Kirk Acevedo

Armed with good looks and a palpable intensity, Kirk Acevedo garnered praise on several acclaimed television projects, working with some of the most respected actors and directors in the industry. Acevedo's breakthrough role came in the form of conflicted gang member Miguel Alvarez, an inmate housed within the walls of the brutal state prison, "Oz" (HBO, 1997-2003). One of the few characters to survive the vaunted series' entire run, Acevedo was given time off to make a notable appearance in filmmaker Terrence Malick's WWII drama "The Thin Red Line" (1998), as well as the Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries "Band of Brothers" (HBO, 2001). Life after "Oz" saw Acevedo taking on prime roles on the police procedural spin-off series "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (NBC, 2005-06), followed by a part on the Irish mob drama "The Black Donnellys" (NBC, 2007), neither of which lasted more than a season. The actor had somewhat better luck with a recurring character on the J.J. Abrams-created sci-fi series "Fringe" (Fox, 2008-2013) before jumping ship to co-star on another cop drama, "Prime Suspect" (NBC, 2011-12) and later taking a lead role in the cable adaptation of science fiction thriller "12 Monkeys" (Syfy 2015- ). Adept at playing men of action, honor and complexity, Acevedo continued to excel in roles on some of the best dramas television had to offer.

Born on Nov. 27, 1974 in Brooklyn, NY, Acevedo was raised in the Bronx and attended LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, then received his BFA from Purchase College, State University of New York, the alma mater of several fellow "Oz" actors including Edie Falco, Robert Clohessy and Seth Gilliam. There he also met up with Shea Wigham, with whom he would found The Rorschach Group, a New York theater company. Guest work on the NYC-filmed dramas "New York Undercover" (Fox, 1994-98) and "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) marked the actor's entry into television work. The big screen called soon after, and turns in such independents as "Arresting Gena" (1997) and "Kirk and Kerry" (1997) resulted in a respectable amount of buzz.

That same year, Acevedo earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for his intense turn in the revival of Sam Shepard's edgy "Tooth of Crime," then began his run on the brutal prison drama, "Oz" (HBO, 1997-2003) as Miguel Alvarez, a young street tough from a long line of incarcerated men whose vanity played a great role in his downfall. Mentally troubled as a result of his imprisonment and the death of his infant son, Alvarez cut his own face, though the long scar on his face detracted only slightly from his good looks. Internal battles within the drug-running Latino prison gang and personal conflicts with the warden (Ernie Hudson) culminated in a prison break for Alvarez, which was ultimately a time-off from the series, during which the actor filmed his part in the 2001 HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers." Before long, however, his Alvarez was back behind bars again. A deeply disturbed and remarkably compelling character, Alvarez was given life by Acevedo with a consistently courageous and emotionally true performance.

Acevedo's supporting role in Terrence Malick's lyrical World War II drama "The Thin Red Line" (1998) earned him critical notice and a 1999 Alma Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2000, Acevedo increases his exposure with several roles, including a small part in the stock market drama "Boiler Room," a turn in the prison-set feature "The Visit" and a featured supporting role in the Jamie Foxx action vehicle "Bait." The following year would see Acevedo return to World War II with his work in "Band of Brothers," a miniseries produced by "Saving Private Ryan" vets Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. He also had roles in two restaurant-centered independents. The straight-to-video romantic comedy "In the Weeds" (1999) featured the actor as a psycho chef, while "Dinner Rush" (2001) co-starred Acevedo as the black sheep son whose gambling debts threaten to ruin his restaurant owner father's plans for expansion.Returning to television, Acevedo made appearances in episodes of "Third Watch" (NBC, 1999-2005), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ) and "24" (Fox, 2001-2010) before reprising his "SVU" character District Attorney Investigator Hector Salazar on the surprisingly short-lived "Law & Order: Trial By Jury" (NBC, 2005-06). After a not-so-prominent role as an anonymous sentry in "The New World" (2005) and an appearance on the hit series "Numb3rs" (CBS, 2004-2010), Acevedo returned to regular series work with "The Black Donnellys" (NBC, 2007), writer-director Paul Haggis' look at four Irish brothers (Jonathan Tucker, Thomas Guiry, Billy Lush and Michael Stahl David) rising up the ranks of the mob in NYC's Hell's Kitchen. Acevedo played an aspiring rival mobster who is not afraid of putting his own interests above his loyalties.After the early demise of "Black Donnellys," Acevedo was brought on to the sci-fi adventure series "Fringe" (Fox, 2008-2013) as FBI special agent Charlie Francis, second-in-command of the Fringe unit - a covert division dedicated to investigating unexplained mysteries. Although killed at the beginning of season two, Acevedo returned in the third season as an "alternate" version of Det. Francis, living in a parallel world. Sticking with sci-fi material, he later starred as a disgraced scientist trying to prevent the planet Mercury from destroying the world in the made-for-TV disaster flick "Collision Earth" (Syfy, 2011). From his stint on "Fringe," Acevedo went on to a regular series role as NYPD homicide detective Luisito Calderon on the ratings-challenged police procedural "Prime Suspect" (NBC, 2011-12), a remake of the U.K. series of the same name, starring Maria Bello as a tough-as-nails New York cop; the series was poorly received and canceled after a single season. Acevedo returned to science fiction as Jose Ramse, the sidekick role on the apocalyptic series "12 Monkeys" (Syfy 2015- ).

By Bryce Coleman