Marval A. Rex

Marval Rex is a Los Angeles-based transmasculine, Catalan-American actor, writer, comedian, and interdisciplinary artist whose bold, genre-defying work has garnered critical acclaim. Rex is known for his diverse work across film, live performance, podcasting and visual arts. Born to a Catalan mother, Rex identifies deeply with his heritage, avoiding labels like "Spanish" due to Catalonia's independence movement. His work is characterized by boundary-pushing explorations of identity, queerness, masculinity and the body. As a filmmaker, Rex made his international debut with the experimental film Man, and Me in 2016, and has since expanded into groundbreaking stand-up comedy, notably producing Big Dad Energy, the world's first ever live comedy showcase featuring exclusively transmasculine performers. Rex's artistic vision also extends into visual mediums such as painting and ceramics, having attended the University of Southern California Graduate Program for Performance Studies. His academic training informs his distinctive approach to storytelling, blending performance art with social critique, and has led to recognition as a significant figure in the Los Angeles arts scene. In 2019, Rex was named an "LA Art Star" by Los Angeles Magazine for his groundbreaking work in live performance, spanning the U.S. and Europe. He hosted his first solo art exhibition in Los Angeles supported by LAST Projects Gallery in February of 2020. Rex has an ongoing collaborative photo series with his partner, artist and director Zackary Drucker. His live and material artworks have been showcased at prestigious venues such as DFBRL8R Gallery in Chicago, Re:Art Show in New York City, The Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles, Prosjektskolen in Oslo, Norway, and at the Can Serrat Residency in Barcelona, Spain, to name a few. Rex's versatility has earned him accolades such as the California Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant in 2021 and the West Hollywood Arts Grant in 2022, as well as an invitation to be Tom of Finland Foundation's first transgender artist in residence in 2023. Rex's bold and unapologetic storytelling draws on his own life experiences, often weaving humor with sharp social critique. His comedy, like his new one-hour live show Rexodus, delves into topics like trans identity, religion, and socio-political issues, using his personal journey-from being raised Catholic in Mormon Utah to embracing his Jewish heritage-as a lens for larger cultural conversations. His acting career includes roles in the Emmy Winning series Book of Queer on Max and a lead role in the upcoming indie films House of Abraham and Unsavory Elements, both psychological thrillers. He is also a film producer, and in 2024 he produced and starred in a queer film-festival short film favorite, Spookable, a horror comedy about a trans man who accidentally becomes a werewolf and falls in love. He currently trains at the acting school Krater Studios led by acclaimed acting coach Jen Krater. In 2023, Rex was given a grant by REBOOT Studios, a creative arm of the Jewish arts and culture non-profit Reboot, to direct his first feature length documentary. The film, titled The 700 Year Gap is a documentary about his family's hidden Sephardic Jewish history and his journey to becoming a Rabbi. His most recent solo show, Rexodus: Out of the Closet and Into the Tribe, is largely based on the stranger-than-fiction story that emerges from the film. A true polymath, Rex's work across these platforms and residencies displays an innovative use of body, identity, and gender politics, often blurring the line between performance and social commentary. Rex's unique artistic vision fuses personal experiences-such as his journey of religious and gender identity exploration-with a broader critique of cultural norms. Whether it's through comedy, acting, or visual art, Rex's fearless approach continues to inspire and challenge audiences, positioning him as a key voice in contemporary performance art. Rex also has a decades-long practice as a predictive astrologer, working regularly with clients one-on-one around the world via zoom, and hosting his own weekly astrology podcast, titled The World of Rex, which has listeners in over 52 countries. He has collaborated most recently with The Philosophical Research Society, an American nonprofit organization founded in 1934, by Manly P. Hall, to promote the study of the world's wisdom literature, philosophy, comparative religion, mysticism and metaphysics, giving readings to people in person at PRS, as well as talks and events on the current field of astrology. In his spare time, Rex can be found gazing at the stars, growing vegetables, and surfing mad waves in Malibu.