Born and raised in Mérida, Venezuela, Sanchez is the son of local hoteliers Manuel and Rosarito Sanchez-Hernandez. He is the youngest of three brothers. Marlon, the eldest, runs a popular bar in Mérida. Middle child Julio, is an academic going for his PhD in history in the United States. Growing up in the busy household, Sanchez delighted in entertaining family and friends with ceaseless humor and adolescent antics - anything to draw a crowd and yield laughter or a response from whatever audience might be at hand. Early on, he privately dreamed of becoming an actor, while his family encouraged him to enter the hotel business or any other profession that would actually enable him to make a living. Perhaps his first `big break' was in Des Moines, Iowa USA as a 17-year-old exchange student. There he found another bustling family life with the Muelhaupt family who quickly embraced Sanchez as one of their own. Sanchez went from Des Moines, Iowa to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he was accepted into Western Kentucky University, which his father had attended. There, he quickly enrolled in WKU's Performing Arts Program where he had the opportunity to study theatre, dance, music and acting. With ambitious effort, he graduated in under four years.
Career
Following graduation he set off for New York City where he landed his first show as a dancer in Cowboys La Cage. He performed in New York for several years in a variety of productions and national tours, most notably the national and international tours for West Side Story. A segue to his work in theatre, he was cast for Center Stage in 2000 as a salsa dancer, his debut film work. Yearning to move beyond musical theatre, Sanchez moved to Boston, Massachusetts to escape the magnetic draw of New York City theatre life to study performing for film and TV. Eighteen months later, with studies and independent film work behind him, he relocated to Los Angeles, California where he quickly enrolled in advanced acting classes and was delighted to be accepted into famed comedy school, The Groundlings. He also made a short appearance in the movie Woo, with no lines. Over the summer of 2005, he regularly auditioned for opportunities which led to his being cast for the comedy Date Movie. After his success in the role of Chamo on the VH1 series I Love New York, Sanchez appeared in the straight-to-DVD sequel Bachelor Party 2 in 2008.
