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