Biography
Actor, Director, and Producer Román Zaragoza has quickly become "one to watch" in the entertainment industry, bringing diverse stories to life on stage and screen.
On the film front, Zaragoza produced the short film "This Is Their Land," which takes place during the Modoc War of 1872-73 and follows the Modoc Civic Leader, Captain Jack, as he negotiates for peace in his homeland against the U.S. army, and the sacrifices he is forced to make for the sake of his people. As a director, Zaragoza co-directed a music video entitled "Change Your Name" for artist Raye Zaragoza, one of his two sisters, which was inspired by their mother's life and experiences of the immigration process.
Zaragoza identifies as mixed race, being of Akimel O'odham and Mexican descent on his father's side and Japanese and Taiwanese descent on his mother's side. His father, acclaimed actor Gregory Zaragoza and mother, college business professor Shirley, supported Zaragoza's love of theatre, film, and television from a very young age, with one of his earliest childhood memories spending time backstage watching his father star in the 1999 Broadway revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" alongside the legendary Bernadette Peters. Zaragoza's family moved to Hell's Kitchen when he was 9, where he would take the subway to school and pass by all of the major Broadway shows, which had a huge influence on his future career. When Zaragoza was 11, his family moved to southern California where he would continue taking acting and improvisation, dance, and singing lessons. When Zaragoza was 15 he started working with Native Voices at the Autry, the Equity Native American Theatre company. It was there that he met his mentor, Randy Reinholz, who made an influential impact on Zaragoza's life as well his show "Off the Rails" at Native Voices which was later selected to go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Zaragoza attended California State University Northridge where he graduated with a degree in Film Production. He is a proud member of CSUN's American Indian Student Association and continues his involvement post-graduation. While in college, he took time to go work with the prestigious Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF - 2017, 2018, 2019) where he was able to further hone his craft. Zaragoza notes that his time working with the company aided in discovering more about his identity, specifically his racial identity. Upon graduation and finishing his time with OSF, Zaragoza landed his biggest role, co-starring on CBS' "Ghosts." Additional credits for Zaragoza include appearing on ABC's "Stumptown" (where he worked alongside his dad for the first time professionally), "Those Who Can't," and "Austin & Ally."
When he isn't on set, Zaragoza works on his poetry and essay skills. Like his character in "Ghosts", he is a passionate storyteller. He also enjoys rock climbing, has trained in martial arts and boxing, and played soccer since he was little. Zaragoza has supported a handful of charitable organizations over the years, including: Seeding Sovereignity, Black Lives Matter, Return to the Heart Foundation, and IllumiNative; an initiative created and led by Native Americans to challenge the negative narrative that surrounds their communities and to ensure accurate and authentic portrayals are present in pop culture and the media.
