John Ortiz Biography

JOHN ORTIZ

Date of Birth: May 23, 1968

Puerto-Rican American actor John Ortiz was born in Brooklyn, New York, and has since appeared in over 30 films. He made his film debut as Al Pacino's cousin Guajiro in 1993's Carlito's Way.

Next for John were a few small roles in films such as the Mel Gibson thriller Ransom (1996), the Luke Perry crime drama Riota (1997), the historical drama Amistad (1997) and the indie flick Side Streets (1998).

He also appeared (both as a guest and a regular) on numerous television series, including Law & Order, Touched by an Angel, The Job, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Clubhouse and Medium.

In 2003, John made his Broadway debut in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Anna in the Tropics. His interest in the theater grew and he subsequently appeared in three world premiere plays by Oscar-nominated playwright José Rivera: The Adoration of the Old Woman, Sueño and The Street of the Sun.

Over the course of his career, John has had roles in many high-profile movies, including El Cantante (2006), Take the Lead (2006), Miami Vice (2006), American Gangster (2007), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Pride and Glory (2008), Public Enemies (2009) and Fast & Furious (2009). He also had supporting roles in the 2012 hit Silving Linings Playbook alongside Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, the thriller Blackhat (2015) starring Chris Hemsworth and the 2015 biopic Steve Jobs, starring Michael Fassbender.

John then played Seaman Wallace Quirey in the man vs. the elements action flick The Finest Hours (2016), alongside Chris Pine and Casey Affleck. His most recent projects include the family drama A Dog's Purpose (2017), the action reboot Kong: Skull Island (2017), the comedy Going in Style (2017), the drama Nostalgia (2018), the action film Peppermint (2018) starring Jennifer Garner and the sci-fi drama Replicas (2019), starring Keanu Reeves.

John is also an advocate for the advancement of Latinos in the performing arts. In 1992, he founded the Latino Actors Base (LAB) with 13 other actors in order to give themselves readily available and consistent work, as well as to form an established ensemble of Latino actors. The LAB eventually morphed into the LAByrinth Theater Company, a New York-based, non-profit, off-Broadway company with a troupe of over 100. John has performed in many of the LAByrinth's productions and is the artistic director.

In 2010 John and his wife, production editor Jennifer Ortiz and son Clemente, moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn.

Filmography:

Peppermint (2018)
Nostalgia (2018)
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
A Dog's Purpose (2017)
Going in Style (2016)
A Woman, a Part (2016)
The Finest Hours (2016)
Steve Jobs (2015)
Blackhat (2015)
The Drop (2014)
Cesar Chavez (2014)
Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Jack Goes Boating (2010)
Public Enemies (2008)
Fast & Furious (2009)
Pride and Glory (2008)
American Gangster (2007)
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
The Deep and Dreamless Sleep (2006)
Miami Vice (2006)
Take the Lead (2006)
El cantante (2006)
Narc (2002)
Piñero (2001)
3 A.M. (2001)
Before Night Falls (2000)
The Opportunists (2000)
The Last Marshal (1999)
Side Streets (1998)
Amistad (1997)
Sgt. Bilko (1996)
Ransom (1996)
Lotto Land (1995)
Carlito's Way (1993)