Belmont Cameli, the 28-year-old actor best known for his role in Amazon Prime Video’s hockey romance series Off Campus, is more than just a rising TV star. In 2018, at age 19, he made headlines for donating a kidney in a chain of transplants that ultimately helped seven people, including his childhood friend Brendan Flaherty, who was in kidney failure.

A Life-Saving Decision

According to HELLO! Magazine, Cameli initially tried to match with Flaherty for a transplant but was not a direct match. Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago instead matched him with Clotilde Ruiz, initiating a chain reaction in which seven patients received new kidneys. Cameli posted about the experience on social media, sharing photos from the hospital and wearing a T-shirt with the message: ‘Of course I’m an organ donor, who wouldn’t want a piece of this?’

He also highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that ‘every day, 20 people die waiting for a kidney transplant,’ and that many people wait nearly four years for a match. ‘The fact of the matter is that most of us have two good kidneys, but thousands of people struggle to live day to day with only one failing kidney,’ he wrote at the time.

From Business to Acting, and a White Sox Fan

Before his acting career took off, Cameli was studying business administration at the University of Illinois but left to pursue acting full-time. According to Wunderweib, his first TV role was in 2018 as a background actor in Empire, where he was listed as ‘Cute Guy.’ His breakout came with Saved by the Bell, and he later appeared in Because of You and Until Dawn.

Cameli’s passion for baseball also runs deep. Despite being approached by the Chicago Cubs to throw a ceremonial first pitch, he chose to support the Chicago White Sox instead, honoring his late father’s fandom. ‘I would have picked tonight if I was so lucky to have my choice,’ he said before throwing the pitch at a White Sox game, recalling the 2005 team championship as a cherished memory. He joked about his throw: ‘I hit the stretch, shook off the curveball, gave a nod to the high cheese and I let it rip.’

Off Campus and Beyond

Off Campus, the Amazon Prime series based on Elle Kennedy’s best-selling Kiss Me book series, has become a major hit. Cameli plays Garrett Graham, a hockey team captain and a reluctant love interest to Hannah Wells, portrayed by Ella Bright. According to LOS40, the pair brought their real-life chemistry to the screen, with Bright noting it was ‘easy to take that chemistry to the screen because we already have it outside.’

The first season, based on the first book The Deal, follows a love triangle involving Hannah, Garrett, and rock star Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston). The show’s creators have already ordered a second season, signaling confidence in the series’ success. Hitchecker notes that the series features a strong cast, including Mika Abdalla and Antonio Cipriano, and is directed by Samantha Bailey and Erica Dunton, among others.