A San Francisco native and proud alumnus of American Conservatory Theater’s ATP – receiving an honorary M.F.A. in 2008 – Benjamin Bratt has enjoyed a diverse career that has successfully spanned film and television for more than 20 years.
In 2010, Bratt won Cinequest’s Maverick Spirit Award for his work as producer and star of the San Francisco independent hit “La Mission.” Written and directed by his brother, Peter Bratt, the locally produced film earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture, a GLAAD Award nomination and multiple Imagen Awards, including Best Actor.
Bratt’s distinguished film career includes the critically acclaimed films “Piñero,” in which he starred as the poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero; Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic,” which received five Academy Award nominations and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Ensemble Cast; and “The Woodsman,” a festival and critical favorite starring Kevin Bacon. A veteran of more than 25 films, Bratt’s other notable work includes Curtis Hansen’s “The River Wild,” opposite Meryl Streep; “Blood In, Blood Out,” for director Taylor Hackford; “Snitch,” for director Ric Roman Waugh; “Clear and Present Danger,” opposite Harrison Ford; the beloved comedy “Miss Congeniality,” with Sandra Bullock; and the theatrical adaptation of the acclaimed novel “Love in the Time of Cholera,” co-starring Javier Bardem.
He voiced the character of “Manny” in the film “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and its sequel, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.” He also voiced “Eduardo” in “Despicable Me 2,” and will play “Ernesto de la Cruz” in the upcoming animated film “Coco,” which hits theaters this November.
Bratt is perhaps best known for his Emmy Award-nominated role as “Detective Rey Curtis” on “Law & Order.” From 2008-2009, he starred in the drama series “The Cleaner,” for which he also served as producer. His portrayal of extreme interventionist “William Banks” garnered him an Alma Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. He also starred in the medical drama “Private Practice” and continues to recur on the hit comedy series “Modern Family.” In 2014, he co-starred on FOX’s “24: Live Another Day.”
Currently, Bratt can be seen in “Shot Caller,” another collaboration with director Ric Roman Waugh. He recently was featured in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” opposite Benedict Cumberbatch; “The Infiltrator,” opposite Bryan Cranston; the feature comedy “Ride Along 2,” opposite Ice Cube and Kevin Hart; and “Special Correspondents,” for director Ricky Gervais.