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John Augustin Ortiz | |
|---|---|
 Ortiz in 2019 | |
| Born | (1968-05-23)May 23, 1968 (age 56) Bushwick, Brooklyn,New York, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Jennifer Ortiz |
| Children | 1 |
John Augustin Ortiz (born May 23, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his antagonist role as Arturo Braga inFast & Furious (2009) andFast & Furious 6 (2013), and Clyde inJack Goes Boating (2010), which earned him a nomination for theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is also anartistic director/co-founder of theLAByrinth Theater Company.
Ortiz's other film performances include Guajiro inCarlito's Way (1993), Sheriff Eddie Morales inAliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Javier J. Rivera inAmerican Gangster (2007), Ronnie inSilver Linings Playbook (2012), Victor Nieves inKong: Skull Island (2017), Dr. Powell inBumblebee (2018) and Arthur inAmerican Fiction (2023).
Ortiz was born and raised in theBushwick neighborhood ofBrooklyn,New York; he is ofPuerto Rican ancestry. He graduated fromJohn Dewey High School in Brooklyn, where he met his wife. Ortiz resided in that borough with his wife Jennifer and son Clemente until 2010, when he and his family moved toCalifornia.[1]
In 1993, John made his film debut asAl Pacino's young cousin Guajiro inCarlito's Way. He has gone on to appear in over 30 films, includingEl Cantante,Take the Lead,Before Night Falls,Amistad,Ransom, andNarc. His recent film performances include those inMichael Mann'sMiami Vice as drug lord Jose Yero,Ridley Scott'sAmerican Gangster asRussell Crowe's partner Javy Rivera, andTravis Knight'sBumblebee as scientist Dr. Powell.
Among Ortiz's television roles, he has played the lead inJ. J. Abrams'sHope Against Hope forHBO, a series regular onDenis Leary's seriesThe Job andCBS'sClubhouse as well as theNBC cop dramaBlue Blood, directed byBrett Ratner.
In 1992, Ortiz formed Latino Actors Base with 13 other Latino actors to provide themselves with a place to work and an opportunity to become a tightly knit ensemble. Today, that ensemble is known as LAByrinth Theater Company: an award-winning troupe of over 100 artists from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and creative disciplines.
With LAByrinth, he played the role of Clyde in the world premiere ofJack Goes Boating byBob Glaudini (Drama Desk nomination). In 2006, he appeared asChe Guevara in the world premiere ofSchool of the Americas by Jose Rivera, a co-production between LAByrinth Theater Company and The Public Theater. Other co-productions between LAByrinth and the Public include the role of Jesus in the world premiere ofThe Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis, and José Solo inGuinea Pig Solo by Brett C. Leonard. Other LAByrinth Theater credits includeJesus Hopped the A Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis in London and New York (Drama Desk nomination, Drama League Award) andWhere's My Money? written and directed byJohn Patrick Shanley.
In 2003, Ortiz made his Broadway debut in Nilo Cruz'Pulitzer Prize winning playAnna in the Tropics.[2] He appeared in three world premiere plays by José Rivera:The Adoration of the Old Woman atLa Jolla Playhouse,Sueño atMCC Theater andThe Street of the Sun atMark Taper Forum. He was also featured in two New York premieres of Rivera's plays:References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot at the Public Theater (OBIE Award) andCloud Tectonics at Playwrights Horizons. Ortiz also appeared inThe Skin of Our Teeth andDe Donde at the Public Theater; the world tours ofThe Merchant of Venice andThe Persians directed byPeter Sellars;House Arrest atArena Stage; and the national tour ofA Few Good Men;Pentecost atYale Repertory Theatre.
