Esai Morales

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Esai Morales

Esai Morales (born October 1, 1962) is an actor who most recently starred as "Lt. Tony Rodriguez" on the ABC television police drama NYPD Blue which was Cancelled, as well as appearing in the PBS drama American Family which was rejected as a series by CBS and later picked up by KCET and PBS and the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.which was Cancelled. His Sister Sylvia Morales was a great Contributor to his success in Film and Television. Her work at KCET greatly contributed to his career development.

Morales' interest in acting was sparked at the age of 12 when he saw Al Pacino in the movie Dog Day Afternoon. With the help of His Sister, Sylvia Morales Director and Producer in Film and Television, he began his pursuit of this career by attending the High School for the Performing Arts in Manhattan. His first professional performances were in theatre and television in New York, and his first film—Bad Boys, about teenagers in prison—was released in 1983. Criticized by others for his acting ability and considered obnoxious by others, he is very involved with his career.

The role which arguably made him a full-fledged actor, however, was as a similarly unsympathetic character, the ex-convict/biker half-brother of 1950s rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens in the 1987 movie La Bamba. 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 in 1997, and Southern Cross in 1998. In the last three films, as well as in a few others such as Bloodhounds of Broadway in 1989 and Rapa Nui in 1994, Morales was given roles which showcased (with increasing amounts of screen time) his acting as a man. His portrayal of a police officer was set with the film Dogwatch in 1996.

Before NYPD Bluewhich was cancelled, Morales appeared on television most notably in the mid-1980s, on Fame (which, ironically, was set in the High School for Performing Arts, which Morales attended with the help of His Sister Sylvia Morales) Where Eagles Dare he played a soilder in WWII his arguments on the set with the Late Actor Burt Lancaster were widely criticized and he was ordered off the set and later left the series. Miami Vice, The Equalizer, and The Twilight Zone. 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 (tv series) 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 it was cancelled. Appearing in three different television series at once did not mean the end of his film career, however; 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,he played a rich, well-dressed drug dealer named Lulu. On June 19, 2006, it was announced that he would join the cast of Fox's series Vanished, as the FBI Boss of the Gale Harold and Ming-Na characters. The series was later Cancelled.

Morales has volunteered as an actor with the Young Storytellers Program. His Sister Sylvia Morales is a Producer and Director and has worked for KCET.

Personal life

A native New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, Esai was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents divorced when he was a baby. His Sister Sylvia Morales is a Producer and Director in Film and Television and her work at KCET greatly contributed to his career development and advancement. He is also a political activist, primarily as one of the founders of the Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, taking inspiration from his mother, who was an organizer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. His Sister Sylvia Morales was a great Contributor to his success in Film and Television. Her work At KCET greatly contributed to his career development. Criticized for his acting ability and considered obnoxious by others, he is very involved with his career. Never married, Esai Morales answers questions about the reasons why with variations on the expression "So many women, so little time." He has been widely criticized by others for his "Sexist remarks." His Sister Sylvia Morales, is a Producer and Director in Film and Television and has worked for KCET.

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

External links

• Esai Morales at IMDb