Biografia
Ruben Pla grew up in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in New York City. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Florida International University. After returning to Manhattan, he studied Method acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory and participated in the Actors Studio workshop led by Elia Kazan, who, after seeing Pla perform a scene, told the class, "I believe him."
Pla then immersed himself in Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, television, and film projects. In Los Angeles, he appeared in numerous TV shows, including How to Get Away with Murder, 24, Weeds, Criminal Minds, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, The Practice, and Everybody Loves Raymond. His film credits include Insidious, Malignant, Contracted, Big Ass Spider, Chemical Peel, and Glowzies. Throughout his career, Pla has portrayed a wide range of characters such as lawyers, doctors, police officers, soldiers, a Supreme Court justice, and a zombie.
He has acted alongside notable performers like Patrick Wilson, Viola Davis, Pierce Brosnan, James Remar, Rose Byrne, Bruce Greenwood, Angie Harmon, Greg Grunberg, Jaimie Alexander, Steve Guttenberg, Kal Penn, Brad Garrett, Annie Potts, and Joe Mantegna. Pla has collaborated multiple times with esteemed directors James Wan, Hank Braxtan, and Mike Mendez. On television, he has been directed by renowned figures including James Burrows, Gary Halvorson, Marshall Herskovitz, Thomas Schlamme, Jon Cassar, and Daniel Sackheim.
Behind the camera, Pla directed the award-winning documentary The Horror Crowd (2020), which was selected for over 40 film festivals. In this film, he interviews prominent Hollywood horror figures such as Lin Shaye, Russell Mulcahy, Darren Lynn Bousman, Oren Peli, Mike Mendez, Jeffrey Reddick, Adam Robitel, and others, exploring their passion for the genre and what drives their creative vision.
