About Mike Vitar
Mike Vitar was one of the former American actors known for his super hit 1993 movie The Sandlot as Benjamin “Benny the Jet” Franklin Rodriguez, directed by David Mickey Evans, and two installments of D2 and D3:The Mighty Ducks movie in 1994 and 1996.
He generally stays under the radar, yet did spring up at a Strong Ducks get-together a couple of years back, where he modeled for this sweet Instagram snap with costar Marguerite Moreau.
Mike started acting at the young age of 12 years. A casting manager saw him at a school carnival and thought he would be a perfect fit as a child actor.
Mike’s first movie was released in 1991, an American thriller action movie Diplomatic Immunity based on the 1987 novel by Theodore Taylor — The Stalker. Mike portrayed the character of Arturo. The movie revolves around a US Marine guy named Cole Hickel (Bruce Boxleitner), whose daughter was killed by Klaus Hermann (Tom Bresnahan), a psychopath who was obsessed with butchering people and photographing them.
Later, Klaus escapes to Paraguay as he has diplomatic immunity from his mother as a President of Paraguay. Though the movie didn’t perform as expected at the box office, Mike’s character as Arturo got attention. his vocation didn’t actually start until 1993. He had his second film job in the film Nightfall Barbecue, with his personality acknowledged being recorded exclusively as “Kid.”
Mike later bagged a small role as Anthony Gambuzza in episode 3, season 1 of the Brooklyn Bridge TV series.
Mike appeared in the second installment of D2: The Mighty Ducks, directed by Robert Lieberman, which was released in 1994. Mike portrayed the role of Luis Mendoza, a hockey player who played at the forward position from Miami, Florida, and he wears jersey no. 22. He also appeared in the third installment of D3: The Mighty Ducks. Mike’s character was one of the most applauded as his speed on the ice often shakes the speed of the opposite players. However, his weakness of being unable to control the speed sometimes makes him vulnerable.
In 1993, The Sandlot, an American sports comedy movie, was released, and it was a sleeper hit at the box office. The movie revolves around the summer of ’62 when a group of young baseball players comes together in Sandlot (a fictional town located in the suburbs of Los Angeles), and little thing they know, the game would change their life in the coming years. Critics highly appreciated Mike’s character as Benjamin Rodriguez – “Benny the Jet”. The Sandlot movie grossed USD 34 million globally and became a cult movie.
Vitar’s breakout role as Benny in “The Sandlot” catapulted him into the limelight. The film, centered around a group of young baseball players and their adventures, became a cult classic and remains beloved by fans around the world. Vitar’s portrayal of Benny, a talented and charismatic baseball player who serves as a role model for his friends, resonated with audiences, showcasing his acting talent and ability to capture the essence of a beloved character.
Following the success of “The Sandlot,” Vitar continued his acting career with appearances in several television shows and movies. He appeared in the 1994 film “D2: The Mighty Ducks” and its sequel “D3: The Mighty Ducks” in 1996, further cementing his status as a recognizable face in the sports film genre. However, as time went on, Vitar decided to shift his focus away from acting.
After leaving the entertainment industry, Vitar pursued a career in the field of firefighting. He joined the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) in 2002 and has since dedicated his life to serving the community and ensuring the safety of others. Vitar’s decision to become a firefighter showcases his commitment to public service and a desire to make a positive impact on people’s lives beyond the silver screen.
While his acting career might have taken a backseat, Vitar’s dedication to firefighting has not gone unnoticed. He has been recognized for his heroic actions and received commendations for bravery during his time with the LAFD. Vitar’s transition from the glamour of Hollywood to the selfless nature of firefighting exemplifies his character and highlights the importance of pursuing one’s passions and values.
It is essential to remember that, despite being in the public eye, celebrities are real individuals with their own personal lives and aspirations. Mike Vitar’s decision to step away from acting and embrace a career in firefighting is a testament to his character, illustrating the pursuit of a meaningful and fulfilling life beyond the glitz and glamour of showbiz.
After graduation in 1997, Mike decided to quit showbiz and work as an EMS at Gerber Ambulance in Torrance. After 5 years of training, Mike officially became a firefighter for the United States Los Angeles fire department.
