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Francisco San Martin, best known for playing Dario Hernandez on Days of Our Lives, died at age 39 on January 16, 2025, at a residence in Los Angeles. Reports of his death became public on January 20–21.
Francisco San Martin, the Spanish-born actor best known to U.S. television viewers as Dario Hernandez on NBC’s Days of Our Lives, died at 39 on January 16, 2025, at a residence in Los Angeles. News of his death was reported on January 20 and 21.
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A Los Angeles death listing records the death of “SAN MARTIN, FRANCISCO,” age 39, on January 16. Hollywood LA News’ listing does not by itself provide a full account of the circumstances, while subsequent reports, including Forbes’ account, said the Los Angeles County coroner’s information was consistent with a suicide. The reviewed reporting did not establish a motive, a suicide note, or the private circumstances that preceded his death.
Francisco San Martin’s television roles
San Martin joined Days of Our Lives as Dario Hernandez in 2010 and appeared in the role through 2011. Dario was part of the Hernandez family, one of the daytime drama’s central families, and San Martin’s performance placed him opposite actors including Camila Banus, who played his on-screen sister Gabi Hernandez. The character was later recast when Dario returned to the series.
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Episode totals vary among entertainment reports, so the clearest description of his contribution is the role and its 2010–2011 run rather than a single definitive episode number. His work on the long-running NBC soap remained his most widely recognized American television credit.
In 2017, San Martin had a short run on CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful as Mateo. Contemporary accounts differ on whether the part comprised seven or 16 episodes, but agree that it was a limited appearance in the daytime serial.
That same year, he appeared on The CW’s Jane the Virgin as Fabian Regalo del Cielo. Fabian was a telenovela actor and romantic figure connected to Jane’s story, and San Martin played the character across seven reported episodes. Viewers revisiting that part of his television work may look for the Jane the Virgin DVD, where available; it is the series itself, not a San Martin-branded release or tribute product.
Film credit: Behind the Candelabra
San Martin’s filmography also included the 2013 HBO television film Behind the Candelabra, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson. San Martin had a small role in the production, which focused on the relationship between the flamboyant entertainer and Thorson.
For viewers exploring his film credits rather than his daytime work, the Behind the Candelabra DVD may be available through physical-media retailers. San Martin was a supporting performer in the film, not its principal star.
Early life and career
San Martin was born in Mallorca, Spain, on August 27, 1985. Biographical reports say he spent part of his childhood in Montana before returning to Spain with his family as a teenager. He later lived in Madrid, where he worked as a model, studied acting, and appeared in stage, television, and film productions before developing his career in the United States.
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Those details come primarily from repeated entertainment biographies and obituary reports rather than a comprehensive surviving official biography. They establish the broad outline of his path—from Mallorca and Montana to Madrid and then American television—but do not support additional claims about his education, relationships, finances, or personal life.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Camila Banus remembers her former co-star
Camila Banus, who played Gabi Hernandez on Days of Our Lives, posted a public tribute after San Martin’s death. According to coverage of the Instagram message, Banus referred to him affectionately as “Pepe,” expressed her love and friendship, and wrote that she wished she had told him more.
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Her remembrance offered a personal perspective from a colleague who had worked with San Martin on the soap. It also reflected the connection between his best-known screen role and the performers who shared the Hernandez family storyline with him. Banus’s post was a personal tribute, not an explanation of the circumstances of his death.
What is known about his death
The confirmed timeline is limited: San Martin died on January 16, 2025, at a Los Angeles residence, and the news became public several days later. Reports attributed the classification of the death as suicide to coroner-related information. No publicly documented motive was established in the coverage reviewed for this report.
That distinction matters in an obituary: a reported cause does not reveal why a person died, and speculation about mental health, relationships, or events in the days before his death would go beyond the available evidence. San Martin’s public legacy is therefore best discussed through his work—including Dario Hernandez, Mateo, Fabian Regalo del Cielo, and his appearance in Behind the Candelabra—and through the memories shared by colleagues.
If news of a suicide brings up immediate concerns for you or someone you know, contact local emergency services or a crisis-support service in your country. If there is immediate danger, do not leave the person alone.
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The Bottom Line
Francisco San Martin died on January 16, 2025, at age 39. He is remembered most widely for playing Dario Hernandez on Days of Our Lives, along with television roles on The Bold and the Beautiful and Jane the Virgin, and a supporting appearance in Behind the Candelabra.
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