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 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
My Family (1995)
as Chucho
Persephone (—)
Actor
Freejack (1992)
as Ripper
La Bamba (1987)
as Bob Morales
Sudbury (2004)
as Gary Hallet
Art of Love (2021)
Actor
Dark Horse (2027)
as Paulo Pontes
Halfway There (2017)
as Ian Sanchez
Scorpion Spring (1996)
as Astor
ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2003)
as Self
SuperFly (2018)
as Adalberto Gonzalez
Atlas Shrugged: Part II (2012)
as Francisco d'Anconia
Master Gardener (2023)
as Oscar Neruda
Lethal Seduction (2005)
as Rick Benes / David Lopez
Monty and the Movies (—)
as Self (archive footage)
The Principal (1987)
as Raymi Rojas
Coyote (—)
as Hernán Barroca
Southern Cross (1999)
as Philip Solano
Tumor (—)
Actor
Don't Do It (1994)
as Charles
Crescent City (2024)
as Luke Carson
Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (2014)
as Cpt. Jones
Spare Parts (2015)
as Mr. Santillan
Once Upon a Wedding (2005)
as Pineda
Paid in Full (2002)
as Lulu
We Have Your Husband (2011)
as Eduardo Valseca
The Great Love Experiment (1984)
as Miguel Rados
Fast Food Nation (2006)
as Tony
From Dusk Till Dawn: Making the First Season (2014)
Actor
The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2003)
as Vargas Mouse (voice)
In the Army Now (1994)
as Sgt. Stern
Beyond the Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood (2026)
as self
Live Like That (2027)
Actor
The Real Thing (1996)
as Collin
Rapa Nui (1994)
as Make
More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story (2021)
as Self
Cherry (2010)
as Wes
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989)
as Handsome Jack
Naked Tango (1990)
as Zico Borenstein
The Wall of Mexico (2020)
as Henry Arista
The Line (2009)
as Pelon
Senior Moment (2021)
as Diego Lozana
His Heart (—)
Actor
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage (2019)
as Self
Queen of Manhattan (2025)
as Papi
Return to Babylon (2013)
as Assistant Director (scenes deleted)
Saving Westbrook High (2013)
as Manny
Imprisoned (2019)
as Governor Mandera
Give Me Shelter (2014)
as Self - Animal Advocate
Seattle Superstorm (2012)
as Tom Foster
King of the Avenue (2010)
as Natas
Live 2 Die (—)
Actor
Cottonmouth (2025)
as Abe
Dog Watch (1997)
as Murrow
American Virgin (2000)
as Jim the Director
Casa Vita (2016)
as Rodrigo Vita
Forty Deuce (1982)
as Mitchell
The Burning Season (1994)
as Jair
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998)
as Dominguez
Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 14 (1995)
as Tony Archer
Gun Hill Road (2011)
as Enrique Rodriguez
Death in Granada (1996)
as Ricardo
Find Your Groove (2020)
as Self
Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story (1996)
as Federico Pena
The Virgin of Juarez (2006)
as Father Herrera
The Journey of a Female Comic (2014)
Actor
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema (2002)
Actor
Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun (1993)
as Kenny
The Waiter (1993)
as Julius
Kill Kill Faster Faster (2008)
as Markie
How to Go Out on a Date in Queens (2006)
as Frankie
The Manufacturing of 'Fast Food Nation' (2007)
as Self
So Much for Love (—)
as Geoffrey
American Fusion (2005)
as Jose
Circle of Deceit (1998)
as Jeff Silva
Playin' for Love (2015)
as Principle Jose Marti
17th Precinct (2011)
as Liam Butterfield
Rainy Day Friends (1985)
as Neekos Valdez
Love and Other Stunts (2018)
Actor
Somos un solo pueblo (1995)
as Self
The Cure (2007)
as Jorge
Doomsday Man (2000)
as Mike
A Family in Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story (2000)
as Juan Miguel Gonzalez
Celebrity Habla (2009)
as Self
Ultraviolet (1992)
as Nicholas Walker
Bay City Story (1992)
Actor