Belmont Cameli, the rising star of Prime Video's steamy new series Off Campus, stands on the brink of Hollywood stardom. Yet, unlike many of his peers who achieve celebrity status, Cameli is no self-centered, spoiled brat. The actor, now 28, gave one of the most selfless gifts a person can give just before his 20th birthday: he donated one of his kidneys to a stranger he had never met.
A Selfless Act
Cameli's gift went to then 59-year-old Clotilde Ruiz as part of a complex organ donation chain at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. 'Most of us have two good kidneys, but thousands of people struggle to live day to day with only one failing kidney,' Cameli said at the time. 'Every day, 20 people die waiting for a kidney transplant.'
The extraordinary story began when his childhood friend Brendan Flaherty's kidneys failed, requiring 10 hours of dialysis every night. Cameli offered to donate his kidney, but they were not a match. Doctors then orchestrated a multi-patient swap. First, they matched Flaherty with Kimberly Cooper. Then, Cameli became an ideal donor for Ruiz, who had planned to receive a kidney from her daughter Daisy before incompatibility was discovered. Daisy's kidney was a perfect match for patient Scott Rial, and the chain continued until six donors were matched with six recipients, none of whom knew their donors.
Cameli documented his journey on Instagram, calling it a 'privilege to save a life.' He reflected, 'I've made a lot of selfish decisions in my life. I thought that this would be a really great opportunity to kind of amend those decisions.'
From Kidney Donation to Hollywood
Now, his generosity is being repaid with a shot at the Hollywood A-list. Off Campus, which debuted on Wednesday, is poised to be a smash hit, blending steamy romance with hockey, much like Heated Rivalry. Cameli's chiseled abs are a major draw, but unlike that show, the sex scenes here are straight.
The series follows Cameli's character, Garrett Graham, a star hockey player who strikes a deal to be a pretend boyfriend to music student Hannah Wells (played by British-American actress Ella Bright, 19), only for things to turn real. It is based on Elle Kennedy's best-selling Off-Campus novels.
Early Life and Tragedy
Cameli grew up in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, with his brother Patrick, 31, and sister Julia, 25. He describes his childhood as charmed, but tragedy struck in 2016 when his father Joseph died suddenly at age 51. Cameli, then 18, has spoken of his closeness to his mother Leslie, now 60, who still lives in Naperville.
After graduating high school, Cameli pursued a business major at the University of Illinois but dropped out after one year to pursue acting. 'My mom wanted me to have a plan B,' he told Flaunt Magazine. 'It took a lot of chipping away to explain that if I have a plan B, I'll fall back on plan B.'
He worked as a model in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles in 2019. His early credits include a cameo on Empire and a role in the short-lived Saved by the Bell reboot. He later starred in Netflix's Along for the Ride (2022) and Robert De Niro's crime thriller The Alto Knights (2025).
Off the Market
Fans hoping for a chance with the new heartthrob will be disappointed: Cameli is in a relationship with screenwriter Raina Morris since early 2025. Morris, whose credits include Emily in Paris, attended the Off Campus premiere in Los Angeles last week and posted a loved-up photo with Cameli on her Instagram stories.
