Biography
Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (born October 1, 1962) is an American actor. He has had notable roles in Bad Boys with Sean Penn and La Bamba with Lou Diamond Phillips. His television roles include the PBS 2002 drama series American Family, the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd. (2000–2002), portraying Lt. Tony Rodriguez on NYPD Blue (2001–2003), Joseph Adama in the science fiction series Caprica (2009–2010), Camino del Rio in the Netflix original series Ozark (2017), and the DC Comics supervillain Sla...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
2025
as Gabriel
Ethan Hunt and team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity — which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe —...

Crescent City
2024
as Luke Carson
When a ruthless serial killer terrorizes a small Southern town, everyone becomes a suspect -- including local authorities. As the body count rises and...

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
2023
as Gabriel
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it...

Master Gardener
2023
as Oscar Neruda
Narvel Roth is a meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowa...

The Latin from Manhattan
2022
as Papi
Follows the wild, exhilarating life of legendary adult film icon Vanessa Del Rio, set against the backdrop of organized crime-controlled Times Square ...

Art of Love
2021
A mysterious, erotic and haunting love story between a writer/professor at Puerto Rico's leading University and an aspiring artist from the immigrant ...

Senior Moment
2021
as Diego Lozana
After drag racing his vintage convertible around Palm Springs, a retired NASA test pilot loses his license. Forced to take public transportation, he m...

More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story
2021
as Self
The Oscar nominated actor best known for his role of Mr. Miyagi, left behind a painfully revealing autobiographical record of his much-too-brief time ...

The Wall of Mexico
2020
as Henry Arista
A young white handyman, hired by a wealthy Mexican-American family to upkeep their ranch, finds himself caught between disgruntled locals and the fami...

Find Your Groove
2020
as Self
In this uplifitng documentary, stars and musicians from across the industry speak to the power and importance of music in society. Here we examine how...

Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
2019
as Self
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage is a warm and revealing portrait of the charismatic, groundbreaking actor’s journey from his native Puerto Rico to the...

Imprisoned
2019
as Governor Mandera
Dylan Burke attempts to move on from his former life as a criminal with his true love Maria. He soon realizes that his past will continue to haunt him...

SuperFly
2018
as Adalberto Gonzalez
Career criminal Youngblood Priest wants out of the Atlanta drug scene, but as he ramps up sales, one little slip up threatens to bring the whole opera...

Love and Other Stunts
2018
Gary Kent was the king of B movies in the Sixties and Seventies, working for indie directors from Richard Rush to Ray Dennis Stickler to Al Adamson, b...

Halfway There
2017
as Ian Sanchez
Jimmy Bishop runs a sober living facility and is forced to take in his wealthy alcoholic mother as a client.

Never Back Down: No Surrender
2016
as Hugo Vega
Picking up after the events of Never Back Down 2, former MMA champion Case Walker is on the comeback trail to become champion once again.

Casa Vita
2016
as Rodrigo Vita
A baseball player finds unexpected happiness with a woman who works in his favorite restaurant.

Spare Parts
2015
as Mr. Santillan
With the help of their high school's newest teacher, four Hispanic students form a robotics club. Although they have no experience, the youths set the...

Playin' for Love
2015
as Principle Jose Marti
Coach Banks (Robert Townsend) is used to calling all the shots for his championship high school basketball team and in his own love life. But that’s a...

Jarhead 2: Field of Fire
2014
as Cpt. Jones
Battle-scarred and disillusioned by the war, Corporal Chris Merrimette is put in charge of a unit whose next mission is to resupply a remote outpost o...
Give Me Shelter
2014
as Himself - Animal Advocate
Give Me Shelter is a documentary to raise awareness for important animal issues around the world. This film uncovers the most prevalent issues in the ...

The Journey of a Female Comic
2014
The ups and downs of female comic Kiki Melendez.

Saving Westbrook High
2013
as Manny
A diverse community, an ambitious newly-appointed principal and a handful of committed teachers come together to save a once popular suburban school i...

Atlas Shrugged: Part II
2012
as Francisco d'Anconia
Railroad owner Dagny Taggart and steel mogul Henry Rearden search desperately for the inventor of a revolutionary motor as the U.S. government continu...

Seattle Superstorm
2012
as Tom Foster
An object is shot down over Seattle and the debris begins to affect the local weather, ultimately threatening the whole world.

