Esai
Manuel Morales, Jr. (born
October 1, 1962) is an
American actor. He played
Bob Morales in the
1987 biopic
La Bamba. He also appeared in the
PBS drama
American Family and in the
Showtime series
Resurrection Blvd. He is perhaps best known for his roles as
Lt. Tony Rodriguez on
NYPD Blue and
Joseph Adama in the science fiction television series
Caprica.
Contents [hide]
1
Early life
2
Career
3
Personal life
4 Filmography
4.1
Film
4.2
Television
5
Video games
6 References
7
External links
Early life[edit]
Of
Puerto Rican descent, Morales was born in
Brooklyn, New York, to
Esai Morales, Sr., a welder, and
Iris Margarita (née Declet), a union activist involved with the
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.[3] Morales began his pursuit of an acting career by attending the
School of Performing Arts in
Manhattan.[4]
Career[edit]
His first professional performances were in theater and television in
New York. His first film was
Bad Boys (
1983), about teenagers in juvenile correction facility. He played the ex-convict and biker half-brother of
1950s rock and roll singer
Ritchie Valens in La Bamba (1987). Some of his other roles have reflected his socio-political interests, such as
The Burning Season in
1994,
My Family/Mi Familia in
1995,
The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (
1997) and
Southern Cross (
1999).[5] In the latter three films, as well as in others such as
Bloodhounds of Broadway (
1989) and
Rapa Nui (1994), Morales saw increased amounts of screen time, starting with a role in the
Pauly Shore film
In The Army Now (1994). He portrayed a police officer in the film Dogwatch (
1996) and
Father Herrera in
The Virgin of
Juarez (
2006).[6]
Morales appeared on television in the mid-1980s on
Fame. He co-starred with
Burt Lancaster in the
NBC-TV miniseries,
On Wings of Eagles, playing the
Iranian Rashid, the hero of a true story about
Ross Perot. Morales also appeared in
Miami Vice,
The Equalizer, and 24
.
In the 1990s, he guest-starred on episodes of
The Outer Limits,
Tales from the Crypt, and two shorter-lived series,
L.A. Doctors and
The Hunger. He was a featured TV actor, seen in a two-part episode of
Family Law in
2000. His tenure on NYPD Blue as the head of the 15th precinct detective squad began in mid-season
2001 and continued until 2004, when he decided to cancel his contract.[citation needed]
The film
Paid in Full was scheduled for release in
October 2002. It marked a return to a criminal character such as those in his previous roles
- in this case playing a drug dealer named
Lulu. In
2005, he (along with
Mercedes Ruehl) received the
Rita Moreno HOLA Award for
Excellence from the
Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). That same year, he contributed his vocal talents to the video game
True Crime: New York City, playing Sgt.
Victor Navarro.
Morales with
Grace Park and
Eric Stoltz
Morales was cast in the film
American Fusion (2005),[7] and on June 19, 2006, he joined the cast of the Fox series
Vanished, as
FBI agent
Michael Tyner alongside actors
Gale Harold and Ming-Na. The series was later canceled.[8] In
2007, he completed filming for
Kill Kill Faster Faster, a contemporary film noir inspired by the critically acclaimed novel of the same name by
Joel Rose. Also in 2007, Morales appeared in an episode of the
USA Network drama series
Burn Notice, as a Cuban shopkeeper being shaken down for "protection" money by local criminals. In early 2008, Morales had a role in the
CBS drama
Jericho, as
Major Edward Beck. He appeared in all seven episodes of the shortened second season.
In May 2008, it was announced that Morales would play the role of Joseph Adama in the science fiction television series Caprica –
Syfy's prequel to the series
Battlestar Galactica.[9][10] The series premiered on
January 22,
2010. In 2009, he served as an official festival judge for the
Noor Iranian Film Festival in
Los Angeles.[citation needed]
In
2011, Morales starred in the drama film
Gun Hill Road, as
Enrique,[11] and in the web drama
Los Americans airing on
PIC.tv.[12] In
March 2015 Robert Rodriguez cast him as
Lord Amancio Malvado for the horror drama series
From Dusk Till Dawn: The
Series.[13]
Actor Esai Morales, known for his advocacy work on education and the environment, was selected by the
Arpa Foundation to receive the
Lifetime Achievement Award because of his impact as an actor and role model. Moreover, his ideals align themselves with those of the Foundation and his exemplary body of work spans over 3 decades.
- published: 18 May 2016
- views: 19