Oscar night has come and gone. While there were some memorable moments – that Common and John Legend performance, win & speech, Zoe Saldana looking fine as ever and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s big win and awesome shout out to Mexico. We can’t help but think of all the Latino talent in Hollywood that has been underappreciated or unnoticed. For every, Iñárritu, Benicio and Bardem there are talented Latino thespians who haven’t gotten their props. Let’s take a look at a few.
Esai Morales
Mr. Morales burst upon the scene back in 1983 with a memorable turn in Bad Boys opposite Sean Penn. He held his own and even stole scenes from the Oscar winner as antagonist Paco Moreno. Morales would go on to elevate and fine tune the heel character in La Bamba, as Bob, the half-brother of late pop star Ritchie Valens. Although both were certifiable hits thanks to his performances, leading man roles were not forthcoming. Morales has continued to do steady and solid television work in shows such as NYPD Blue, Caprica and most recently Magic City, as well as indie films like Gun Hill Road and King of the Avenue. We are sure even more fine work is on the way, here’s hoping it Morales gets some long overdue accolades.
Tony Plana
Cuban-born, Jose Antonio Plana, has been in the game since the 1970’s. The actor and director is best known as the Suarez family patriarch from the hit show Ugly Betty. However, his resume spans five decades, with appearances in over 70 films such as Zoot Suit, An Officer and A Gentleman, Nixon and Pain & Gain. Plana is also the co-founder and executive artistic director of the East L.A. Classic Theatre, a group comprised primarily of Hispanic American theatre professionals. Today Plana continues to break new ground. Currently he can be seen in Amazon Prime’s first original series Alpha House opposite John Goodman and fellow Latino thespian Mark Consuelos.
