Why Cade Jensen From Magnum P.I. Looks So Familiar
As far as plucky, charming teenagers go, Cade Jensen is among the pluckiest. On "Magnum P.I." Season 4, the character captured fans' hearts as he sought a job at La Mariana, then became something of a surrogate son for tough Marine vet Theodore "T.C." Calvin (Stephen Hill). The storyline about a determined yet troubled teenager managed to hit the sweet spot for many people. Naturally, viewers also began to wonder about the real-life teen behind this character, who will continue to make appearances in "Magnum P.I." Season 5.
As it turns out, the actor behind Cade has appeared in many series over the years. But despite being active for about six years, he has only made waves rather recently. With his role on the reboot of "Magnum P.I," which stars Jay Hernandez as a Navy SEAL turned private investigator, the young actor has demonstrated that he's one to watch. Here's where you may recognize this actor, Martin Martinez, outside of his role on "Magnum P.I."
Martinez made appearances in several hit series at the start of his career
At the very beginning of his TV career, Martin Martinez appeared on several notable shows in small, yet effective roles. In fact, his first significant appearance was on Showtime's Emmy-winning series "Shameless," in which he played a troubled teen, Jamie, who had to confront his family's rejection of his sexuality. Though he only appeared in two 2017 episodes of the show — which chronicled the problems and failures of a working-class family — Martinez went on to nab short stints on several more well-liked shows.
On "Station 19," a "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off that centers on Seattle firefighters, Martinez played a prickly teen who refused to be touched. Continuing in the vein of playing likable but difficult characters, Martinez also played a treacherous teen in "Marvel's Runaways" for two episodes in 2019. He then had a small role as Miguel Almonte on "Chicago P.D." in 2021. But it wasn't until 2020 that he got his first major career break.
He played Oliver on Never Have I Ever
After years of playing charming — if fallible — characters, Martin Martinez finally had a chance to inhabit a nice guy role in "Never Have I Ever," which debuted on Netflix in 2020. Created by Lang Fisher and Mindy Kaling, the series follows Devi, an Indian-American teen, as she navigates the trials and tribulations of high school (via IMDb). And as Oliver, Martinez plays a caring and consistent guy who's always supportive of his girlfriend, Eleanor. However, he can be a little pushy sometimes, and sadly, when Eleanor meets newcomer Malcolm Stone in Season 2, Oliver and Eleanor break up. On a positive note for Oliver, though, Eleanor and Malcolm end up breaking up later, too.
Still, despite the unfortunate end to Oliver's relationship with Eleanor, Martinez appeared in six episodes of the acclaimed series. It was a promising point in his career, and Martinez continued to earn high-profile roles after that.
He rigged the pinball games in Pachinko
Before getting his real big break in "Magnum P.I.", Martin Martinez appeared in two shows in 2021 and 2022: "NCIS: Hawai'i" and "Pachinko." The latter show, which premiered on March 25, 2022, on Apple TV+, was particularly a hit among critics (via Rotten Tomatoes), who praised it for its focus on family values and historical elements as well as its dramatic moments. Set in two different time periods in the 20th century, "Pachinko" follows a Korean family that immigrates to Japan. And while Martinez only appeared in one episode of "NCIS: Hawai'i," he did end up recurring in two episodes of "Pachinko."
As Angelo, an employee of Baek Mozasu (Soji Arai), Martinez helps Mozasu rig the pachinko games in the latter's parlor. Pachinko games, from which the series gets its name, are Japanese arcade games that are frequently used for gambling purposes. Essentially a variant of pinball, pachinko involves shooting tiny metal balls through a series of obstacles.
Thankfully, however, Martinez won't always be associated with small-time criminals or rough-around-the-edges teens following his appearances on "Pachinko" and "Magnum P.I," as he will reportedly appear on the Amazon Freevee comedy series "Primo," according to Deadline.