Benjamin Bratt facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benjamin Bratt
Bratt at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	(1963-12-16) December 16, 1963 (age 61) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Santa Barbara (BFA) American Conservatory Theater
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Talisa Soto ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2
Relatives	Kauchani Bratt (nephew)

Benjamin Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor. He is well-known for his role as Paco Aguilar in the movie Blood in Blood Out. In the 1990s, he had important roles in films like Demolition Man (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), and The River Wild (1994).

From 1995 to 1999, Benjamin Bratt played Detective Reynaldo Curtis on the TV show Law & Order. This role earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Later, he appeared in movies such as Miss Congeniality (2000), Traffic (2000), and Coco (2017). He has also done voice acting for animated films like the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs series and Despicable Me 2. On television, he has been in shows like Private Practice, 24: Live Another Day, Star, and Andor.

Early life and education

Benjamin Bratt was born on December 16, 1963, in San Francisco, California. He was the third of five children. His mother, Eldy, was a nurse and an activist who supported important causes. She was born in Peru and has Quechua heritage. His father, Peter Bratt Sr., had English, German, and Austrian family roots. Benjamin's paternal grandfather, George, was an actor on Broadway.

When Benjamin was six years old, his mother took him and his siblings to participate in the 1969 Native American occupation of Alcatraz. This event helped bring attention to issues faced by Native Americans across the country. Benjamin attended Lowell High School and later earned a degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1986. He also studied at the American Conservatory Theater but left early to start his acting career in the 1988 TV film Juarez.

Acting career highlights

Starting out in acting

Benjamin Bratt began his acting journey at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in 1987. He played smaller roles in plays like Much Ado About Nothing and Richard III. His first big TV role was in the 1988 film Juarez, which was well-received. He then appeared in another TV film, Police Story: Gladiator School, and his first movie role was in Lovers, Partners & Spies. He also worked on TV series such as Knightwatch and Nasty Boys.

Becoming a Hollywood star

After working on several smaller films and TV projects, Bratt gained wider recognition in 1993. He played Paco Aguilar, a gang member who becomes a police officer, in Blood in Blood Out. That same year, he was Officer Alfredo Garcia in Demolition Man. In 1994, he had supporting roles in popular movies like The River Wild and Clear and Present Danger.

His role as Detective Reynaldo Curtis in the TV series Law & Order made him famous around the world. He also played this character in Homicide: Life on the Street and Exiled: A Law & Order Movie. For his work on Law & Order, he won several American Latino Media Arts Awards and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

In 1999, Bratt decided to leave Law & Order to spend more time with his family. He returned to the show for a special episode in 2009, reuniting with his former co-star S. Epatha Merkerson.

Recent work in film and TV

Bratt at the 2010 Carnaval San Francisco

In 2000, Benjamin Bratt starred alongside Sandra Bullock in the comedy Miss Congeniality. He also had a role in the movie Traffic. In 2001, he played the real-life Puerto Rican actor and poet Miguel Piñero in the film Piñero, earning another American Latino Media Arts Award. Bratt has often played characters of Hispanic heritage in his career.

He has appeared in many other films, including The Woodsman, The Great Raid, Snitch, Ride Along 2, The Infiltrator, and Doctor Strange.

On television, Bratt has been in shows like The Cleaner, Private Practice, and Star. He also made guest appearances in popular series such as Modern Family and Poker Face.

Benjamin Bratt is also known for his voice acting. He voiced Manny the cameraman in the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies and El Macho in Despicable Me 2. In 2017, he voiced Ernesto de la Cruz, a famous singer, in the Disney-Pixar movie Coco. He sang the song "Remember Me" in the film, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In 2025, Bratt joined the cast of the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor for its second season. He plays Senator Bail Organa, a character previously seen in other Star Wars stories.

Activism and community work

Benjamin Bratt is very involved in supporting Native American communities. He has been active in the American Indian Movement and supports groups like the American Indian College Fund.

He narrated We Shall Remain (2009), a PBS miniseries that tells the history of Native Americans. He also supports organizations like the Friendship House Association of American Indians and the Native American Health Center in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 2002, Bratt received the Rita Moreno Award for Excellence from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) for his contributions. In 2017, he was a consulting producer for the film Dolores, which tells the story of Dolores Huerta, a civil rights activist. In 2023, he co-executive produced Wings of Dust, a documentary about water issues in Peru.

Personal life

Benjamin Bratt married actress Talisa Soto on April 13, 2002, in San Francisco. They first met many years before during an audition. They have two children: a daughter named Sophia Rosalinda Bratt, born in 2002, and a son named Mateo Bravery Bratt, born in 2005.

In 2024, San Francisco State University honored Benjamin Bratt with a special doctorate degree.

Filmography

Film roles

Television roles

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Benjamin Bratt para niños