Rick Gonzalez Biography

Rick Gonzalez performed in many school plays and was known to improvise his acts. This skill was the reason why his teachers encouraged him to pursue acting as a career. He graduated from the High School of the Performing Arts, Manhattan, New York. Although he began his career in New York, he soon moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles to get more opportunities. In 1997, he made an appearance in the television series ‘F/X: The Series.’ In 1998, he played the role of Sanchez in the television movie ‘Thicker than Blood’. Since then, he has been playing a diverse variety of roles both on television and in movies. In 2000, he acted in many award-winning television series, including ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ‘Touched by an Angel’, ‘Mambo Cafe’ and ‘Prince of Central Park.’ He also played a prominent role in the TV series ‘Boston Public’, from 2000 to 2001. He essayed the character of a gangbanger in the movie ‘Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles’ in 2001. In the same year, he also acted as Jorge Escalona in the famous television series ‘ER’.

The year 2002 was a monumental one for him. He starred as Rudy Bonilla in the movie ‘The Rookie.’ This was one of his major performances, bringing him much acclaim. In 2002, Gonzalez returned to TV, acting as Lucas in ‘The Shield’ and Tomas in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’ That year, he also worked in the film ‘Laurel Canyon’ as Wyatt. From 2003 to 2004, he continued appearing on TV series ‘Old School’ and ‘Subway Cafe.’ The year 2005 proved to be a milestone in his career. His role as Timo Cruz in the movie ‘Coach Carter’ is considered to be his most iconic performance by many. In the same year, he also played the film roles of Vincent in ‘War of the Worlds’ and Naps in ‘Roll Bounce’.

The year 2006 saw him back as a TV actor. He was Marcus in ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ and Hector Riviera in ‘CSI: Miami’. He also acted in movies like ‘First Snow’ and ‘Pulse’. His roles in ‘Illegal Tender’ in 2007 and ‘Pride and Glory’ in 2008 were also well received by moviegoers and critics. From 2007 to 2009, Gonzalez reprised the role of Ben Gonzalez in the TV series ‘Reaper’. He was seen in many television series from 2007 to 2019, including in ‘Blue Bloods (2013), ‘Rush’ (2014) and ‘Rosewood’ (2016). His role as Rene Ramirez or Wild Dog both in Arrow (2016-2019) and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ in 2017 is considered one of his most popular performances. He appeared in the ‘Reaper Reunion Special’ along with other cast members in 2013 and the 30-minute program was aired on FEARnet.

Rick Gonzalez played the role of Rudy Bonilla in the movie ‘The Rookie’ in 2002, starring alongside Dennis Quaid. He has been reprising the role of Rene Ramirez or Wild Dog in the extremely popular television series ‘Arrow’ since 2016. This is considered to be one of his most successful performances to date.

Rick Gonzalez has appeared in a few music videos, including an opening speech in the music video ‘Hope’ by Twista and Faith Evans, in rapper Obie Trice’s song ‘Snitch’ and as Jesus in Lady Gaga’s song ‘Judas’. He also has a mix tape album called ‘The Invisible Man.’

Rick Gonzalez was born on June 30, 1979 in New York City to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents. He was raised in Brooklyn and completed his elementary and junior high school from there. After graduating from High School of the Performing Arts in 1997, he began his career in acting. He is married to Sherry Aon and has a child with her. Their daughter was born on July 26, 2013. Rick Gonzalez’s nickname is October Gonzo. He got this nickname after he began blogging about the MLB Post Season (2008).