The 1990s was considered to be the best year for child actors as there were a lot of movies and series projects to go around. In addition to this, some parents pushed their kids into movies to have a celebrityhood experience. But sadly, few child actors made a smooth transition into adulthood as many others choose a different path as they grow older, while some get into the wrong crowd. Even though Mike was considered a successful child actor, he decided to quit movies after seven successful years from 12–19 years.
Mike Vitar Age, Height, Weight, Zodiac, Race/Ethnicity, Hair Color, Eye Color, Distinctive Features, Sexual Orientation, Food Habits, and Relationships
Mike is currently 43 years old, and he is Saggitarius. Mike’s height is around 6 ft (182 cm), and he weighed around 65 kg (143 lb). Mike is of Latin descent, and he follows Christianity.
Mike has an attractive athlete body with charismatic brown eyes and black hair. His all-time favorite actor and actress are Victor DiMattia and Marley Shelton. Mike loves the color black, and his favorite food is pizza. Being an athlete, Mike loves playing sports, and baseball is his favorite sport. However, due to extreme jogging and exercise, one of Mike’s knees underwent reconstructive surgery.
While working as a firefighter at the Los Angeles fire department, he met Kym Allen, a young and gorgeous professional photographer, in 2003. After two years of dating in 2005, the duo announced their engagement and tied the knot on January 27, 2007.
Together, Mike and Kym have a daughter and two sons. The Eldest son’s name is Eli, born on March 12, 2007. Two years after Eli was born, Kym delivered another son named Wesley, born on April 30, 2009. Finally, after four years, Kym delivered the youngest family member Norah Paige born on January 31, 2013. The family currently lives in Los Angeles.
After The Mighty Ducks’ third installment, Mike chooses not to take any other big assignment in his final year of college. His interest diverted towards being a firefighter instead of an actor. Later, Mike appeared in two small roles in the NYPD Blue movie as a teenager and in the Chicago Hope series one episode as Carlos Lunes in 1997. By the time his last series aired, he was already retired from the entertainment industry.
Mike Vitar’s Net Worth
As per the sources, the average earnings of a Los Angeles firefighter is somewhere between USD 44,000 to USD 110,000 per year. Mike’s net worth has been estimated appx of USD 300,000 currently.
Mike Vitar Social Media
Mike Vital is currently not active on any social media. He likes to keep his life private. However, Mike’s wife Kym has her work website and often shares the family photos on her Instagram and Facebook page.
Mike Vitar Early Life and Family
Mike Vitar was born Michael Anthony Vitar on December 21, 1978. The whereabouts of his parents are private as Mike prefers not to share anything about them. Mike has two elder siblings, Pablo and Elizabeth Vitar. Mike is the youngest one.
Mike attended St. Francis High School in California. He graduated in 1997. Though the entire world loves social media, Mike is a private person and doesn’t really love social media.
Pablo Vitar, Mike’s elder brother, is best known for his role in The Sandlot as older Benny (the same character as Nike but at a different age) was born on April 22, 1966, as Pablo Pedro Vitar in Los Angeles, California, USA. Pablo was married to Gail Jean Grunwald on October 8, 2004. Unfortunately, Pablo died on January 29, 2008, after two and half years of battle with colon cancer. Pablo worked for 11 years as a veteran of the LAPD.
There isn’t enough information about Mike’s sibling Elizabeth, as well, Mike never chooses to share about his family in public.
Mike Vitar’s wife, Kym Allen Vitar, is a professional photographer with immense talent in portraits. Kym introduces herself as a teacher, creator, builder, and artist who has an interest in culinary, baking, and farming in addition to photography. She loves vintage rugs and is fond of classic interior designs. Although Mike is not active on social media, the children appear on Kym’s social media pages.
Mike and Kym’s eldest son Eli Vitar is currently 14 years old, soon turning 15 in a couple of months. Even though we see many teens are on social media now, Eli’s parents choose not to introduce him to social media life, but Kym does post about his achievements and wishes him on special occasions on her social media page. As far as we know through Kym’s social media page, Eli seems to have more interest in cooking.
