‘Days of Our Lives’ Actor Francisco San Martin Dies at 39

Francisco San Martin attends the Daytime Emmy Awards nominees cocktail reception in Beverly Hills, Calif., on June 16, 2011. David Livingston/Getty Images

Francisco San Martin, an actor best known for his roles on “Days of Our Lives,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and “Jane the Virgin,” has died at the age of 39.

San Martin died on Jan. 16 at his residence in Los Angeles according to the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s office.

The medical examiner’s report listed the actor’s cause of death as suicide.

A representative for San Martin could not immediately be reached for comment.

Born on Aug. 27, 1985, in Mallorca, Spain, San Martin relocated to Montana at the age of five with his family. There, he got his start on the stage at a young age, regularly appearing in children’s theater productions, according to Soap Central.

After moving back to Spain in his early teens, San Martin began working as a model and actor, appearing in various stage productions, television shows, and films.

In 2010, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he studied at The Acting Corps and The Actorhood Theatre Company. That same year, he garnered his breakout role playing Dario Hernandez on “Days of Our Lives.”

During a 2016 appearance on the podcast “Dishin' Days,” San Martin said he grew up watching the award-winning soap opera.

“I had a lot of memories when I was living in Montana when I was a kid from the age of 5 to 13, I would watch ‘Days’ all the time,” the actor said at the time.

“I got such a kick out of it,” he added. “I was pretty young, but I would watch it every time I would get back from school.”

San Martin went on to appear in the 2013 biographical comedy-drama “Behind the Candelabra,” starring Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Scott Bakula, and Rob Lowe.

He later landed recurring roles on the CBS soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” and The CW’s comedy series “Jane the Virgin.” Most recently, San Martin appeared in the 2022 short film “Dot.”

Remembering San Martin

In the wake of his death, actress Camila Banus, who played San Martin’s on-screen sister on “Days of Our Lives,” shared a touching tribute to the actor via her Instagram Stories.

“Pepe, what can I say but I love you and rest in peace, my friend,” Banus wrote, per Variety.

“Love you mucho mucho mucho,” she added. “I wish I had told you more.”

Producer Michael Fairman wrote on the social media platform X that he was saddened by the loss. “Very, very sad,” he posted. “I am a bit in shock, as I saw Francisco at my gym most every day.”

In addition to his acting career, San Martin enjoyed volunteering with children, a fact he shared during his interview with “Dishin' Days.”

“I love, love, love, love, to volunteer and work with kids,” the actor said. “I love it equally as much as acting.”

San Martin noted that he often partnered with The Art of Elysium, a nonprofit that works with volunteer artists “to support individuals in the midst of difficult emotional life challenges like illness, hospitalization, displacement, confinement, and/or crisis,” per the organization’s website.

“What we would do is we would go to like hospitals and schools with kids with either learning disabilities or physical impairments or whatever, and we would go entertain them and act for them,” San Martin continued.

“So it’s kind of rewarding because you see that you have an immediate result, you know, it’s like this can be such a self-absorbed industry and when you give back and you do it for good, it’s amazing.”