Biography
Esteban Andres Cruz was born in Berwyn and grew up in Cicero, Illinois, beginning their acting journey at the age of five. Their first role was as Ignorance or Want in a local production of A Christmas Carol, marking the start of a lifelong connection to the stage. Raised by a Puerto Rican father and a Mexican mother alongside five brothers, Esteban was immersed in the culturally rich environment of a town known for figures like Al Capone and Joe Montegna. Family gatherings featured Salsa and Merengue dancing, while ballet was off-limits. In high school, Esteban took up Mexican Folklorico dance and joined the theater department at J Sterling Morton East High School, home to the historic 2,000-seat Chodl auditorium. Under the guidance of Thomas Rusnak, Esteban learned not just acting but all aspects of stagecraft, participating actively in both the Tech Guild and Thespian Society while performing in plays and musicals and taking on various theater roles.
During high school, Esteban’s career expanded to include dancing, choreography, and singing. They were eventually permitted to study with Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre in Chicago’s Fine Arts Building, earning a full scholarship and beginning formal concert dance training. Within six months, Esteban advanced to the company’s second troupe, launching their professional dance career. They began choreographing for dancers, their high school, and Chicago’s storefront theaters at age 17, winning the AFTER DARK AWARD for BEST CHOREOGRAPHY as a senior. Esteban continued to choreograph and direct movement, focusing on guiding non-dancer actors for stage and screen. In the same building, they also trained in Italian art songs and German Lieder, studying composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven, and Brahms, under the tutelage of Wagnerian tenor Robert Berthold well beyond high school and college.
College brought Esteban to the dance conservatory Barat, where they studied under Eileen Cropley (connected to the Paul Taylor Company and Martha Graham lineage), becoming a "3rd Generation Graham Dancer." While majoring in dance, Esteban also acted and minored in classical music (singing and piano), developing a passion for jazz. After two years, they transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to continue dance studies in Limon, Horton, and Cunningham techniques. There, Esteban sang with the University Big Band and smaller ensembles, ultimately earning a degree in Rhetoric with a minor in Dance. Their studies emphasized creative writing, nonfiction, prose poetry, and feminist theory, while they remained active in dance performances, theater productions, and served as principal dancer with the Champaign-Urbana Ballet.
Post-college, Esteban joined the Cincinnati Ballet corps de ballet but moved to Chicago after one season to pursue diverse artistic opportunities. In Chicago, Esteban freelanced with ballet companies and joined modern dance troupes such as Hedwig Dances, Zephyr Dance, and Deeply Rooted, dedicating seven years to RTG Dance as performer, teacher, and choreographer. They engaged with Chicago’s vibrant storefront theater and improv scenes, continuing jazz performance and training. Esteban was a familiar presence at the New Apartment Lounge on 79th and MLK, where jazz legend Von Freeman encouraged their musical improvisation by inviting them to sing on stage.
Parallel to their jazz studies, Esteban honed improvisational skills at iO (formerly Improv Olympic) for seven years, performing on teams including LIONELLE and The Gerald (Harold's Gay Cousin), and as a guest with the musical improv troupe BABY WANTS CANDY. They also appeared at the Annoyance, Playground, and Second City theaters, where they joined the Latino sketch troupe Salsation!, performing in sketches and revues. A standout moment was starring as the lead in SCAREFACE, THE MUSICAL during the Fanta Menace revue.
As acting gained prominence, Esteban made their opera debut in 2008 as Puck in Benjamin Britten’s MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The following year marked significant breakthroughs: their first national commercial for Southwest Airlines, joining SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association, and landing the role of Pepe Perez in A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR 3D CHRISTMAS alongside Danny Trejo.
In 2009, Esteban began studies at the School at Steppenwolf and was nominated for a Jeff Award for Best Actor for their lead role as Angel Cruz in Stephen Adly Guirgis’s JESUS HOPPED THE A TRAIN. Against expectations, they won the award, encouraged by teacher Alexandra Billings. This recognition propelled Esteban’s theater career in Chicago and beyond.
Following an acclaimed run in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE directed by David Cromer, Esteban joined the East Coast remount with Jessica Hecht and Sam Rockwell. Back in Chicago, they performed at Victory Gardens, Writers Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, and other venues before relocating to Hollywood to continue work in television, film, and theater.
In 2017, Esteban attended their first Independent Spirit Awards, celebrating the success of their Sundance debut film SPA NIGHT, which won the Cassavetes Best Feature Award. In 2018, they received the Theatre Communications Group’s Fox Foundation Actor Fellowship, a $25,000 award honoring some of the nation’s finest stage actors. Esteban used the fellowship to volunteer in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, assisting in rebuilding efforts in rural towns Yabucoa and Humacao. They also collaborated with Stephen Adly Guirgis on new plays HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN and a stage adaptation of DOG DAY AFTERNOON. In 2020, Esteban made their off-Broadway debut in the world premiere of HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Featured Actor.
Currently awaiting a return to the stage post-pandemic, Esteban continues working in film and television. Upcoming projects include the film RATTLED! and a comedic role as Mr. Coquavin in the second season of the Chicago-based series SOUTH SIDE.
Recently, Esteban revisited their choreography and movement roots by coaching movement for the television series LIGHTYEARS, starring Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons, working under director Victoria Mahoney.
The stage remains Esteban’s true home, with dance as their first love, and they look forward to sharing more stories across film and television.
