René Lavan

Acting

René Lavan

Born 1968-11-05

Rene Lavan is a Cuban-American actor born in Artemisa, Cuba. He first gained widespread recognition starring in the hit Spanish-language telenovela Morelia, followed by leading roles in María Belén and Enamorada, becoming a familiar face to audiences across Latin America and beyond. American audiences came to know Lavan through his role as Javier on One Life to Live. He later earned critical acclaim as the lead in Bitter Sugar (1996), directed by Leon Ichaso, portraying a young Cuban student confronting political repression in Cuba. Lavan's film credits include Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Christmas with the Kranks, Che: Part One and Che: Part Two, while his television work includes guest appearances on CSI: Miami and Las Vegas. In 2005, he made his Broadway debut in Latinologues. Educated at the New World School of the Arts and trained with Uta Hagen, Lavan has worked extensively in both English and Spanish-language productions. In addition to acting, he has hosted television specials and award shows and has produced Latino-focused film and television projects through his own production company.

Acting credits

Christmas with the Kranks poster
6.2

When their only daughter Blair leaves the family nest, Luther and Nora Krank decide to book an island cruise to beat the yuletide blues and just skip the holidays. But their decision to boycott tradition has the whole neighborhood in an uproar, and when Blair calls on Christmas Eve to announce a surprise visit with her new fiancée, the Kranks have just twelve hours to perform a miracle and pull themselves and their neighbors together to throw the best celebration ever!

Christmas with the Kranks

2004

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights poster
6.4

In pre-revolution Cuba, Katey Miller is about to defy everyone's expectations. Instead of a parent-approved suitor, Katey is drawn to the sexy waiter, Javier, who spends his nights dancing in Havana's nightclubs. As she secretly learns to dance with Javier, she learns the meanings of love, sensuality and independence.

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

2004

Che: Part One poster
6.8

Ernesto Guevara, known as 'Che', leads a group of Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro in a revolution to overthrow Fulgencio Batista, the dictator of Cuba.

Che: Part One

2008

The Old Man and the Parrot poster
NR

With a taxidermy parrot and pistol in hand, Praxi, breaks into the home of a mute spiritual guru who trapped his lover’s soul inside the parrot years ago. Praxi must convince the guru’s estranged daughter to guide her father in freeing his lover’s soul in this darkly comedic tale of love and the afterlife.

The Old Man and the Parrot

2026

Red Light poster
NR

Two strangers regain consciousness in a dimly lit room, disoriented and unable to remember how they got there. With no way out and no clue who has confined them, they are forced to rely on each other for survival. As fear and uncertainty mount, a tense bond forms between them—one that blurs the lines between trust, desire, and control. The confined space becomes both refuge and prison as emotions intensify and reality begins to distort. When an ominous red light suddenly flickers on, the truth behind their captivity—and the fragile nature of their connection—is finally revealed.

Red Light

2025

Bitter Sugar poster
5.3

A patriot (René Lavan) with a rebellious brother falls in love with a dissident's daughter (Mayte Vilán) in Castro's Cuba.

Bitter Sugar

1996

The Last Rafter poster
6.0

After risking his life crossing the Florida straits on a raft, a young Cuban searches Miami for his missing father. When a political shift makes him America’s first Cuban undocumented immigrant, he must battle the new and bigger fear of deportation, while trying to find where he really belongs.

The Last Rafter

2020

Tollbooth poster
6.2

A young woman’s dreams of love are trapped in an empty life of broken promises and futile hopes, as she desperately awaits the return of her long-missing father. In order to win her heart, a local tollbooth operator sets out to find him. One fateful evening at the tollbooth, in a feverish collision between reality and dreams, their lives change, enabling them to start anew.

Tollbooth

1994

The Magnificent Mendez poster
8.0

 A Miami movie producer must confront his dark past when his long-lost love returns.

The Magnificent Mendez

2026

Every Witch Way: Spellbound poster
8.7

Every witch way like you have never seen it before all your magic comes back in this movie

Every Witch Way: Spellbound

2014

Christmas Overtime poster
4.3

An unemployed actress is offered a commercial if she can convince a Christmas-obsessed ad agency staff to finish an ad campaign on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Overtime

2024

Behind the camera