Esai Morales

Esai Morales is an American actor, activist, and performing artist who launched his feature film career as Paco Moreno in "Bad Boys" opposite Sean Penn in 1983. He has since appeared in several classic movies including "La Bamba", the most commercially successful Latino-themed motion picture to date, and "Fast Food Nation". Morales is also known for his roles on television, such as Lieutenant Tony Rodriguez in the Emmy award-winning series "NYPD Blue", for which he was awarded “Best Actor in a Television Series” at the Alma Awards in 2002 and honored with Entertainer of the Year at the 17th Annual Imagen Awards. He starred in Showtime’s "Resurrection Blvd.", PBS’s drama series "American Family", and FOX’s "Vanished". Currently, Morales stars as Joseph Adama on Syfy’s hit series "Caprica".

The Brooklyn-born actor is a graduate of New York's High School for the Performing Arts and made his stage debut in "El Hermano". He has been a key figure in the National Hispanic Foundation, which he co-founded with actors Jimmy Smits and Sonia Braga. Morales is also a founding board member of the Earth Communications Office (E.C.O.) and serves as a national board member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Throughout his career, Morales has been an advocate for numerous charities and social causes, including literacy, environment, health, immigration, arts funding, and social justice issues. He continues to impact both the entertainment and activist spheres, demonstrating a strong commitment to community and industry leadership. Morales is based in California and remains an influential voice in both the Hispanic and broader communities.