He appeared in the feature filmsAliens vs. Predator: Requiem,Pride and Glory,Public Enemies,Fast & Furious, andJack Goes Boating, directed byPhilip Seymour Hoffman, in January 2009. In Summer 2009, he starred on stage inOthello at the Vienna Festival. Beginning in December 2012, he appeared as Jackie in theStephen Adly Guirgis playThe Motherfucker with the Hat atChicago'sSteppenwolf Theatre Company.[3] He also co-starred inSilver Linings Playbook.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Carlito's Way | Guajiro | |
| Italian Movie | Cesar | ||
| 1995 | Lotto Land | Coco | |
| 1996 | Ransom | Roberto | |
| Sgt. Bilko | Spc. Luis Clemente | ||
| 1997 | Amistad | Montes | |
| 1998 | Side Streets | Ramon Yanes | |
| 1999 | The Last Marshal | Enrico | |
| 2000 | The Opportunists | Ismael Espinoza | |
| Before Night Falls | Juann Abreu | ||
| 2001 | 3 A.M. | Hector | |
| 2002 | Narc | Octavio Ruiz | |
| 2006 | El Cantante | Willie Colón | |
| Take the Lead | Mr. Temple | ||
| Miami Vice | Jose Yero | ||
| The Deep and Dreamless Sleep | Mervin | ||
| 2007 | Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | Sheriff Eddie Morales | |
| American Gangster | Javier J. Rivera | Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
| 2008 | Pride and Glory | Ruben Santiago | |
| 2009 | Public Enemies | Phil D'Andrea | |
| Fast & Furious | Ramon Campos/Arturo Braga | ||
| 2010 | Jack Goes Boating | Clyde | Also executive producer Nominated—Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male |
| 2012 | Silver Linings Playbook | Ronnie | |
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | Arturo Braga | Cameo |
| 2014 | César Chávez | Eli Ordonez | |
| The Drop | Detective Torres | ||
| 2015 | Blackhat | Henry Pollack | |
| Steve Jobs | Joel Pforzheimer | ||
| 2016 | The Finest Hours | Seaman Wallace Quirey | |
| A Woman, a Part | Isaac | ||
| 2017 | A Dog's Purpose | Carlos | |
| Kong: Skull Island | Victor Nieves | ||
| Going in Style | Jesús Garcia | ||
| 2018 | Nostalgia | Daniel Kalman | |
| The Cloverfield Paradox | Monk Acosta | ||
| Peppermint | Detective Moises Beltran | ||
| Replicas | Jones | ||
| Bumblebee | Dr. Powell | ||
| 2019 | Ad Astra | Lieutenant General Rivas | |
| Ms. White Light | Gary | ||
| 2020 | Horse Girl | Ron | |
| 2021 | The Fallout | Carlos Cavell | |
| 2023 | American Fiction | Arthur | |
| The Mothership | Filmed in 2021,abandoned in 2024 during endlesspost-production[4] | ||
| 2025 | Nobody 2 | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–2008 | Law & Order | Roberto Martinez / Victor Vargas | Guest (2 episodes) |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Episode: Olde Tyme Religion | |
| 1996 | Lush Life | Nelson 'Margarita' Marquez | Regular (7 episodes) |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Nicky | Guest (2 episodes) |
| 1997 | Riot | Ciaco | TV movie |
| 2001–2002 | The Job | Ruben Somarriba | Regular (19 episodes) |
| 2003 | The Handler | DEA Agent | Episode: - Homewrecker's Ball |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Officer Zermeño | Episode: Charisma |
| 2004–2005 | Clubhouse | Carlos Tavares | Regular (10 episodes) |
| 2007 | CSI: Miami | Gabriel Soto | Episode: Guerillas in the Mist |
| 2008 | Blue Blood | Hector | TV movie |
| 2009 | Anatomy of Hope | Tom Hernandez | TV movie |
| 2009 | Medium | Agent Daniel Muñoz | Episode: Bring Me the Head of Oswaldo Castillo |
| 2011–2012 | Luck | Turo Escalante | Regular (9 episodes) |
| 2014 | Rake | Ben Leon | Regular (13 episodes) |
| 2015–2016 | Togetherness | David | Recurring (7 episodes) |
| 2017 | The Guest Book | Paul | Guest (2 episodes) |
| 2018 | Mayans MC | Esai "Taino" Osorio | Regular |
| 2019 | The Handmaid's Tale | Principal Jim | Guest |
| 2020 | Messiah | Felix Iguero | Regular (10 episodes) |
| 2020 | Little America | Squash Coach | Episode: The Jaguar |
| 2022 | Promised Land | Joe Sandoval | Lead (Main Cast) (10 episodes) |
| 2022 | Better Things | Ranger | Episode: "We Are Not Alone" |
| 2024 | Will Trent | Antonia Miranda | Recurring (S2) |
| 2024 | Bad Monkey | Rogelio | Recurring |
| 2024 | The Madness | Franco Quinones | Recurring |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Results | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | American Fiction | Nominated | [5] |
| 2020 | Imagen Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Television | Little America | Won | [6] |
| 2010 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Male | Jack Goes Boating | Nominated |
