Born and raised in Hollywood, CA. His father is a tailor and mother is a teacher assistant. He was raised by his mother and grew up learning to work hard to achieve his goals. He graduated from Hollywood High School. Rufino grew up in Hollywood but only started learning about acting when he went to the university. He attended and graduated UC Berkeley and found an actor/friend Tony Allen. Tony inspired him to learn the craft of acting. After graduating, Rufino went back to Hollywood and started learning and pursuing a career in acting. He attended the Atwater Playhouse School of Acting and the Actors Workout Studio. He built his acting foundation to convey specific, intense, and vivid performances. Working on short films, commercials, and independent films, he has had the pleasure to work with such great movie makers such as actor James Russo, director Vincent Haycock, and director Elliot Rausch.