What is Esai Morales's Net Worth?
Esai Morales is an American actor who has a net worth of $5 million. Esai Morales is known for his work on such television series as "American Family," "Resurrection Blvd.," "NYPD Blue," "Caprica," and "Titans." He has also appeared in numerous films, including "Bad Boys," "La Bamba," "My Family," and "Gun Hill Road." Among Morales's other credits is the action spy sequel "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning," in which he plays the main antagonist.
Early Life
Esai Morales was born on October 1, 1962 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City to welder Esai Sr. and garment industry union activist Iris. He is of Puerto Rican ancestry. Passionate about acting early on in life, Morales attended the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan.
Film Career
In 1982, Morales made his film debut in Paul Morrissey's "Forty Deuce." His breakthrough, however, came the next year in the crime drama "Bad Boys," in which he starred opposite Sean Penn. Morales had another starring role in the 1986 drama "Rainy Day Friends," playing a teenager with cancer. He subsequently portrayed Bob Morales, the ex-convict half-brother of rock musician Ritchie Valens, in the 1987 biographical film "La Bamba." The same year, Morales had a supporting role in the crime thriller "The Principal." His subsequent credits included the period comedy "Bloodhounds of Broadway," the erotic drama "Naked Tango," and the science-fiction action film "Freejack." In 1994, Morales appeared in three films: "Rapa-Nui," "Don't Do It," and "In the Army Now." Over the remainder of the decade, he was in such titles as "My Family," "Livers Ain't Cheap," "Dogwatch," "Scorpion Spring," "The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca," and "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit."
Morales began the new millennium with a small role in the comedy "American Virgin"; he also appeared in "Spin Cycle" and "Doomsday Man." In 2002, he played a drug dealer in the crime drama "Pain in Full." This was followed by roles in "Once Upon a Wedding"; "American Fusion"; "The Virgin of Juarez"; "Fast Food Nation"; "How to Go Out on a Date in Queens"; "Kill Kill Faster Faster"; and "La Linea." In 2010, Morales starred alongside Ving Rhames and Simon Rex in the thriller "King of the Avenue." The following year, he starred in the drama "Gun Hill Road." Morales went on to appear in such films as "Playin' for Love," "Spare Parts," "Superfly," "The Wall of Mexico," and "Senior Moment." In 2022, he was in "The Latin from Manhattan" and Paul Schrader's crime thriller "Master Gardener." It was also announced that Morales would play the main antagonist in both parts of the action spy sequel "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning."
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Television Career
Morales first appeared on television in the 80s with guest appearances on "ABC Afterschool Special," "The Equalizer," "Fame," and "Miami Vice." His first substantial role on the small screen came in 1986, when he appeared alongside Burt Lancaster in the miniseries "On Wings of Eagles," based on the eponymous non-fiction book by Ken Follett. Morales was next in an episode of "The Twilight Zone." In the 90s, his credits included episodes of "Tales from the Crypt," "The Outer Limits," "The Hunger," and "L.A. Doctors." Morales also appeared in such television films as "The Burning Season," "Circle of Deceit," and "Atomic Train."
Morales's career on television really took off in the 2000s. Beginning the century, he had a recurring role on the Showtime series "Resurrection Blvd." and a main role as Lieutenant Tony Rodriguez on the police procedural series "NYPD Blue." Morales had another main role on the landmark PBS series "American Family," the first broadcast television drama series to feature a mostly Latino cast. In 2006, he had a recurring role on the Fox series "Vanished." Two years after that, Morales had a main role in the second season of "Jericho." He subsequently starred on the science-fiction series "Caprica" from 2009 to 2010, and in the latter year, starred in the miniseries "Los Americans." Morales went on to play a number of recurring roles after that, including on "Criminal Minds," "Magic City," "How to Get Away with Murder," "Chicago P.D.," and "NCIS: Los Angeles." Meanwhile, he had main roles on "The Brink," "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series," "Ozark," and the DC Comics superhero series "Titans."
Personal Life and Activism
With his wife Elvimar Silva, Morales has a daughter named Mariana.
Morales has been involved in a number of activist endeavors. Inspired by his union organizer mother, he co-founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and was a founding board member of the Earth Communications Office. Morales also appeared in a benefit reading of "The Gift of Peace" in early 2007 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse.
