Mike Vitar: Biography, wife, net worth, movies, legal issues
Mike Vitar, born December 21, 1987, is a former actor most popular for his role as Benny The Jet Rodriguez in the movie The Sandlot.
People often recognize Mike Vitar as Benny “The Jet” Rodrigues from The Sandlot.
It seemed that this young boy would build a terrific career in the movie industry and play dozens of fascinating characters.
Nevertheless, he left the world of movies rather quickly.
The actor was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the USA. He is the youngest of three children. He had an older brother, Pablo P. Vitar, and an older sister, Elizabeth. His brother was also an actor. You can recognize him as Older Benny in the movie The Sandlot.
He started a career as an actor when he was just 12 years old. In 1991, he made a debut as Anthony Gambuzza in the first episode of the TV series Brooklyn Bridge. The same year, he performed as Arturo in the movie Diplomatic Immunity.
In 1993, he played a boy in the film Sunset Grill. The same year, the then 14-year-old actor appeared as Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez in the movie The Sandlot. The following year, this film earned him a Young Artist Award for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Motion Picture.
The same year, he played Luis Mendoza in the film D2: The Mighty Ducks. Three years after, in 1996, he played the same character in the third part of the sequel – D3: The Mighty Ducks. The same year, he started to work for Gerber Ambulance in Torrance. Moreover, he appeared as a teenager in the NYPD Blue’s episode Girl Talk.
In 1997, he starred as Carlo Lunes in the first episodes of the Chicago Hope series, Mother, May I? the same year, he announced his retirement from acting.
In June 2002, he became a firefighter for the Los Angeles Fire Department. Mike Vitar now keeps on serving there.
The name of Mike Vitar wife is Kym Allen. She is a professional photographer. They got married in 2006. The couple gave birth to three children.
As of 2020, the former actor has a net worth of $300,000. His current job is the main source of his earnings.
Mike Vitar played in Diplomatic Immunity (1991) Sunset Grill (1993) The Sandlot (1993) D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994) D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996) TV series Brooklyn Bridge (1 episode in 1991) NYPD Blue (episode Girl Talk, 1996) Chicago Hope (episode Mother, May I? 1997) Fred Savage.
In November 2015, The Sandlot star found himself in the centre of public attention, convicted of assault of a young man near a Halloween party. The incident occurred on 31 October 2015. Mike and his friends were off-duty at the time.
The prosecutor stated that the actor and two more firefighters – Eric Carpenter and Thomas Molnar – attacked Samuel Chang. The latter was walking handing out Halloween candies to children near his grandmother’s neighbourhood in Chatsworth.
According to the court papers, the victim was so severely beaten up that he got a brain injury.
He was arrested on 17 November 2015. He was released after posting $60,000 bail. Vitar and Molnar faced up to four years. The firefighters were arrested on 3 December 2015. They were released after posting $30,000 bail each.
Nevertheless, they managed to escape with no jail time. Carpenter received three years’ probation and 135 days of community service. Mike and Thomas received three years’ probation and 90 days of community service.
In 2019, Chang’s attorney revealed that the victim would receive $7.4 million as a lawsuit settlement.
As of today, Mike Vitar lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.