Esai Morales

Bio:

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Welcome to Esai’s Official Myspace!

So you’ve stopped in to visit and you may be wondering “Does Esai read his e- mail and comments?” The answer is YES! Esai personally reads his e-mail and comments. Unfortunately, due to the amount of mail he receives, he cannot respond to all. Esai also encourages advocacy of social causes and welcomes these comments. So please bear in mind that if the comment is a promotional one of any other type, he respectfully asks that you please not send it. Please e-mail business inquiries to:

Jai Khanna
Brillstein Entertainment Partners
j.khanna@bep-la.com

Thank you.

About Esai

Born to Puerto Rican parents in Brooklyn, NY, Esai Manuel Morales, developed an interest in acting at a young age, and attended New York's prestigious High School for the Performing Arts.

For years, the award-winning actor has exhibited his outstanding acting talents on television, in theatre, and in films. Esai made his stage debut in "El Hermano", at the Ensemble Studio Theater and appeared in Joe Papp's production of "The Tempest" for New York's Shakespeare in the Park festival. His theater experience also includes sharing the stage with Al Pacino in "Salome", and he earned a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in "Tamer of Horses" for the Los Angeles Theater Center. In 2002, Esai made his musical theater debut -- starring in the San Francisco run of "The Mambo Kings" as Cesar Castillo.

Esai recently starred in the award-winning indie film, "American Fusion." This romantic comedy, directed by Frank Lin, highlights the negative racial stereotypes and social mores that still plague U.S. society all while uncovering the love story between Morales' character, a Mexican-American dentist, and a Chinese immigrant. Also, Esai recently played the role of Pelon, in the James Cotton film "La Linea," opposite Ray Liotta. The film is a crime drama loosely based on the infamous Arellano Felix drug cartel.

Throughout his career, Esai has played a myriad of characters, including ordinary Latino men struggling under extraordinary circumstances and conflicts. In 1983, Esai made his film debut in "Bad Boys", opposite Sean Penn and went on to star in "La Bamba," which remains the most commercially successful Latino-themed motion picture to date. He received critical acclaim for his roles in "Rapa Nui," produced by Kevin Costner; the award winning HBO film "The Burning Season: The Chico Mendes Story"; the Gregory Nava film "Mi Familia" opposite Jimmy Smits and Edward James Olmos; and "The Disappearance Of Garcia Lorca." His other film credits include, "Fast Food Nation", "The Virgin of Juarez", with Minnie Driver, and "Kill Kill Faster Faster". See Esai's complete filmography at IMDb

Esai's latest television role is as powerful Caprican lawyer, Joseph Adama, in “Caprica,” the prequel to the hit TV series, “Battlestar Galactica”. Caprica, made its television debut, Jan 22. It can be seen on Friday's, at 9PM Eastern / 8PM Central, on the SyFy Network. Catch up on past episodes at, www.syfy.com

Other recent television credits include the CBS resurrected series, "Jericho", as Major Edward Beck, FBI agent Michael Tyner, on FOX's, "Vanished", and a guest appearance on USA Network's series, "Burn Notice". His best-known television role is his portrayal of Lt. Tony Rodriguez in the Emmy Award-winning drama series, "NYPD Blue". In 2002, he received an Alma Award for "Best Actor in a Television Series" and was honored with "Entertainer of the Year" at the 17 Annual Imagen Awards for his work on "NYPD Blue." He also received accolades for his performances in the drama series, "American Family" and "Resurrection Blvd".

Describing himself as an "actorvist," Esai has combined art and activism to build bridges of understanding. He is involved in a bevy of charities and non-profit organizations that span everything from social to environmental issues. He, along with Jimmy Smits and Sonia Braga, co-founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) in 1997. The foundation was created to advance the presence and quality of Latinos in media, telecommunications and entertainment. Esai is also a founding board member of the Earth Communications Office (E.C.O.), which is a clearinghouse for environmental information and has worked closely with the Wildlife Preservation Fund in Costa Rica and Health Education Aids Liaison (H.E.A.L.). He is a board member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and serves on the advisory board of Women in Film (WIF), and has contributed his time and face to countless other worthy causes and organizations.

Esai currently lives in Los Angeles with his dog, Frankie.

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Member Since:

September 28, 2006

Members:

Esai -- vocals, wrote the melody and lyrics of "Reason To Live"
Ted Silbert -- guitars, composer and arranger for "Reason To Live"

Influences:

The Beatles. Esai recalls as a child sporting a "Beatles" haircut, then as a teen singing the 3rd or 4th harmonies of their music acapella, in the streets of NYC. While in foster care, Esai considered John Lennon a spiritual guide and musical inspiration because of Lennon’s passion for social issues.

Others who have shaped Esai's musicality include: Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Phoebe Snow, The Police, Jane's Addiction, Eagles, Queen, and The Doobie Brothers

Links

esaimorales.com

"TV Guide", Esai's TV Listings

SyFy's Caprica and Esai Morales Rings The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell

Sonia Sotomayor mambos w/ Esai Morales from Washington Life Magazine on Vimeo.

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