17th Precinct
2011
as Liam Butterfield
In a modern world where magic supplanted science, the unaired pilot featured two non-intersecting stories: the death of a city executive at the hands ...

We Have Your Husband
2011
as Eduardo Valseca
American-born Jayne Valseca, her husband Eduardo, the son of a legendary Mexican newspaper publisher, and their two children live an idyllic life on t...

Gun Hill Road
2011
as Enrique Rodriguez
An ex-con returns home to the Bronx after three year in prison to discover his wife estranged and his teenage son exploring a sexual transformation th...

Cherry
2010
as Wes
Ivy League Freshman, Aaron Milton (17) gets a different kind of education when he falls for Linda (34) a vivacious former wild-child who has returned ...

King of the Avenue
2010
as Natas
A drug dealer sells his soul to the devil to become the top drug dealer on the block.

Celebrity Habla
2009
as Self
See what celebrated Latino actors, newsmakers and a musical legend have to say about being Latino in the U.S. in this sixth installment in the award-w...

The Line
2009
as Pelon
The story centers around veteran assassin Mark Shields as he tracks down, Pelon, the elusive head of the Salazar Crime Cartel. Through twists of fate,...

Kill Kill Faster Faster
2008
as Markie
Recently paroled after serving a long stretch for his wife's murder, Joey One-Way aligns himself with a producer who has optioned the play he wrote in...

The Cure
2007
as Jorge
A group of medical activists get care to those who need it most, by any means necessary.

The Manufacturing of 'Fast Food Nation'
2007
as Self
A full-length documentary chronicling filmmaker Richard Linklater and author Eric Schlosser throughout their journey making the movie 'Fast Food Natio...

Fast Food Nation
2006
as Tony
A dramatised examination of the health issues and social consequences of America's love affair with fast food.

How to Go Out on a Date in Queens
2006
as Frankie
A self-proclaimed dating expert tries to get his best friend, who lost his wife two years earlier, back into the dating scene, with disastrous results...

The Virgin of Juarez
2006
as Father Herrera
When a reporter travels to Juarez to cover the ongoing story of the mass murder of local working women, she uncovers the amazing story of "The Virgin ...

Once Upon a Wedding
2005
as Pineda
A week before her marriage, a woman injures a man in a car accident. As she helps nurse him back to health, she starts to doubt the course her life is...

Lethal Seduction
2005
as Rick Benes / David Lopez
Miranda Wells is an attorney with a sideline in immigration fraud and murder. Miranda's assistant, Carla, is unaware of her criminal activities. Rick ...

American Fusion
2005
as Jose
Yvonne is a divorced middle-aged Chinese immigrant who thinks her life is over, and she is doomed to spend the rest of her days as a slave to her larg...
Sudbury
2004
as Gary Hallet
A family of witches -- sisters Sally and Gillian, their aunts Jet and Frances, and Sally's daughters Antonia and Kylie -- struggle with the blessing a...

The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina
2003
as Vargas Mouse (voice)
Voiced by Elijah Wood, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and others, this film features Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, the tiny, famed fairy-tale favorites, who are to...

Paid in Full
2002
as Lulu
Ace is an impressionable young man working for a dry cleaning business. His friend, drug dealer Mitch, goes to prison. In an unrelated incident, he fi...

The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema
2002
Documentary about the presence of Latin American culture and actors in American movies.

Doomsday Man
2000
as Mike
After his wife is killed researching a deadly virus, a doctor, out of anger and guilt, infects himself with the virus and threatens the world.

Doomsday Man
2000
Second Unit Director
After his wife is killed researching a deadly virus, a doctor, out of anger and guilt, infects himself with the virus and threatens the world.

A Family in Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story
2000
as Juan Miguel Gonzalez
Based on the true headline-generating story of the five-year-old Cuban boy who is the sole survivor of a refugee boat that sunk in a storm on its way ...

American Virgin
2000
as Jim the Director
When your father is a pornographer, what can you do to shock him? If you're Katrina Bartalotti, you announce that you're going to lose your virginity ...

Southern Cross
1999
as Philip Solano
A mining businessman gets involved in crimes and murderers as he flees from another businessman who plans to dump nuclear waste illegally in abandoned...

Circle of Deceit
1998
as Jeff Silva
A woman finds out that her husband has been cheating on her and, as she tries to get custody of her son, events spiral out of control, leading to blac...

