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Biography: Esai Morales

A New York-born actor of Puerto Rican descent whose performances in such efforts as La Bamba and Rapa Nui offered a lingering, devastating sense of depth, Esai Morales found success on screens both large and small. Frequently challenging stereotypes and always imbuing his characters with individuality, he was first inspired at the age of 12 by Al Pacino's searing performance in Dog Day Afternoon in 1975. Speaking only Spanish until the age of five, Morales showed talent in a series of stage roles in and around New York City. He graduated from New York's prestigious High School of the Performing Arts before appearing in productions at the Ensemble Theater Studio (El Hermano) and New York's Shakespeare Festival in the Park (The Tempest). In 1982, the actor made his screen debut in the Paul Morrissey film Forty Deuce. His role as Sean Penn's imposing nemesis in the following year's Bad Boys offered a horrific glimpse of the violence of juvenile detention facilities, and, in 1987, Morales cemented his reputation as a talent to watch when he played ill-fated ock & roll singer Ritchie Valens' brother in La Bamba. Equally adept at playing menacing tough guys or more sensitive characters, Morales eschewed stereotypes with roles as an Irish bootlegger in Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) and an Argentine gangster in Naked Tango (1991). A memorable role as an Easter Island native involved in a painful civil war in 1994's Rapa Nui earned him rave reviews, despite going largely unseen, and the handsome actor was again impressive as a Mexican-American youth in My Family the following year. Morales also drew praise in 1997 for his top-billed role in The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca, and after portraying the father of Cuban refugee Elian Gonzales in the made-for-TV feature A Family in Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story, Morales stood out with an ALMA-nominated role as Lt. Tony Rodriguez in the enduring police drama NYPD Blue. He also appeared in such features as Paid in Full (2002) and Isla Bella (2004), and had a recurring role in PBS's eagerly anticipated Mexican-American-themed series American Family. In addition to his TV and film work, the self-described activist volunteers time to such organizations as the Earth Communications Office, the Wildlife Preservation Fund in Costa Rica, and the Health Education AIDS Liaison. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide less

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Movies (26)
TV (2)
Videos

Caprica (2008)
Tags: Science Fiction Psychological Sci-Fi
Length: 93min
Set fifty years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Capricia follows the rivalry between two feuding families competing and thriving in the 12 Colonies. Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) both sit at the head of...
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Fast Food Nation (2006)
Cast: Bruce Willis Kris Kristofferson Greg Kinnear Paul Dano Luis Guzman Ethan Hawke Richard Linklater
Tags: Americana Comedy Drama Ensemble Film
Length: 106min
Inspired by author Eric Schlosser's ~New York Times best-seller of the same name, director Richard Linklater's ensemble drama examines the health issues and social consequences of America's love affair with fast food and features an all-star cast that...
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The Virgin of Juarez (2005)
Cast: Minnie Driver
Tags: Religious Drama Drama Crime Drama
Length: 96min
The Virgin of Juarez stars Minnie Driver as a reporter investigating numerous deaths in the border town of the title. During the course of her work, she befriends a young woman named Mariela who claims to have survived a vicious attack by the...
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The Line (2009)
Cast: Andy Garcia
Length: min
Director James Cotten recruits an all-star roster for this crime thriller set along the Mexican-American border. Mexican drug lord Pelon has managed to escape the ire of the American government, but his decision to switch from cocaine from Colombia to...
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Southern Cross (1999)
Cast: Michael Ironside
Tags: Crime Thriller Thriller
Length: 90min
A young man becomes the reluctant heir of the family business, only to discover how dangerous and corrupt it can be in this drama. Philip is an aspiring musician whose father runs a Chilean mining concern. When his dad dies, Philip returns to Chile...
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How to Go out on a Date in Queens (2006)
Tags: Romantic Comedy Comedy
Length: 90min
The comedy How to Go Out on a Date in Queens involves two seemingly unrelated storylines. One tale features a womanizing operator who ends up taking his best friend along on one of the worst dates he's ever had. The second story involves a bookie who...
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American Fusion (2005)
Tags: Family Drama Drama Romantic Drama
Length: 100min
A woman stuck in middle age may yet find love if her mother can stay out of the way in this comedy from first-time director Frank Lin. Yvonne (Sylvia Chang) is a divorcee who is about to turn fifty and feels as if life is passing her by. Yvonne works...
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Paid in Full (2002)
Cast: Esai Morales
Tags: Crime Drama Drama
Length: 97min
Paid in Full marks the feature debut of director Charles Stone III, who rose to fame after creating Budweiser's "Wassup" commercials. The urban gangster drama is loosely based on the true story of 1980s Harlem drug kingpins AZ, Rich Porter, and Alpo....
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The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998)
Cast: Edward James Olmos
Tags: Comedy Drama Fantasy Comedy
Length: 90min
Fantasist Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of his 1957 Saturday Evening Post short story, "The Magic White Suit," previously adapted as a TV drama, a stage musical, and a play. Middle-aged Gomez (Joe Mantegna) hopes to own the...
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Atomic Train (1999)
Cast: Rob Lowe Edward Herrmann Kristin Davis
Tags: Disaster Film Action
Length: 160min
In this made-for-TV thriller, a train hauling a cargo of radioactive waste is passing through Colorado when its brakes fail in the Rocky Mountains. The train begins rolling out of control and is headed for Denver with no way to stop it. John Seger...
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Biography: Esai Morales

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