Esai Morales

Joined the CBS series "Jericho" in a recurring role, as Col. Hoffman, a career military officer and Iraq War veteran

Cast as part of an ensemble in "Fast Food Nation," Richard Linklater's adaptation of Eric Schlosser's non-fiction book

Cast in the short-lived Fox drama, "Vanished" as an FBI agent

Cast in the lead role of Cesar Castillo in the Broadway-bound musical staging of "The Mambo Kings"

Had recurring role on the PBS drama "American Family" as an ex-convict

Joined regular cast of the ABC series "NYPD Blue" as Lt. Tony Rodriguez

Played recurring role in the Showtime drama series "Resurrection Blvd."

Had leading role in "The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca"

Co-starred in ABC TV-movie "Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story"

Appeared in "My Family/Mi Familia"

TV directorial debut, "America's Most Wanted"

Broadway debut as a young Syrian in love with the titular temptress in "Salome"

Played the ex-convict/half-brother of 1950s rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens in "La Bamba"

TV miniseries debut, "On Wings of Eagles" starring Burt Lancaster

First feature starring role, "Rainy Day Friends" (released on video 1988)

TV acting debut, "The Great Love Experiment", an "ABC Afterschool Special"

Feature debut, "Bad Boys" opposite Sean Penn

Off-Broadway debut at age 17 in NY Shakespeare Festival production of "The Tempest"

Ran away from home at age 15 when his mother objected to his theatrical ambitions; became a voluntary ward of the state (date approximate)

Enrolled in NYC's High School of Performing Arts

Professional stage debut, "El Hermano" at the Ensemble Theater in NYC