In 1993, John made his film debut as
Al Pacino's young cousin Guajiro in ''
Carlito's Way. He has gone on to appear in over 30 films, including El Cantante, Take the Lead, Before Night Falls, Amistad, Ransom, and Narc''. His recent film performances include those in
Michael Mann's
Miami Vice as drug lord Jose Yero,
Ridley Scott's
American Gangster as
Russell Crowe's partner Javy Rivera, and
Travis Knight's
Bumblebee as scientist Dr. Powell. Among Ortiz's television roles, he has played the lead in
J. J. Abrams's
Hope Against Hope for
HBO, a series regular on
Denis Leary's series
The Job and
CBS's
Clubhouse as well as the
NBC cop drama
Blue Blood, directed by
Brett Ratner. In 1992, Ortiz formed Latino Actors Base with 13 other Latino actors to provide themselves with a place to work and an opportunity to become a tightly knit ensemble. Today, that ensemble is known as LAByrinth Theater Company: an award-winning troupe of over 100 artists from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and creative disciplines. With LAByrinth, he played the role of Clyde in the world premiere of
Jack Goes Boating by
Bob Glaudini (Drama Desk nomination). In 2006, he appeared as
Che Guevara in the world premiere of
School of the Americas by Jose Rivera, a co-production between LAByrinth Theater Company and The Public Theater. Other co-productions between LAByrinth and the Public include the role of Jesus in the world premiere of
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis, and José Solo in
Guinea Pig Solo by Brett C. Leonard. Other LAByrinth Theater credits include
Jesus Hopped the A Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis in London and New York (Drama Desk nomination, Drama League Award) and ''Where's My Money?'' written and directed by
John Patrick Shanley. In 2003, Ortiz made his Broadway debut in Nilo Cruz'
Pulitzer Prize winning play
Anna in the Tropics. He appeared in three world premiere plays by José Rivera:
The Adoration of the Old Woman at
La Jolla Playhouse,
Sueño at
MCC Theater and
The Street of the Sun at
Mark Taper Forum. He was also featured in two New York premieres of Rivera's plays:
References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot at the Public Theater (
OBIE Award) and
Cloud Tectonics at Playwrights Horizons. Ortiz also appeared in
The Skin of Our Teeth and
De Donde at the Public Theater; the world tours of
The Merchant of Venice and
The Persians directed by
Peter Sellars;
House Arrest at
Arena Stage; and the national tour of
A Few Good Men;
Pentecost at
Yale Repertory Theatre.
Recent projects Ortiz appeared in the feature films
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem,
Pride and Glory,
Public Enemies, Fast & Furious, and
Jack Goes Boating, directed by
Philip Seymour Hoffman, in January 2009. In Summer 2009, he starred on stage in
Othello at the Vienna Festival. Beginning in December 2012, he appeared as Jackie in the
Stephen Adly Guirgis play
The Motherfucker with the Hat at
Chicago's
Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He also co-starred in
Silver Linings Playbook. ==Filmography==