Portrayer Ismael (East) Carlo First Appearance August 3, 1984 Episode #005 Last appearance February 6, 1985 Episode #135 Departure Last seen at Joe and Kelly's wedding reception Occupation Gardener Spouse Rosa Andrade Children Santana Andrade Danny Andrade Grandchild Brandon Demott Episode count 22

Ruben Andrade was a fictional character that appeared on Santa Barbara from August 1984 to February 1985. He was portrayed by actor Ismael (East) Carlo.

Ruben was the Capwell gardener. The Hispanic Andrades were one of the four families that the early storylines centered around, and Ruben was the patriarch of this family. He was a man of morals as well as a strict father. His wife was Rosa, the Capwell housekeeper, and he was father to their two children, Santana and Danny. In one of his first episodes, he mentioned two other daughters named Olivia and Gabriella, but neither of these characters were mentioned again or appeared onscreen.

Introduction
Ruben's first scene saw him initially disapproving of the fact that his son Danny wanted to go to Hollywood to find work as a stuntman. Danny managed to get permission from his father, however, and later Ruben and Rosa convinced their employer, C.C. Capwell, to give Ted permission as well so that the two boys could go together. A few weeks later, Rosa and Ruben were worried when their daughter Santana didn't return from a horse ride. The search was called off because of darkness, but that didn't stop Ruben from looking for his daughter himself. Fortunately, Santana was found the following day.

Since Cruz Castillo was close to the Andrade family, Ruben visited him at the hospital after he was hurt in an oil rig fire. When Cruz asked Ruben about his family, Ruben expressed his disappointment that Santana wasn't married. Although the Andrades felt that Cruz would be a good husband for Santana, she became involved with C.C. Capwell instead. Ruben was angry when Santana told him about her relationship with C.C., and he didn't approve of the romance until C.C. made him realize that Santana was no longer a child. This prompted Ruben to make amends with his daughter.

Gaining a grandson
When Santa Barbara was hit by an earthquake, Ruben turned up at the Capwell mansion to help Rosa. The two hid under the arch, and Cruz was able to help them get out of the house before the ceiling collapsed. A short while later, Ruben visited Santana with Danny to see how she was doing. It was then that Ruben met Gina Demott's adoptive son, Brandon. Alone with her father, Santana made a shocking confession. She had gotten pregnant with Channing Capwell Jr.'s child when she was eightteen years old and that child was Brandon! Furthermore, C.C. Capwell had arranged Brandon's adoption. Ruben was stunned that Santana hadn't come to him in her time of need and that he had been lied to by both his daughter and employer. Nevertheless, the truth had finally been revealed and father and daughter embraced. Later, Ruben was seriously hurt when a gas leak caused an explosion at his house. He recovered in the hospital and informed C.C. that he now knew that they shared a grandson.

After Santana abruptly left town, Ruben accused C.C. of forcing her out Brandon's life. Ruben even suggested that he and Rosa would not continue working for him and also turned down a Christmas bonus. A few weeks later, Gina turned to Rosa for information when C.C. was very upset about his first wife, Sophia. Ruben didn't want Rosa involved, telling his wife that she was just an employee, but Rosa tried to help C.C. anyway. When Gina's sister, Summer Blake, was killed, Ruben asked C.C. to remember that he was Brandon's grandfather as well. He then gave Gina a hand-carved whistle as a present for the boy.

Departure
Although Ruben was last seen at Joe Perkins and Kelly Capwell's wedding and the subsequent reception, he was still mentioned from time to time. In 1991, however, Rosa started seeing Rafael Castillo and was no longer with her husband. The reasons were not explained.

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