Bio
Laz Alonso is an American actor best known for his film roles as Tsu'tey in Avatar and as villain Fenix "Rise" Calderon in Fast & Furious, both in 2009.
He also starred as Charlie Duchamp in the action crime thriller television drama series Breakout Kings, in 2011 (with a guest appearance in 2012) and as federal agent Will Moreno, the ambitious and no-nonsense former SFPD partner of Detective Joanna Padget Locasto (Meagan Good), in Deception, in 2013.
Chosen as one of Variety's Top Ten Actors to Watch in 2009, Alonso can also be seen leading the cast with actress Paula Patton in the Columbia Pictures romantic comedy Jumping the Broom.
In addition to the A&E series Breakout Kings, Alonso also plays the strong supporting role of Sheriff John Burke in Rod Lurie's remake of the Sam Peckinpah classic Straw Dogs.
He executive produced and starred opposite Danny Glover in Alan Jacobs' Down for Life (aka Por Vida), which ended up with a much-coveted position in the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, for which it was critically acclaimed.
In 2008, Alonso starred in Miracle at St. Anna for director Spike Lee. His past movie credits include lead roles in the Sony/Screen Gems' hits Stomp the Yard and This Christmas, a lead role in the 2006 Roland Joffe psychological thriller Captivity, and a co-starring role in the 2005 hit Jarhead.
Television credits include guest-starring roles on The Unit, Bones, CSI: Miami, The Practice, Navy: NCIS and Eyes and in 2010 a recurring role in the TNT critically acclaimed series Southland.
Born and raised in Washington DC, Alonso always knew he wanted to be an actor. He graduated from Howard University School of Business. After college, he worked at an investment banking firm.
When his time eventually opened up to exploring his passion for acting, Alonso began taking classes in the evening to hone his craft; it didn't take him long to begin landing roles in commercials and videos.
From DC to New York, Alonso feels his upbringing not only taught him how to deal with the school of hard knocks, but also prepared him for his biggest goal, his acting career. He credits the move to NYC as his move into manhood and the city holds many great memories for him.
He also credits his acting ability to these life experiences, as he is able to bring a little of what he knows or has dealt with into his characters.