Alvarez was born David Alvarez-Gonzalez in Montreal, Quebec, to Cuban parents. His father, David Alvarez-Carbonell, is a professor of biology and chemistry, while his mother, Yanek, is an actress and director of theater.[2] His first languages were French and Spanish. He moved to San Diego, California, with his family when his father took a job at The Scripps Research Institute.[citation needed]
Alvarez is one of the three boys originally cast to play Billy in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical, along with Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish.[4] He needed to study tap, acrobatics, voice and acting for the role and spent July 2007 through March 2008 preparing. Billy Elliot the Musical began performances on October 1, 2008, and Alvarez's first preview performance was on October 2.[5] He played his final performance in the role on January 3, 2010.[6]
Alvarez joined the cast of Billy Elliot: El Musical, a Spanish-language production of the musical in Mexico City.[11] He was cast in the role of "Older Billy", which he played from February 10, 2017, to June 11, 2017.[12][13]
Later work
Alvarez left theater to serve in the US Army. Following a service of two and a half years with the 25th Infantry Division he returned to Broadway, becoming a swing in a 2015 production of On the Town.[14] In 2016 in Mexico, Alvarez danced the role of adult Billy in the dream ballet pas de deux between Billy and his older self.[citation needed]
Since 2021, Alvarez portrays Isaac English in Showtime's television series American Rust.
In 2008, Alvarez was listed as one of the top 10 young ballet dancers to watch by Dance Spirit magazine.[17]
To complement his dancing and acting skills, Alvarez trained in classical piano at the 92nd Street Y School of Music, where he was awarded the Recanati-Kaplan merit scholarship.[18]
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