Lorenzo Lamas Bio
Lorenzo Fernando Lamas (born January 20, 1958) is an American actor and producer who built a long career across prime-time television, action films, stage productions, and reality programming. He first gained widespread fame as Lance Cumson on the CBS prime-time drama Falcon Crest from 1981 to 1990, and later became a familiar face to a new generation of viewers as Reno Raines on the syndicated action series Renegade between 1992 and 1997. Over the decades, Lamas has continued to take on television roles, theatrical productions, and behind-the-scenes producing work, establishing himself as a versatile and enduring presence in the entertainment industry.
The son of Argentine actor Fernando Lamas and Norwegian American actress Arlene Dahl, Lorenzo Lamas grew up surrounded by Hollywood talent and carried that heritage into a career that now spans more than five decades. In addition to his acting credits, he has worked as an executive producer, a voice performer on animated shows such as Phineas and Ferb, and a helicopter tour pilot, reflecting a varied professional life that extends well beyond the screen.
Early Life and Background
Lorenzo Fernando Lamas was born on January 20, 1958, in Santa Monica, California. He is the son of Argentine actor Fernando Lamas and Norwegian American actress Arlene Dahl, giving him a unique blend of Latin American and Scandinavian American roots. His father was a well-known film and television star, and his mother was a respected actress whose Hollywood connections would shape his upbringing and later career opportunities.
After his parents’ separation, Lamas was raised in Pacific Palisades, California, and moved to New York City with his mother in 1971. He later became the stepson of swimmer and film star Esther Williams, who married his father when Lorenzo was eleven years old. Both Williams and Dahl were close friends of actress Jane Wyman, who knew Lorenzo from birth and would eventually work alongside him on Falcon Crest. He attended Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey, graduating in 1975, and during his teenage years he took up Taekwondo, Shotokan Karate, Ju Jitsu, and Aikido, eventually earning black belts in each discipline.
Lamas has often recalled that he first expressed his desire to perform at the age of five, telling his mother that he wanted to be a star and then quickly correcting himself to say he wanted to be an actor. His family’s deep ties to the entertainment industry gave him early exposure to acting, filmmaking, and the rhythms of a Hollywood household, laying the groundwork for the career he would soon pursue.
Path to Acting
Lamas studied acting in Tony Barr’s Film Actors Workshop, where he refined the basic craft of screen performance. He quickly landed his first television acting role in 1976, and only a short time later he secured a non-speaking part as a jock in the 1978 musical film Grease, stepping in as a last-minute replacement for Steven Ford and dyeing his hair blond for the role. These early experiences gave him valuable on-set experience and helped him transition from student to working performer.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Lamas built his résumé through guest-starring appearances on a number of popular television series, including Switch, Sword of Justice, Dear Detective, Secrets of Midland Heights, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Hotel. These guest spots allowed him to work with different casts and crews across a variety of formats, sharpening his instincts as a series performer and preparing him for the long-running role that would soon change his career.
Lorenzo Lamas Career
Early Career (1969–1980)
Lamas began his professional career in 1969 with small appearances that introduced him to the entertainment industry. His first major screen credit came when he stepped into a non-speaking role in Grease (1978), and the experience convinced him that he could sustain a working life in front of the camera. Between guest spots on episodic television and his continued training in martial arts, he kept himself busy while waiting for the breakthrough opportunity that would arrive at the end of the decade.
In 1980, Lamas auditioned for and won the role of Lance Cumson in the pilot of a new series originally titled The Vintage Years. The pilot was later retooled into the CBS prime-time drama Falcon Crest, a show that would run for nine seasons and turn Lamas into a household name. He went on to become the only actor to appear in all 227 episodes of the series, and his performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.
Breakthrough (1981–1997)
Falcon Crest premiered on CBS on December 4, 1981, and Lorenzo Lamas played Lance Cumson, the irresponsible grandson of Angela Channing, portrayed by Jane Wyman, until the series finale on May 17, 1990. During a 2006 interview with a Norwegian television team, he explained that he had auditioned twice and beat out five other actors for the part. His work on the show earned him two Soap Opera Digest Award nominations in addition to his Golden Globe nomination, and the long run gave him a steady platform on which to develop his acting skills.
