Itzan Escamilla

Itzan Escamilla Guerrero is a Spanish actor born on October 31, 1997. He is best known for his lead role as Samuel García Domínguez in the Netflix thriller teen drama series Élite.

Escamilla was born in Madrid, Spain, and raised in the neighborhood of Hortaleza. He is the son of television producer Jacobo Escamilla and model Silvia Guerrero, and the grandson of cinematographer Teo Escamilla. While growing up, he initially considered pursuing careers in architecture and neurology, but developed an interest in acting after participating in a short film for a school audiovisual class project. He later completed his formal acting studies at the Cristina Rota School of Dramatic Arts in Madrid.

In 2016, Escamilla launched his professional acting career with minor roles in the Spanish television series Seis Hermanas and Centro Médico. He secured his first long-running television role playing Juan, the protagonist’s godson, in the second season of the crime mystery series Víctor Ros. In 2017, he made minor television appearances in the adventure series El final del camino as Gonzalo, the fantasy series The Ministry of Time as a young Simón Bolívar, and the period drama Cable Girls as a young Francisco Gómez. That same year, he appeared on stage in Los universos paralelos, a Spanish adaptation of David Lindsay-Abaire's play Rabbit Hole directed by David Serrano.

Escamilla achieved international recognition in 2018 when he began starring as Samuel García Domínguez in Netflix's Élite, a main role he maintained across the show's first five seasons. In 2020, he made his feature film debut in Carlos Val’s Planeta 5000 alongside Kimberley Tell and Críspulo Cabezas, and provided the voice for Jack Redfield in the Netflix animated series The Idhun Chronicles, based on the book series by Laura Gallego. In 2021, Escamilla starred in Jaime Olías’ crime drama short film Chaval, earning the 2021 Cortogenia Award for Best Male Performance.

In 2022, Escamilla joined the cast of the Mexican Apple TV medical drama series Midnight Family, based on the 2019 documentary of the same name. Following its premiere on September 25, 2024, the cast received a 2025 Aura Award nomination for Best Ensemble. Also in 2024, he appeared in Jurek Jablonicky’s short film Perséfone and Susan Béjar’s comedy film Un lío de millones, a remake of Alexandra Leclère’s 2021 French film Mes très chers enfants.

In 2025, Escamilla performed in Ana Rujas’ stage play La otra bestia and a Spanish-language adaptation of Lucy Prebble’s play The Effect, directed by Juan Carlos Fisher. He also portrayed the character Javier in Fernando Franco’s psychological thriller film Subsuelo, which premiered at the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival in October 2025. In addition, he was cast to star in En busca de Cortés, a documentary centered on the life of his grandfather Teo Escamilla.

Escamilla resides in Madrid, Spain. In 2020, he co-founded Kopskam with Gonzalo Vila to promote responsible internet and social media habits among young people. Its debut campaign, "Not a Social Guy," raised awareness about school bullying and cyberbullying, raising funds through T-shirt sales for the Asociacíon Española para la Prevención del Acoso Escolar.