Mike and Kym’s second child Wesley Vitar is currently 12 years old, and all we could guess on social media is that he is funny and witty. Loves to share things with his parents and is always in the mood to laugh.
Mike and Kym’s younger child Norah Paige Vitar is currently nine years old, and all we can say is that she is the center of their parents. The little one after two elder brothers is always treated as a special one. Norah always enjoys helping Kym in the kitchen, and Kym often posts about her academic progress and congratulates her on completing kindergarten.
Though Mike and Kym have maintained a low-key life, Kym seems to be outgoing and more into social media. She never fails to post her children’s progress and fun times. Kym’s website is a treat for sore eyes. She has captured so many family pictures and portraits. The caption she put makes you feel part of the photoshoot. She always ensures to make everyone special.
Mike Vitar Movies and Drama
Mike appeared in a total of six movies, and he did a brilliant job. After his role as Arturo in 1991’s Diplomatic Immunity movie, Mike had a small role as Anthony Gambuzza in the Brooklyn Bridge American Sitcom season one episode 3, which aired in 1991, titled Boys of Summer.
Brooklyn Bridge is one of the top shows that aired in the early 1990s, created by Gary David Goldberg. Brooklyn Bridge has two seasons, and the series is about an American Jewish family living in Brooklyn city in the mid-1950s. Brooklyn Bridge has won 12 awards and was nominated 26 times between 1992 and 1993. Brooklyn Bridge won Golden Globe Award in 1992 and was nominated in 1993 for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy. The series even won the Viewers for Quality Television Award and Young Artist Award for two consecutive years — 1992 and 1993.
In 1993, Mike Vitar appeared in Sunset Grill, an American mystery movie written by Chip Walter, Marcus Wright, and Faruque Ahmed, and directed by Kevin Connor. The movie starts with Peter Weller, a former police officer and now a private detective named Ryder Hart who has a drinking problem, Stacy Keach, a wealthy oil executive Harrison Shelgrove, and Lori Singer as Loren, Harrisons’ personal assistant. Mike Vitar as Luis.
The movie revolves around an investigation where Ryder investigates the murder of his estranged wife Anita, played by Alexandra Paul, who runs the Sunset Grill restaurant. During the investigation, Jeff, played by Michael Anderson, Jr., is a police lieutenant who teamed up with Ryder, his old work partner and discovered the mystery of entangling illegal immigrants hailed from Mexico. Two of them were working at the Sunset Grill.
Though Mike’s character wasn’t the center of the movie, he did justice with his character as Luis. However, due to a lack of compelling content, the movie didn’t perform well at the box office and had a low rate of 4.8/10 on IMDB.
After Sunset Grill failed, Mike was already shooting for The Sandlot movie in 1992, and it turned out the movie was a huge blockbuster of 1993. Mike’s role as Benjamin, aka Benny, was one of the most praised. The older Benjamin was played by MIke’s elder brother Pablo. The Sandlot is written and directed by David Mickey Evans. Robert Gunter co-wrote the movie.
The Sandlot set back in summer of 1962 when the Scott Smalls family moved to the suburbs of Los Angeles named The Sandlot. Scott Smalls misses his old life, and it was difficult for him to make friends in the new neighborhood. However, as time passed, he made friends who played baseball, but the group was troublesome. Benny (younger), played by Mike Vitar, was one of the team members.
The 90 minutes of The Sandlot is a treat to the eyes. Each character is special and has justice in their role. The movie did perform well at the box office and has 7.8/10 ratings on IMDB with 87K+ votes.
In the following years, Mike played the role of Luis Mendoza in The Mighty Ducks trilogy. He appeared in the movie’s second (1994) and third (1996) installments. The Mighty Ducks is a sports comedy movie directed by Robert Lieberman.
The Mighty Duck is a story of child hockey players and how they balance their personal and game life while everything seems to fall apart. Unfortunately, though the movie has maintained good humor, story, and sports drama, it didn’t perform well at the box office as expected. But Mike’s role as Benny is cherished forever. The Mighty Ducks got 6.5/10 ratings on IMDB with over 65K+ votes.