While still appearing on Falcon Crest, Lamas took the lead role in the 1984 film Body Rock, a music-driven drama that earned him a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor. He performed a song on the film’s soundtrack, and the track Fools Like Me became his only single to crack the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 85. The co-founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards later included Body Rock on a list of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made, and Lamas has continued to reflect on the experience with characteristic humor.
Beginning in 1989, Lamas carved out a niche as an action hero, drawing on his martial-arts training to star in a string of low-budget films including the Snake Eater trilogy (1989–1992), Bounty Tracker (1993), Gladiator Cop (1995), and Terminal Justice (1996). In 1992, he took the lead role of Reno Raines, a falsely accused cop, on the syndicated series Renegade, a show that allowed him to showcase both his martial-arts skills and his enthusiasm for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The series was seen in more than one hundred countries and aired for five seasons, with its final year moving from first-run syndication to the USA Network.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond Falcon Crest and Renegade, Lamas joined the cast of the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Hector Ramirez from 2004 to 2006, voiced Meap on the animated series Phineas and Ferb starting in 2007, and played Dr. Hollywood on the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush between 2009 and 2013. He also served as a judge on the ABC competition series Are You Hot?, starred in his own reality show Leave It to Lamas, and appeared as a cast member on The Celebrity Apprentice in 2015. As an executive producer, his credits include Night of the Warrior (1991), Mom and Dad Save the World (1992), and Ulterior Motives (1993).
Lorenzo Lamas Award Nominations
Lorenzo Lamas has received recognition from several major entertainment organizations throughout his career. His most prominent nomination came from the Golden Globe Awards, where he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film for his work as Lance Cumson on Falcon Crest. He also received two Soap Opera Digest Award nominations during his run on the same series and a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor for his leading role in the 1984 film Body Rock.
Lorenzo Lamas Awards Won
No major award wins for Lorenzo Lamas are verified across the available records. While his performances on Falcon Crest, Renegade, and other projects earned him nominations from the Golden Globe Awards, the Soap Opera Digest Awards, and the Golden Raspberry Awards, none of these nominations resulted in a confirmed victory. His lasting recognition rests on the long run and cultural impact of his television work rather than on trophy-cabinet honors.
Lorenzo Lamas Family
Lorenzo Lamas is the son of Argentine actor Fernando Lamas and Norwegian American actress Arlene Dahl, both well-known figures in Hollywood during the mid-twentieth century. After his parents’ separation, his father married swimmer and film star Esther Williams, who became his stepmother when Lorenzo was eleven years old. Through these family ties, he grew up with direct exposure to acting, swimming stardom, and the broader world of classic Hollywood, which informed his eventual choice of career.
Lamas has six children. From his second marriage to publicist Michele Cathy Smith, he had a son, Alvaro Joshua, known as A.J., born in 1983, and a daughter, Shayne, born in 1985, both of whom have followed him into acting. From his relationship with actress Daphne Ashbrook, he has a daughter, Paton Lee Ashbrook. With his fourth wife, Shauna Sand, he had three daughters before their divorce in 2002. His fifth wife, Shawna Craig, served as a surrogate and gave birth to a grandson on July 4, 2015, after their daughter Shayne had suffered a miscarriage.
Personal Life
Lorenzo Lamas has been married seven times. His first marriage was to Victoria Hilbert from 1981 to 1982, followed by a marriage to Michele Cathy Smith from 1983 to 1985. He was then in a relationship with actress Daphne Ashbrook between 1986 and 1988. He married his Renegade co-star Kathleen Kinmont from 1989 to 1993, wed Playmate Shauna Sand from 1996 to 2002, married Shawna Craig from 2011 to 2018, and wed Kenna Scott on October 29, 2023, aboard the cruise ship Wonder of the Seas. As of June 2025, reports indicated that Lamas had filed for divorce from Kenna Scott.
Beyond his marriages, Lamas has cultivated friendships with several of his Falcon Crest co-stars, most notably Ana Alicia and Jane Wyman, whom he credited as a huge influence on his life and career. After Wyman’s death in 2007, he released a statement calling her, next to his parents, the most influential person in his young career. In December 2014, Lamas published his autobiography, Renegade at Heart, co-written with celebrity biographer Jeff Lenburg, offering a candid look at his upbringing, his marriages, and his decades in front of the camera.