American actor Esai Morales is best known for playing Bob Morales in the biopic “La Bamba,” Lt. Tony Rodriguez in “NYPD Blue,” and Joseph Adama in “Caprica.” He has consistently questioned preconceptions and given his characters a unique voice. At the age of 12, Morales was moved by Al Pacino’s portrayal in “Dog Day Afternoon,” which inspired him to pursue acting. He began performing in stage plays before making his cinematic debut in 1982 with “Forty Deuce.” He established himself as a rising star by playing Bob Morales in “La Bamba” and Paco Moreno in “Bad Boys.” He received acclaim for his roles as an Argentine criminal in “Naked Tango,” an Irish bootlegger in “Bloodhounds of Broadway,” and an Easter Island native fighting in a civil war in “Rapa Nui.” His performances in the films My Family, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca, and A Family in Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story have won him praise from reviewers. He received an ALMA nomination for his outstanding performance as Lt. Tony Rodriguez in “NYPD Blue.” He works as a volunteer for groups including the Earth Communications Office, the Wildlife Preservation Fund, and the Health Education AIDS Liaison in addition to his acting projects.
Early Childhood & Life
In Brooklyn, New York, on October 1, 1962, Esai Manuel Morales, Jr. was born. He has Puerto Rican ancestry. His mother Iris Margarita was a union member of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, while his father Esai Morales, Sr. was a welder.
He developed an early interest in acting. He received his diploma from the High School of the Performing Arts in New York with the intention of beginning a professional performing career.
Career of Esai Morales
Stage appearances in New York were the beginning of Esai Morales’ acting career, which was thereafter followed by small television parts. He made his acting debut in Paul Morrissey’s drama movie “Forty Deuce” in 1982, then in “Bad Boys” the following year. The latter movie dealt with rival teens who were given prison terms for juvenile offenders. He played Miguel Rados in an episode of “ABC Afterschool Special” in 1984.
Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” (Broadway), Joe Papp’s “The Tempest,” “Tamer of Horses” at the Los Angeles Theater Center, “The Exonerated,” directed by Bob Balaban, and his musical theater debut in “The Mambo Kings” are among his theater credits.
He had an appearance in an episode of “The Equalizer,” a criminal drama on television, in 1985. He portrayed George in a single episode of “Fame” that same year. He worked on two movies the next year: “On Wings of Eagles” and “Rainy Day Friends.”
His films have included social and political commentary, such as The Burning Season in 1994, My Family/Mi Familia in 1995, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca in 1997, and Southern Cross in 1999.
He appeared in the movie “Gun Hill Road” in 2011. He made two TV series appearances in the same year. In eight episodes of “Los Americans,” which he also produced, he was cast as Lee Valenzuela. In the USA Network television series “Fairly Legal,” he portrayed D.A. Aaron Davidson. Additionally, he appeared in the TV movies “We Have Your Husband,” “17th Precinct,” and “Seattle Superstorm.”
He was chosen to appear in “Atlas Shrugged: Part II” in 2012. The movie was adapted from Ayn Rand’s book “Atlas Shrugged.” The movie, however, did not make any money. He appeared in “Seattle Superstorm” that same year as Tom Reynolds. He also made an appearance in the New York City-based police procedural and legal television series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in the “Home Invasions” episode that year.
He appeared in six episodes of the police procedural crime drama television series “Criminal Minds” in 2013 as Section Chief Mateo “Matt” Cruz.
He portrayed Captain Jones in Don Michael Paul’s 2014 direct-to-video military movie Jarhead 2: Field of Fire. He also appeared in three episodes of the Paul Leyden and Morgan O’Neill action drama “Cleaners” that year as Father Brooks.
He appeared in three television shows in 2015: two episodes of “Mozart in the Jungle,” “The Brink,” and “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” where he played Lord Amancio Malvado. He played President Julian Navarro in “The Brink.” He had an appearance as Sgt. Trey Delgado in the CBS police drama series “Blue Bloods” that same year.
In Michael Jai White’s 2016 martial arts film “Never Back Down: No Surrender,” he played Nego Vega. It was ‘Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown’s’ follow-up. In the same year, he also worked on the TV movies “Casa Vita” and “L.A. Series.”
He made an appearance in “Chicago P.D.” in 2017, appearing in five episodes as Police Chief Lugo. Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead were the creators of this police procedural series. He also made an appearance in “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” another Erica Messer-produced CBS police procedural. The program was a spin-off of “Criminal Minds,” an original series that debuted on the same network in 2013.
Bigger Works of Esai Morales
In the 1987 movie “La Bamba,” which was written and directed by Luis Valdez and is based on the life and career of Chicano rock and roll legend Ritchie Valens, Esai Morales played Roberto “Bob” Morales.
He was chosen to play Del in the Netflix series “Ozark” in 2017. Bill Dubuque was the creator of this web series of crime drama and suspense. Nine one-hour programs plus a concluding 80-minute episode made up the inaugural season. On July 21, 2017, Netflix announced its availability.
Recognition & Achievements
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) presented Esai Morales and Mercedes Ruehl with the Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence in 2005.
The Arpa Foundation gave him the Lifetime Achievement Award.
He received a nomination for the Imagen Foundation Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mr. Santillan in Sean McNamara’s 2015 drama film “Spare Parts.”
Individual Life of Esai Morales
Elvimar Silva and Esai Morales are a couple. On September 24, 2010, their daughter Mariana Oliveira was born.
He helped found the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, which promotes the involvement of Latinos in the entertainment, media, and telecommunications sectors. He also served on the Earth Communications Office’s founding board.
Esai Morales Net Worth
Esai Morales is an American actor with a $5 million fortune. For his work on television shows including “American Family,” “Resurrection Blvd.,” “NYPD Blue,” “Caprica,” and “Titans,” Esai Morales is well-known. Additionally, he has had appearances in a number of movies, such as “Gun Hill Road,” “La Bamba,” “My Family,” and “Bad Boys.” The action spy sequel “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning,” in which Morales plays the primary adversary, is one of his other credits.