Benjamin Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Traffic, and Piñero. He starred on the A&E Network drama The Cleaner.
Early life
Bratt was born in San Francisco, California, the son of nurse Eldy (née Banda) and a sheet metal worker father. Bratt's mother is a Peruvian Indigenous activist of the Quechuas tribe; born in Peru, she moved to the U.S. at age 14. His father was an American of German and English descent. They married December 30, 1960, in San Francisco, but divorced in September 1967. Bratt's paternal grandfather, George Cleveland Bratt (March 5, 1893-March 29, 1984), was a Broadway actor who married his grandmother Wiltrude Hildner on August 6, 1920, in Detroit, Michigan.
As a child, Bratt went with his mother and siblings to participate in the 1969 Native American occupation of Alcatraz. Today Bratt is an active supporter of such Native American causes as the American Indian College Fund and We Shall Remain, a mini-series and multi-media project, narrated by Bratt, that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history from PBS' acclaimed series American Experience.
His brother, Peter Bratt, wrote and directed Follow Me Home, casting Benjamin as Abel. Also "La Mission" (2010 Indie Film) casting as Che
Bratt has been a strong supporter and board member of San Francisco Bay Area's Friendship House Association of American Indians and Native American Health Center for years.
Schooling
In San Francisco, Bratt attended Lowell High School, where he developed his dramatic and oratory skills as a member of the Lowell Forensic Society. Bratt earned a B.F.A. at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he also joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Although accepted into the M.F.A. program at the American Conservator Theater in San Francisco, he left before receiving his degree to star in the television series Juarez.
Personal Life
In 1998, he began dating actress Julia Roberts. He escorted her to the March 25, 2001, Academy Awards ceremony, at which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Three months later, in June 2001, they announced that they were no longer a couple.
Less than a year later, he married his pregnant girlfriend, actress Talisa Soto, on April 13, 2002, in San Francisco. The two met ten years earlier during the casting audition of Blood In Blood Out and afterwards off and on they saw each other. It was not until while filming Piñero that they began to develop a relationship. Their first child, daughter Sophia Rosalinda Bratt, was born on December 6, 2002; their second child, son Mateo Bravery Bratt, was born on October 3, 2005, in Los Angeles.
In April 2010, he revealed a new tattoo on his right upper arm. The reveal occurred on the Wendy Williams show, and was her catch phrase "How You Doin'?"
Career
Bratt's best-known role has been that of Det. Rey Curtis on the television show Law & Order. In 1999, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on the series. His more popular films include Miss Congeniality, Blood in Blood out and Traffic. On June 23, 2009, Bratt appeared on The View to promote The Cleaner.
On October 14, 2009, it was announced that Benjamin Bratt will guest-star on ABC's hit comedy, Modern Family, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Bratt will play the ex-husband of Sofia Vergara's Gloria.
On October 23, it was announced that Bratt will return as Detective Reynaldo Curtis on Law & Order, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Curtis reunited with his former boss, Lt. Anita van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson), which aired on December 11, 2009. Bratt was nominated for a best supporting actor Emmy for the role in 1999. After four seasons, he left the show that same year to pursue a film career.
In 2009, Bratt performed in The People Speak (film) a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on Historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States”.
Awards and Nomination
ALMA Awards
2009 Category: Best Actor in Drama (Year in Television) for The Cleaner (2008) (TV)
2002 Category: Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for Pinero (2001)
1999 Category: Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990)
1999 Category: Outstanding Actor in Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series for Exiled (1998) (TV Movie)
1998 Category: Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
2001 Category: Favorite Supporting Actor - Comedy for Miss Congeniality (2000)
Emmy Awards
1999 Category: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990)
Imagen Foundation Awards
2009 Category: Best Actor - Television for The Cleaner (2008) (TV)
NCLR Bravo Awards
1996 Category: Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990)
PRISM Awards
2009 Category: Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline for The Cleaner (2008) (TV)
Razzie Awards
2005 Category: Worst Screen Couple for Catwoman (2004) shared with Halle Berry; Sharon Stone
2001 Category: Worst Screen Couple for The Next Best Thing (2000) shared with Madonna; Rupert Everett
Screen Actors Guild Awards
2001 Category: Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture for Traffic (2000) shared with Steven Bauer; James Brolin; Don Cheadle
2000 Category: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990) shared with Angie Harmon; Steven Hill; Jesse L. Martin
1999 Category: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990) shared with Angie Harmon; Steven Hill; Carey Lowell
1998 Category: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990) shared with Steven Hill; Carey Lowell; S. Epatha Merkerson
1997 Category: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990) shared with Jill Hennessy; Steven Hill; Carey Lowell
1996 Category: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order (1990) shared with Jill Hennessy; Steven Hill; S. Epatha Merkerson
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