Renier J. Murillo was born in Miami, Florida. He is of Costa Rican and
Ecuadorian descent. He began acting in school production and in short
movies he made, along with his younger brother, on his parents'
camcorder. In high school, he took drama classes and joined the
Thespian Honor Society, Troupe 3637. He performed in numerous high
school productions, including "Romeo & Juliet" and "Our Town."
Murillo received his BFA in Theatre from Florida International
University. College credits include "Cabaret," "Anna in the Tropics,"
and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." While at FIU, he
met
Mario Xavier, an aspiring filmmaker and
stunt coordinator. Xavier cast him in several of his early films
including the cult favorite
Living Dead Lock Up (2005),
and its two sequels, which jump-started both their careers. He made his
television debut in season 3 of the Lifetime drama series
Army Wives (2007).