October 24: Happy Birthday Raul Esparza

[TMC]

https://lebeauleblog.com/2017/10/24/...rza-and-drake/

Raúl Esparza is turning 47 today. He graduated from NYU in 1992 and made his screen debut in a guest role on Spin City in 1997. He has made guest appearances on series such as Pushing Daisies and A Gifted Man, and appeared in the recurring role of Frederick Chilton on NBC’s Hannibal. He has had roles in feature films such as My Soul to Take and Custody. However, his best known screen role is undoubtedly as Rafael Barba on Law & Order: SVU; he has been a regular on the long-running series since 2013.

On stage, Esparza is a major star. He made his Broadway debut, to much acclaim, in 2000, as Riff Raff in a revival of The Rocky Horror Show. He has gone on to be a four-time Tony nominee, once in each of the four major acting categories (Best Actor and Best Featured Actor in both a Musical and a Play). He has been seen on Broadway in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow, Taboo (with lyrics and music from Boy George), and Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George and Company (to give a partial listing). The 2006 revival of Company, in which Esparza starred as Bobby, was recorded and broadcast by PBS and later released on DVD and Blu-ray.