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
1998
as Dominguez
Gomez is a middle-aged man who dreams of buying a gorgeous white suit in a nearby store, but doesn't have enough cash. He finds 4 more people of same ...

Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story
1996
as Federico Pena
Story about a runner whose bulimia and anorexia threatens both her dream of competing in the Olympics and her marriage to Denver's mayor.

Death in Granada
1996
as Ricardo
A journalist starts an investigation into the disappearance of famed poet and political agitator, Garcia Lorca, who disappeared in the early days of t...

Scorpion Spring
1996
as Astor
On the run from the law, desperate drug runner Astor and his beautiful prisoner struggle through the savage heat...

Dog Watch
1996
as Murrow
A San Francisco detective (Elliott) goes wild when he discovers his partner dead and the presumed culprit standing over him. After beating the man to ...

The Real Thing
1996
as Collin
Their plan was simple...Get the Cash. As Rupert, an ex-con, tries to go straight, his younger brother James pursues a life of delinquency. Days after ...

Somos un solo pueblo
1995
as Self
Presents a bit of the history of the migration of our people, people who came out opening new horizons and looking for new destinations. During that a...

Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 14
1995
as Tony Archer
Tony is framed by Claremont for a murder he didn't commit. He is sent to prison but Claremont promises him freedom if he can find Allie in the prison ...

My Family
1995
as Chucho
Traces over three generations an immigrant family's trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs. Maria and Jose, the first generation, come to Los A...

Don't Do It
1994
as Charles
Story about three youthful couples in contemporary Los Angeles.

The Burning Season
1994
as Jair
Based on the true story of a Brazilian rubber tapper who leads his people in protest against government and developers, who want to cut down their par...

In the Army Now
1994
as Sgt. Stern
Bones Conway and Jack Kaufman, two misguided youths, join the reserves to make some easy money for their entrepreneurial dreams. Unfortunately, no soo...

Rapa Nui
1994
as Make
Inter-tribal rivalry leads to a competition to erect a huge statue (moai) in record time before Make can take part in the race to retrieve the egg of ...
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun
1993
as Kenny
Life in space. Beam-ins. Intergalactic war. What about getting a driver's license or doing the laundry? This one-hour special features dozens of space...

Ultraviolet
1992
as Nicholas Walker
A park ranger and his lover have heated encounters with a dangerous man in Death Valley.

Freejack
1992
as Ripper
Time-traveling bounty hunters find a doomed race-car driver in the past and bring him to 2009 New York, where his mind will be replaced with that of a...

Naked Tango
1990
as Zico Borenstein
When a young European woman assumes a false identity in 1920s Argentina, she gets more than she bargained for.

Bloodhounds of Broadway
1989
as Handsome Jack
This musical is based on four short stories by Damon Runyon. In one tale, gambler Feet Samuels sells his body to science just as he realizes that Hort...

The Principal
1987
as Raymi Rojas
Burglary. Drugs. Assault. Rape. The students at Brandel High are more than new Principal Rick Latimer bargained for. Gangs fight to control the school...

La Bamba
1987
as Bob Morales
Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his g...

Rainy Day Friends
1985
as Neekos Valdez
A tough street kid from the L.A. barrios is discovered during an examination to have stomach tumors. During his hospitalization, he must learn to cope...

Bad Boys
1983
as Paco Moreno
Mick O'Brien is a young Chicago street thug torn between a life of petty crime and the love of his girlfriend. But when the heist of a local drug deal...

Forty Deuce
1982
as Mitchell
A young hustler tries to get drug money by selling a boy to a middle-aged man; his plans are disrupted when the kid dies.

Minor Incidents
N/A
as Jeremías Amestoy
"Minor Incidents" is a historical drama based on the trial of Alejandro "El Sapo" Amestoy, highlighting the courtroom tensions and the complexity of h...

Cottonmouth
N/A
as Abe
When Ed Dantes is framed and condemned to the tortures of a territorial prison in the 1895, he must learn the ways of the outlaw to escape and exact h...
War Machine
N/A
In the final 24 hours of the world’s toughest selection process, a team of Army Rangers encounters a threat beyond its imagination.
So Much For Love
N/A
as Geoffrey
Sam Davies, a trust fund supported bon vivant and bachelor, who is living his best life – right up until the day he turns 35. Much to his horror, that...