If you’ve spent any time scrolling through the "Trending Now" section on Netflix over the last few years, you’ve definitely seen his face. Maybe it was the sharp jawline or the brooding intensity he brought to the screen. Honestly, José de la Torre wasn't just another actor filling a slot in a Spanish thriller; he was the guy who made people actually care about the messy, neon-soaked world of high-stakes stripping and crime.
When news broke in late 2024 that José had passed away at just 37 years old, the internet kind of went into a tailspin. It felt surreal. He had this "rising star" energy that suggested he was just getting started. But while many fans only know him as Iván from Toy Boy, his filmography—though tragically cut short—shows a performer who was much more than just a "pretty face" in a vest.
The Iván Effect: Why Toy Boy Changed Everything
Let’s be real. Toy Boy shouldn't have worked as well as it did. On paper, it’s a show about male strippers in Marbella getting tangled up in a murder mystery. It sounds like a soap opera on steroids. But when it hit Netflix, it became a global juggernaut.
José played Iván Nieto Guillén. He wasn't the main lead—that was Jesús Mosquera—but Iván was arguably the heart of the "Toy Boys" group. He owned the club. He was the one trying to keep the business afloat while everyone else was busy getting framed for murder or falling in love with the wrong people.
What made José’s performance stand out was the vulnerability. You’ve got this guy who is physically imposing, a former footballer in the show's lore, yet he carried this weight of responsibility. Fans didn't just watch for the dance routines; they watched because Iván felt like the only adult in the room half the time. He reprised the role in Season 2 in 2021, and by then, he had established himself as a staple of modern Spanish television.
Beyond the Neon: His Other Notable Roles
Before the global fame of Toy Boy, José was putting in the work in the trenches of Spanish "daily" TV. If you aren't familiar with how European TV works, these daily soaps are grueling. They film at a breakneck pace.
He appeared in Amar es para siempre, which is basically an institution in Spain. It’s a long-running period drama that has been on the air forever. José joined the cast around 2020, playing a role that allowed him to flex different muscles than the hyper-modern, gritty vibe of Marbella.
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He also popped up in:
- Vis a vis: El Oasis (2020): This was the spin-off to the massive hit Vis a vis (Locked Up). Even in a smaller capacity, being part of that "Yellow Universe" is a badge of honor for any Spanish actor.
- Servir y proteger: Another heavy hitter in the Spanish police procedural genre. He played a character named Goyo. It was one of his earlier breaks that proved he could handle the intensity of a crime drama.
It’s easy to pigeonhole actors who start in modeling or high-gloss thrillers, but José actually studied at the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático (ESAD) in Málaga. He was a trained actor, and you can see that in the way he handled dialogue. He didn't just say lines; he lived in the space between them.
The Legacy of a Short But Impactful Career
It's weird to talk about "legacy" for someone who was only in their late 30s. Usually, we reserve that word for people with 50-year careers. But José de la Torre had this weirdly specific impact on the "Spanish Wave" of television that took over streaming platforms in the early 2020s.
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He represented a specific kind of talent: the local actor who becomes a global star without ever leaving his roots. He was born in Montilla, in the province of Córdoba. Even as he was becoming a face known to millions in the US, Brazil, and across Europe, he remained deeply tied to his home in Andalusia.
The mystery surrounding his illness in 2024 was kept mostly private. He mentioned in June of that year that he was facing a "serious illness" and starting treatment, but he didn't turn it into a media circus. He just stepped back. That dignity in the face of something so heavy says a lot about who he was off-camera.
What to Watch If You’re New to His Work
If you're looking to actually dive into his filmography, don't just stop at the first episode of Toy Boy. You sort of have to look at the progression.
- Toy Boy (Seasons 1 & 2): Obviously. This is the essential text. Watch it for the chemistry between the leads and José’s ability to ground the more "extra" plot points.
- Amar es para siempre: It’s a different pace, but it shows his range. It’s less about the "action" and more about the character beats.
- Vis a vis: El Oasis: See him in a world that is even grittier and more stylized.
The tragedy of his passing on December 5, 2024, is that we’ll never see his "prestige" era—the roles he would have taken in his 40s as he moved away from the heartthrob parts and into more rugged, character-driven cinema.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to support his memory, the best thing you can do is actually watch the shows. Streaming numbers keep these projects alive on platforms like Netflix and Atresplayer. Many of his former co-stars, like Cristina Castaño and Pablo Alborán, have shared tributes that highlight his kindness on set—a reminder that the man behind the characters was just as respected as the roles he played. There are no "new" projects on the horizon, but the two seasons of Toy Boy remain a definitive look at a talent that burned bright and ended far too soon.