J.R. Yenque

Yenque recently adopted his professional name, J.R. Yenque, in honor of his late grandfather, Jose Rafael Yenque, whose guidance was pivotal to his life and career. J.R.Yenque was born and raised in Brooklyn, the son of New York veteran actress Teresa Yenque (30 Rock, Law & Order, The Sopranos) he grew up watching her performances from the backstages and wings of the New York theater scene from 8. At 14, Yenque's life was turned around when his mother enrolled him in an acting workshop. This workshop helped him go from a shy, 230-lb young man who stuttered to a confident and gifted actor at home on the stage and comfortable with himself. After several attempts in different N.Y.C. high schools, he landed at City-As-School, an alternative High School that uses various art forms to keep its students engaged. There, he discovered his talents as a dancer and soon received a scholarship to Ballet Hispanico of N.Y. Yenque also trained extensively and performed with several theater companies. He then toured internationally in West Side Story, receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Bernardo, before moving to Los Angeles.

Thanks to Yenque's discovery of drama as a transformative tool at 14, he is passionate about helping teens navigate through those challenging years. In 2014, Yenque founded Arts for a Better Tomorrow, an international nonprofit organization that offers youth innovative social-emotional arts-based programs. Dramatic arts and media storytelling are taught to help them develop life-coping tools, self-care, and self-expression. Arts for a Better Tomorrow serves youth in underserved communities, public schools, and orphanages in Los Angeles, California, and Tijuana, Mexico.

As Founder of Arts for a Better Tomorrow, a supporter of and frequent collaborator with higher education, Yenque has presented at several major academic conferences, including the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the International Association for Language Learning Technology. Yenque has over a decade of experience as a professional actor and devoted humanitarian, which earned him an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from California State University San Marcos. He aims to continue inspiring others, particularly today's youth, with his work both on and off-screen.