Began his acting career when he was cast as the devil in a play by his first grade class.
Went into show business against the wishes of his parents who wanted him to go to law school and take over the family business from his father, who was the first restaurateur to bring pizza over to Puerto Rico.
Discovered while performing at a nightclub by American actor Orson Bean, who encouraged Julia to move to New York and study acting.
Had a long-running interest in Shakespeare's work and had a well-known association with both the New York Shakespeare Festival and the festival's founder, Joseph Papp.