Esai Morales
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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 Slade Wilson / Deathstroke in the superhero series Titans (2019). Morales appeared as Gabriel, the main antagonist in the 2023 spy action film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One opposite Tom Cruise, a role reprised in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in 2025.
Known for
Credits
War Machine (2026)
as Army Officer Torres
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)
as Gabriel
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
as Gabriel
Never Back Down: No Surrender (2016)
as Hugo Vega
Bad Boys (1983)
as Paco Moreno
SuperFly (2018)
as Adalberto Gonzalez
Lethal Seduction (2005)
as Rick Benes / David Lopez
Art of Love (2021)
Actor
La Bamba (1987)
as Bob Morales
Dark Horse (2026)
as Paulo Pontes
Atlas Shrugged: Part II (2012)
as Francisco d'Anconia
Scorpion Spring (1996)
as Astor
Halfway There (2017)
as Ian Sanchez
Paid in Full (2002)
as Lulu
Freejack (1992)
as Ripper
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989)
as Handsome Jack
Master Gardener (2023)
as Oscar Neruda
My Family (1995)
as Chucho
Fast Food Nation (2006)
as Tony
Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (2014)
as Cpt. Jones
Spare Parts (2015)
as Mr. Santillan
Live Like That (2027)
Actor
Naked Tango (1990)
as Zico Borenstein
Crescent City (2024)
as Luke Carson
The Principal (1987)
as Raymi Rojas
Queen of Manhattan (2025)
as Papi
We Have Your Husband (2011)
as Eduardo Valseca
Saving Westbrook High (2013)
as Manny
Sudbury (2004)
as Gary Hallet
The Wall of Mexico (2020)
as Henry Arista
ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2003)
as Self
In the Army Now (1994)
as Sgt. Stern
Southern Cross (1999)
as Philip Solano
The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2003)
as Vargas Mouse (voice)
Tumor (—)
Actor
Coyote (—)
as Hernán Barroca
Death in Granada (1996)
as Ricardo
American Virgin (2000)
as Jim the Director
From Dusk Till Dawn: Making the First Season (2014)
Actor
The Real Thing (1996)
as Collin
Rapa Nui (1994)
as Make
Once Upon a Wedding (2005)
as Pineda
Seattle Superstorm (2012)
as Tom Foster
The Burning Season (1994)
as Jair
More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story (2021)
as Self
Don't Do It (1994)
as Charles
Cherry (2010)
as Wes
Senior Moment (2021)
as Diego Lozana
American Fusion (2005)
as Jose
Gun Hill Road (2011)
as Enrique Rodriguez
Kill Kill Faster Faster (2008)
as Markie
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage (2019)
as Self
The Line (2009)
as Pelon
The Virgin of Juarez (2006)
as Father Herrera
Find Your Groove (2020)
as Self
Casa Vita (2016)
as Rodrigo Vita
Playin' for Love (2015)
as Principle Jose Marti
Forty Deuce (1982)
as Mitchell
Give Me Shelter (2014)
as Himself - Animal Advocate
Cottonmouth (2025)
as Abe
Imprisoned (2019)
as Governor Mandera
Celebrity Habla (2009)
as Self
Somos un solo pueblo (1995)
as Self
The Waiter (1993)
as Julius
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema (2002)
Actor
King of the Avenue (2010)
as Natas
Love and Other Stunts (2018)
Actor
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998)
as Dominguez
Circle of Deceit (1998)
as Jeff Silva
Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 14 (1995)
as Tony Archer
The Manufacturing of 'Fast Food Nation' (2007)
as Self
How to Go Out on a Date in Queens (2006)
as Frankie
Doomsday Man (2000)
as Mike
Dog Watch (1997)
as Murrow
17th Precinct (2011)
as Liam Butterfield
Rainy Day Friends (1985)
as Neekos Valdez
So Much for Love (—)
as Geoffrey
The Cure (2007)
as Jorge
Bay City Story (1992)
Actor
The Journey of a Female Comic (2014)
Actor
Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story (1996)
as Federico Pena
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun (1993)
as Kenny
Ultraviolet (1992)
as Nicholas Walker
A Family in Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story (2000)
as Juan Miguel Gonzalez