Esai Morales is one of the world’s leading Latin American actors. During a career that now spans over 40 years, he has played many major roles and won numerous awards. He got his breakthrough back in 1988, co-starring as Bob Morales in La Bamba, which was later added to the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress. He has also starred in many television series, including NYPD Blue, American Family, Ozark, Resurrection Blvd., and many more. 2023 and 2024 see him star alongside Tom Cruise in two new Mission Impossible films. He has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Arpa Foundation and the Rita Moreno Award for Excellence by the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.
Morales was born in Brooklyn in 1962 and trained as an actor in New York. He got an early acting break when starred alongside a young Sean Penn in the 1983 movie Bad Boys. He also appeared in TV series such as On the Wings of Eagles, Miami Vice, and Fame, but it was his role as Richie Valens’ half-brother in La Bamba that brought him international fame. Award-winning success on television came later, in the early 2000s, when he played Lieutenant Tony Rodriguez in NYPD Blue, a role that saw him an Alma Award for Outstanding Actor. His most recent television work has included starring roles in shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles and Titans.
Describing himself as an “actorvist”, Morales has put his position to good use, helping to found the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.
