Age: 20
Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Latest Gig: Playing boxer Rafael Ortega on the CBS soap
•Family ties: The grandson of film stars Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl, and son of soap heartthrob Lorenzo (The Bold and the Beautiful) Lamas, learned about his family's fame early on. "I grew up going to Disneyland with bodyguards," says A. J. (his mom, Michele Smith, works at a trucking company; she and Lorenzo split in 1985). But it was Billy Crystal's impressions of Fernando that drove the point home. | ''I finally realized how big my grandfather was. He was so cool they actually made fun of it."
•In the rough: In high school Lamas wanted to be a professional golfer, but a disastrous tournament during his junior year turned him toward acting. "I was home that night, just devastated, watching Dawson's Creek on TV, and I'm like 'I could do that,' "says A. J. (short for Alvaro Joshua). Soon after, he landed his first acting job on the PBS drama American Family.
•Looking mahvelous: Though he has their good looks, Lamas doesn't think he has his dad and granddad's legendary charm. "I think it skipped a generation," says the single Manhattanite. "I loved hanging out with girls, but they never liked me the way I liked them. I was short and chubby, the safe funny kid."
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