Esai Morales

About this actor

Esai Manuel Morales, Jr. (born October 1, 1962) is an American actor known for his role as Bob Valenzuela in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd. Most recently, he played Major Edward Beck in the CBS drama Jericho, and Joseph Adama in Caprica, a prequel to the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series. Morales was born in Brooklyn, New York to Puerto Rican parents Iris Margarita (née Declet), a union activist involved with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, and Esai Morales, Sr., a welder. Morales began his pursuit of an acting career by attending the School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. His first professional performances were in theater and television in New York, and his first film—Bad Boys, about teenagers in prison—was released in 1983. He played the ex-convict and biker half-brother of 1950s rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens in the 1987 movie La Bamba. Some of his other roles...