Esai Morales

Esai Morales is an award-winning actor and producer with a career spanning over four decades, celebrated for his iconic performances. Most recently, he appeared in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” and will star in the upcoming sci-fi thriller “War Machine.”

Morales gained recognition for his breakout role in “Bad Boys” and subsequently for his portrayal of Bob Morales in “La Bamba,” the highest-grossing rock-themed biopic of all time.

Other film credits include “Master Gardener,” “Superfly,” “Bad Boys,” “Rapa Nui,” “My Family,” “Fast Food Nation,” “Paid in Full,” “Gun Hill Road” (Grand Jury Nominee at Sundance 2011), “Spare Parts,” “The Wall of Mexico,” and the upcoming “So Much For Love.”

His notable television credits include “Ozark,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “NYPD Blue,” “Criminal Minds,” “Resurrection Blvd,” “American Family,” and “Titans.”

His theater work features performances in Oscar Wilde’s “Salomé” with Al Pacino, “The Tempest” with Raúl Juliá, “The Exonerated,” and his musical debut in “The Mambo Kings.”

AWARDS
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award – “Tamer of Horses”
Alma Award for Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film – “Death In Granada”
Alma Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – “NYPD Blue”
Imagen Award – Entertainer of the Year (“NYPD Blue”)
Imagen Award for Best Actor – “Gun Hill Road”
NAACP Award nomination for “We Have Your Husband”
Arpa International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)
Grand Marshal, National Puerto Rican Day Parade NYC (2018)

In 1997, Morales co-founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, which has awarded over $2 million in scholarships to Hispanic students. He actively supports various causes, including public health, literacy, environmental issues, immigration, arts funding, and social justice.