Cameron Gayden has already made his mark in both Hollywood and on the baseball field, a rare double play in the worlds of entertainment and sports.
His acting résumé reads like that of someone twice his age. Gayden has appeared as Young Rio in NBC’s Good Girls, Young Magnum in Magnum P.I., Young EZ Reyes in Mayans M.C., Mateo in Undone, and Frank in both Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19.
Most recently, he starred as Alex in the feature film Proof Sheet (2023). And now, he’s preparing to take his talents overseas, heading to Romania for his next big role.
The path to acting wasn’t something the Graydens had meticulously planned; it began with a happy accident.
Danielle and Carl were settling into life in Los Angeles after moving from Oakland for Carl’s job when an unexpected opportunity came along.
“Within his first week of working, Carl got an internal email casting for a commercial for real families,” Danielle recalled. “He sent it to me and said, ‘We should submit ourselves.’ Carl decided not to be part of it, so it was just me and Cam. He ended up booking it, and he [Cameron] loved it so much. That’s when I thought, maybe I should get him an agent.
That decision changed everything. Soon, Cameron had representation, auditions started coming in, and before long, he was working on set with established actors and crews.
One of Danielle’s favorite stories happened this year while Cameron was auditioning for his latest project.
“We were literally on our way to a baseball tournament,” she said with a laugh. “He had to do the audition in the car, wearing his baseball gear, eye black and all, with the director on the other end of the call. He nailed it and booked the role.”
While acting gave Cameron a stage, baseball gave him a second home.
He first picked up a glove at age eight, starting in Little League before quickly advancing to competitive travel ball.
Cary, North Carolina, became a familiar place through USA Baseball’s Futures events, and his love for the game grew deeper each season. A devoted Atlanta Braves fan, Cameron dreams of playing at the highest level.
That love for the sport runs deep in the family.
“We always knew that he was going to be a baseball player, because we're from Oakland, our team was the A's. His first word wasn’t ‘mama’ or ‘dada’, it was ‘A’s,” Danielle said, referring to the Oakland Athletics.
Carl chimed in and added, “We have this cool picture of him and Billy Beane. He grabbed him when he was a baby, when they were in the playoffs, and he's standing behind us in the booth. He's always loved baseball. So, we're trying to balance both.”
Managing both a growing acting career and serious baseball training is no small feat. Until this year, the family never saw it as a conflict.
“It’s not a struggle, it’s a blessing,” Danielle said. “He trains almost every day, Monday through Friday, and he’s a straight-A student. Academics come first with us, but we also want him to have the chance to do what he loves.”
Still, sometimes the schedules clash. This year, Cameron had to miss the iconic Cooperstown tournament because he was filming in Alabama for three weeks.
“He couldn’t do Cooperstown this year, which was a bummer, because we were in Alabama for three weeks shooting a movie. He was like, ‘Okay, that’s fine, because I’m going to North Carolina.’ Then he got selected to play for one of his favorite baseball players’ travel teams, so he was like, ‘Alright, that makes up for it!’ But while we were filming in Alabama, he found out he’d booked a huge movie role and now we’re going to Romania.”
The Romania trip also required careful coordination.
Originally, production wanted the Gaydens to fly out almost immediately after Alabama, but Carl and Danielle worked with Cameron’s manager to push the departure so he could still participate in important baseball commitments.
Cameron’s ambitions match his work ethic. In acting, he wants to land a major, career-defining role. In baseball, his focus is on making this year’s National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup roster after missing it last season.
To get there, he trains three to five days a week, pushing himself to improve in both fields. Cameron admitted that it feels good to do both, but he knows that he can work harder. His parents say that mindset is what sets him apart.
“He motivates me,” Danielle said. “I’m jealous of his work ethic. He wakes up, handles his schoolwork, trains, and auditions sometimes all in the same day, and does it with a smile. We want him to be a well-rounded kid and allow him to do things he loves because we weren't necessarily given an opportunity. So, if we can provide it for him, we will.”
Few kids his age can say they’ve been on a television set one week and in a baseball dugout the next. Fewer still can say they’ve done both at a high level.
Whether he’s stepping onto a film set or walking up to the plate, Gayden brings the same mix of focus, joy, and determination.
“I give a lot of credit to my parents because they help me and guide me. It's pretty hard to balance it, but I get it done.” Gayden said. “I love both and I’m going to keep working at both.”
With his parents by his side and a track record of making the most of every opportunity, Cameron’s next chapter, whether it unfolds under stadium lights or studio spotlights, promises to be just as compelling as the story so far.