Is Mike Vitar Hispanic?
Yes, Mike Vitar is of Hispanic descent. He is of Mexican-American heritage.
Mike Vitar Legal Trouble
In 2015, during Halloween, Mike, along with two other firefighters, Thomas Molnar and Eric Carpenter, was accused of assaulting a young man named Samuel Chang, age 22, while he was out distributing candies to kids near his grandmother’s home in Chatsworth, which was coincidently Eric’s neighborhood too.
Mike and his fellow firefighters were off duty when the incident took place, and they believed Samuel was trespassing on the neighbor’s property to distribute candies which they felt were mixed with drugs as they believed Samuel was on PCP. Therefore Mike, Thomas, and Eric chased Samuel down the street and brutally attacked him. Eric restrained Samuel in a chokehold for six minutes, resulting in the unconscious.
Later, Samuel was hospitalized for weeks, and he was suffering severe head trauma, kidney failure, and other injuries. There was no trace of drugs on Samuels’s body, nor in the candies, he was distributing.
David Ring, Samuel’s attorney, told the police that Chang had been left with multiple lifelong injuries that would take years to heal, or maybe he will live with physical and mental abnormalities as the attack nearly cost him his life.
During Samuel’s criminal trial, the prosecutors told the court that he was outside near his grandmother’s neighborhood to distribute Halloween candies to kids, including at Eric Carpenter’s house when some neighbor ladies (the kid’s mothers) asked Samuel to stop and not give candies to their kids, but he refused and giggling. The eyewitnesses at Eric’s house told that Samuel’s zipper was down and he was not in his senses, so they were scared.
When Eric and his fellow friends Mike and Thomas confronted Samuel, he took out his phone and began filming them. The video footage collected from Samuel’s phone showed Eric in a He-Man Halloween costume, following Samuel even though he was leaving from there, repeatedly accusing Samuel of distributing “drug-laced candy” to kids.
Later, when Eric attacked him, a bystander shot a video where Eric beat Samuel, and later Eric put his arm around Samuel’s throat, and Thomas and Mike pinned him down. Nearly six minutes until the police arrive, Samuel goes limp.
According to court records, Mike, Eric, and Thomas pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery charges and received 90 days of community service and three years of probation.
The insurer agreed to pay USD 2.1 million on behalf of Thomas Molnar and USD 1.5 million each on behalf of Mike Vital and Eric Carpenter.
After the incident, Mike Vitar has kept his media presence minimal and his wife Kym doesn’t post much about the family on her Instagram account. However, Kym has another Instagram account that is private.
What movies did Mike Vitar play in?
Mike Vitar appeared in several movies throughout his acting career. Here are some notable films in which he had roles:
“The Sandlot” (1993) – Mike Vitar’s breakout role as Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, the charismatic and talented baseball player.
“D2: The Mighty Ducks” (1994) – Vitar played the character Luis Mendoza, a skilled hockey player, in this sports comedy film.
“D3: The Mighty Ducks” (1996) – Vitar reprised his role as Luis Mendoza in the third installment of the “Mighty Ducks” franchise.
It’s important to note that after his appearances in the “Mighty Ducks” movies, Vitar shifted his focus away from acting and pursued a career as a firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department. Therefore, his filmography is relatively limited compared to some other actors.
Conclusion
Mike acts in six movies and appears in 1 episode of two series from 1991 to 1997. Even though he acted in selected movies, he made a quiet buzz in Hollywood. However, it is rare for child actors to quit when they are popular and on-demand in the film industry. Mike will be forever remembered for his role as Benny in The Sandlot and Luis Mendoza in The Mighty Ducks D2 and D3.
As fans, we always wanted to know what our favorite celebrity is doing. Well, in the case of Mike, he is a private person who not only doesn’t have social media presence, but no one knows about their parent’s names or what they do. However, if you wish to reminisce about the good old days, there are many Mike fan pages on Instagram that you can follow. In addition to this, Mike’s wife Kym once in a while posts family portraits on her Instagram page. So, we hope someday our favorite The Sandlot actor Mike Vitar chooses to join social media until then enjoy old memories.
