About Raúl Esparza

Raúl E. Esparza (born October 24, 1970) is an American stage actor. Born in Wilmington, Delaware to Cuban American parents and raised in Miami, Florida, Esparza graduated from Belen Jesuit in 1988 and later received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Esparza first drew attention with his performance in the 2000 Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show, which won him the Theatre World Award. Additional Broadway credits include Cabaret (2001), Taboo (2003), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2005) and Sondheim's Company (2006). He received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in the ill-fated musical Taboo. Esparza's performance in Company earned him a second Tony nomination, this time for Best Actor in a Musical, as well as his second Drama Desk award. Beginning in November 2007, Raúl appeared in Harold Pinter's play The Homecoming and was Tony-nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Play. In 2008, he played Charlie Fox in the revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow co-starring Jeremy Piven and Elisabeth Moss on Broadway. His performance in Speed-the-Plow earned him a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play, making him the second performer after Boyd Gaines to be nominated in all four acting categories a performer is eligible for at the Tonys, although he has yet to win one. His off-Broadway work includes Comedians (2003, The Normal Heart (2004) and the critically acclaimed Public Theatre production of Twelfth Night (2009) which included music by New York-based band, Hem. In 1999, Esparza portrayed Che in the national tour of Evita. In regional theatre, he has appeared in two Stephen Sondheim musicals, Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along both presented at the 2002 Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration. Visit http://www.RaulEsparza.com/ for more information.