Q: Is it true that A. Martinez is returning to daytime TV? I just love him. What has he been doing since he left "Santa Barbara"? — Renada, Santa Fe, N.M.

A: Yes, it is true. He starts on "One Life to Live" as Ray Montez later this month. Martinez, who won an Emmy for his work as Cruz on "Santa Barbara," has worked nonstop (at least in actors terms). Last year he was featured in three "CSI" episodes and has guest-starred on a host of other shows.

Martinez's career began when he won a singing contest at the age of 12. As a teen he played disaffected youths. "I was typed in the defiant Latino roles." Martinez told us. "I was fine with that because I was working," says the actor, who is part Mexican and part Native American.

When he landed on "General Hospital" as the romantic anti-hero Roy DiLucca (Bobbie's love interest) his type-casting was broken. His 1988 art house film, "Powwow Highway," won raves from the likes of Roger Ebert.

Divorced from actress Mare Winningham, Martinez has been married to Leslie Bryans since 1982. "She was a floor manager on a show I was guesting on. The minute I saw her I knew this is it," he recalls. The couple has three children: two girls and a boy.

As for his mysterious first name, he explains, "In my family, when the oldest boy came of age, he took the name 'A.' It is from the name Adolfo. When the son takes on the initial, the dad gets to use the full name." The tradition stopped with this A. "I love the tradition, but no way I was going to have my son explaining his name for the rest of his life. We named him Dakota Lee."

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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