Humanitarian of the Week: Vincent Irizarry

Born in New York in 1959, Emmy Award winning actor Vincent Irizarry has been a staple of television since 1983. Mr. Irizarry’s interest in the arts began as a child as young Vincent studied music and piano, a pursuit he continued into college when he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.


While attending university, Mr. Irizarry began performing in a host of regional theatre productions and after being graduated returned to New York to pursue his new love—acting—full-time. Soon, Irizarry had earned a scholarship to Lee Strasburg at his famed Theater Institute.

In 1983, Vincent won his first television role on the daytime drama Guiding Light, later joining Santa Barbara, returning to Guiding Light and then becoming a major part of the cast of All My Children in 1997. On All My Children, Irizarry played the complex anti-hero "Dr. David Hayward: until 2006 when he briefly worked on The Young and the Restless. He returned to AMC in 2008 and has remained there ever since.

Now, as All My Children’s historic forty-one year run on broadcast television comes to an end, Irizarry’s “David” is playing the key role in returning a variety of deceased Pine Valleyites to their loved ones. It is important to note that as the storyline is written, Dr. Hayward is not technically resurrecting these characters from the dead. He just happened to be there as they were dying so he could save their lives (and then hold them hostage for years). It’s a fine distinction.

Mr. Irizarry’s unrivaled skills as an actor have elevated each scene in which he’s performed. He is, truly, one of the most gifted actors in the industry. Fittingly, Irizarry has allowed his gift to make him all the more generous.

Through the group FOVI (Friends of Vincent Irizarry), which was created in the Spring of 2000, Mr. Irizarry has ventured into many charitable programs designed to encourage good stewardship of humanity. According to Irizarry’s official Web site, with “Vincent's help and support, FOVI has raised over $100,000 from fundraisers…”

One of FOVI’s most ambitious projects was fundraising for Habitat for Humanity's Women's Build Program. The group has also donated its time to collecting canned goods to help feed New York's hungry, supporting children with HIV-Aids, children with cancer via programs with St. Jude's Children's Hospital, and is fearless in the face of any new challenge.

For the quality of his work and for the quality of his spirit, Vincent Irizarry is our “Humanitarian of the Week.”