from work for six months without pay.

Marriage and Children

Mike Vitar is currently married to Kym Allen. The pair exchanged wedding vows in 2006. Vitar and Allen share three children.

Mike Vitar Net Worth

As of 2023, Mike Vitar has an estimated net worth of approximately USD 300,000. Vitar has accumulated such impressive earnings due to his career as a firefighter. 

Vitar was estimated to have a significantly higher net worth when engaged in his previous acting career. Despite this, Mike Vitar leads a comfortable lifestyle due to his net worth.

Social Media

Mike Vitar Instagram

Mike Vitar has an Instagram account registered under the username “mike.vitar“. The D2: The Mighty Ducks actor has 2873 followers on his Instagram account.

The post Mike Vitar: The 90s American Actor and a Firefighter appeared first on Celeb Critics.