Biografia
Eliezer Ortiz is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning actor in film, television, and theater. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Humacao, the hometown of legendary icon Rita Moreno, Ortiz has established himself as one of the leading Afro Latino actors. He has appeared in over 100 films, with notable leading roles in Annie and The Gypsy alongside Cybill Shepherd, Starlet with Dree Hemingway, and Brando Unauthorized with Damian Chapa. His filmography continues to expand with starring roles in Faze, Archives of Horror, Circumstances, The Last Transformation of Francisco, Debbie and Desdi, The Wizard of Ozcar, among others, while also performing supporting roles in numerous films showcased at festivals nationally and internationally.
On television, Ortiz has contributed to over thirty projects, including I Met My Murderer Online (CBS), Unusual Suspects, Torn From The Headlines, Murder Book, Call 911 (Investigation Discovery Channel), Vindicated (BET TV), Cursed (Bio Channel), 1000 Ways to Die (Spike TV), Fugitivos De La Ley LA (Mun2), Next Stop for Charlie (Showtime), and Bizarre Murders (Plex), among others.
An accomplished stage actor, Ortiz’s respected theater credits include Deborah Warner's The Angel Project (Lincoln Center, NY), The Gas Heart, Act Without Words II (Geffen Playhouse, LA), La Gringa (Coachella Valley Rep), A Prayer For The Infidel (The Elephant Theater, LA), Luisa Fernanda (Million Dollar Theater, LA), Toypurina, The Mission Play (San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, LA), Life Is A Dream, Cecilia Valdes, Cumbia De Mi Corazón (Carmen Zapata Theater BFA, LA), The Air Over Omaha, The Will of the World's Way, (dub)zeck, Smutopia, Covered (Highways Performance Space, LA), Annie Okay (Hammer Museum, LA), Pleasant Ave (Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, NY), Tell Me A Story Papi (Repertorio Español, NY), and over 35 additional theater productions.
Ortiz served as director of The Raúl Juliá Training Unit at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York, under the artistic leadership of esteemed actress Miriam Colón, and has taught acting at UCLA. He was assistant director to Tony Award-winning actor and director Roger Robinson for Emigrants, a play representing the USA at the IV International Festival of Theater in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He holds a BA in Theater from the University of Puerto Rico and an MFA in Acting from UCLA, where he trained with Sir Anthony Hopkins, Mel Shapiro, Gil Gates, Gordon Hunt, Ellen Geer, and others. Additionally, he studied at the Moscow Art Theater School (MXAT) at Harvard University and the British American Drama Academy (BADA) at Oxford University. Ortiz was nominated by the Desert Theater League for the Desert Star Award as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama for La Gringa, won Best Actor at the LA 48 Hours Film Project Festival for the film 2042, and has been honored by the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts as well as receiving the UCLA Jack Okie "It's All in Fun" Award for Excellence in Acting.
