Netflix's newest true-crime series, “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez,” brings to life one of the world's most sensational cases with the help of rising star Nicholas Chavez. In the Ryan Murphy-produced Netflix series, Chavez plays Lyle Menendez, the brother of the real-life duo sentenced to life in prison for the 1989 murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez.

Chavez, a 25-year-old actor making his Netflix debut with this harrowing series, is already an award-winning actor who has found fame through one of Hollywood's most intense subcultures, the soap opera world. Read on to learn more about the “Monsters” star, including the unlikely friend he made while appearing on another Ryan Murphy series.

Nicholas Alexander Chavez, 25, was born in Houston, Texas, and spent part of his childhood there before moving to Denver, Colorado, where, according to SoapHub, he attended the Mason Gross School of the Arts acting school in New Brunswick, New Jersey. After majoring in acting, he moved to L.A., where he got his first acting role in “General Hospital.”

In an interview with PEOPLE in 2022, Chavez revealed that he became interested in acting after another student called in sick to play Atticus Finch in his high school production of To Kill a Mockingbird He revealed.

“When I was in high school, I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. In Denver, it sounded really, really crazy to me because it wasn't something you generally did for a job.”

Chavez made his television debut in 2021 as Spencer Cassadine, another rich kid on a legendary soap opera who has a run-in with the law, and it was an immediate breakthrough. In June 2022, less than a year after joining the series, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Young Performer in a Drama Series.

“It was a grand paradigm shift because 12 months before I won that award, I was selling cars in Florida,” he told PEOPLE in September 2022. 'It was so, so unreal to be on that stage and to be recognized for something that I'm more passionate about than anything else in my life. It was truly a dream come true, and I am incredibly grateful.

Unfortunately for soap fans (and not so much for Netflix fans), Chavez made his final appearance on General Hospital in January 2024. He took a break from the show to film “Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendez” and, according to Deadline, announced his departure from the soap in May.

“Monsters” is not the only Murphy-verse show Chavez will appear on this month. He will also star as Father Charlie Mayhew in the FX series “Grotesquerie,” which premieres on Wednesday, September 25, less than a week after “Monsters” begins streaming on Netflix. Details about his character are sparse, but his storyline will likely intertwine with Sister Megan (Mikaela Diamond), a journalist nun who helps Detective Lois Tryon (Niecy Nash-Betz) investigate a series of crimes.

Chavez has remained tight-lipped about his character, but he, along with several of his co-stars, have praised Travis Kells, who is making his acting debut in the series. speaking to PEOPLE at the premiere of “Grotesquerie,” Chavez said that shooting Chavez said he “really enjoyed getting to know” Kelce on set and that the football star is a “friendly, cool guy.”

“He plays a very exciting character on the show, and I think everyone should be looking forward to seeing Travis shine. He's fantastic.”

Chavez's Instagram is best described as curated. There are only a few dozen posts, but upon browsing, it is immediately apparent that the actor is passionate about fitness and world travel. According to his feed, countries visited include Italy, Japan, Ireland, Mexico, Greece, and Turkey. The rising star also told PEOPLE in 2022 that he booked a spur-of-the-moment trip to Istanbul, Athens, and Rome four days before his departure.

As for his romantic life, Chavez is happily married. The “Monsters” star has been dating Victoria Abbott for several months, and the two have been appearing in each other's Instagram posts since spring 2024; it is unclear how the two met, as Abbott is also set to appear regularly in “Grotesquerie. It may have started as a romance on the set.

Prior to “Groteskrie,” Abbott had her breakout role in Netflix's 2022 thriller series “Echoes.”

Although the Menendez brothers' case is a well-known true story (and has been made into a movie before), Chavez was unaware of it until he was cast in “Monsters.” In an interview with TheWrap, he said that as part of his research for the show, he watched footage of the trial and “several” documentaries. In an interview with TheWrap, he revealed that as part of his research for the show, he watched footage of the trial and “a few” documentaries.

“The first thing I did was call some of my favorite people who were alive at the time and ask them what their perspectives and impressions were,” he told the outlet.

Chavez also said of the new series, “The show is going to present facts from so many different perspectives. Ultimately, people will be able to make their own judgments about this family and the events that took place.