The Chicago franchise thrives on origin stories built from grit, pain, and reinvention — but none hit as hard or rise as fast as Benjamin Levy Aguilar’s real-life journey.
Before he became Dante Torres, the fan-favorite Intelligence Unit recruit lighting up Chicago P.D., Benjamin was a kid in Guatemala, chasing a very different dream — one that took him from football fields to Hollywood spotlights, through injury, resilience, and pure star power.
And today, the One Chicago fandom isn’t celebrating just another birthday — they’re celebrating a comeback story worthy of its own season arc.
Recruited to Milan at 11 — Until One Moment Changed Everything
As a child, Benjamin lived and breathed football. His talent wasn’t just noticed — it was exported. At only 11 years old, he was recruited to train at a football base in Milan, Italy — an opportunity that pointed toward a professional career most players spend a lifetime trying to reach.
But just when his future looked unstoppable, a fractured femur bone destroyed it in an instant. A devastating injury, a dream collapsed, and a path rewritten.
If Chicago P.D. fans think Torres has already survived intense battles — Benjamin lived one long before cameras were rolling.
Martial Arts, Security Jobs, and a New Fight — The One Toward Acting
With football off the table, Benjamin turned to martial arts — a world where discipline replaced stadium roars, and strength rebuilt what injury had broken.
For a period, he even worked as a security guard — a job that sharpened his instincts, physical presence, and protective persona, traits that now feel suspiciously perfect for the role he was destined to play later.
Eventually, he made the biggest leap of all: moving to Los Angeles and diving into acting studies. Small roles followed — the kind most actors take while waiting for the one role that finally says: This is your universe now.
That moment came in 2020.
‘Dirty Rich’ Made Fans Notice — Chicago P.D. Made Fans Obsessed
Benjamin’s breakout surge began when he joined the 2020 drama Dirty Rich, playing Antonio Rivera in 10 episodes. It wasn’t the biggest role on television — but it was the role that made Hollywood start paying attention.
Ironically, Chicago got its first taste of him even earlier. In 2019, he guest-starred on Chicago P.D., giving fans a sneak peek of the intensity he carried.
Then, in 2022, he returned — not as a guest, but as a series regular, joining the Intelligence Unit as Dante Torres. And suddenly? The Chicago franchise didn’t just cast a new character — it drafted its next phenomenon.
Torres Isn’t Just a Role — It’s a Reflection
Torres carries:
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the fighter mentality built from lost football dreams
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the physical precision forged in martial arts
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the silent-strength aura of someone who has protected others in real life
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and a screen presence that hits like a character fans have waited years to meet
And now, every time Torres appears, fans react like it’s a mid-season plot bomb.
Birthday Message From the Fandom
So here’s the truth, Benjamin:
You didn’t just join One Chicago.
You survived to earn it, fought to shape it, and now? You’re owning it.
Happy Birthday, Benjamin Levy Aguilar —
The man whose real story is as intense as Chicago’s drama,
and whose future now looks brighter than the dream injury once tried to take from him.
One Chicago saves lives on screen —
But Benjamin? He saved his own story, rewrote it, and handed fans a new hero to root for.
