Lazaro "Laz" Alonso is an American film and television actor. He is best known for playing Tsu'tey in James Cameron's

James Cameron

James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...

 science fiction film Avatar. He is also well known for his role as Fenix "Rise" Calderon in the film Fast & Furious. Alonso has had roles in other films such as Jarhead

Jarhead (film)

Jarhead is a 2005 biographical drama war film based on U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford's 1991 Gulf War memoir of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with co-stars Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chris Cooper. The title comes from the slang term used to refer to...

, This Christmas

This Christmas (film)

This Christmas is a 2007 Christmas comedy-drama film produced by and distributed by Screen Gems. Written, produced and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmastime story that centers around the Whitfield family, whose eldest son has come home for the first time in four years...

, and Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna is a 2008 war film, directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride, based on McBride's novel of the same name. The film was released on September 26, 2008, and is set during World War II, in fall of 1944 in Tuscany and in the winter of 1983 in New York City and Rome...

.

Career

He has had supporting roles in films such as Stomp the Yard

Stomp the Yard

Stomp the Yard is a 2007 drama and dance film produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division on January 12, 2007. Directed by Sylvain White, Stomp the Yard centers around DJ Williams, a college student at a fictional historically Black university who pledges...

, Down for Life

Down for Life (film)

Down for Life is a 2010 American dramatic film directed by Alan Jacobs based on the true story of a 15-year old Latino gang leader in Watts, Los Angeles. The story follows one day in her life as she struggles to break away from her gang...

, Jarhead

Jarhead (film)

Jarhead is a 2005 biographical drama war film based on U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford's 1991 Gulf War memoir of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with co-stars Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chris Cooper. The title comes from the slang term used to refer to...

(His interpretation of a United States Marine in this film was loosely based on a USMC classmate that lived in his dormitory in college.), G

G (2002 film)

G is a film released in 2002 by Christopher Scott Cherot. It made its worldwide premiere on May 10, 2002 at the Tribeca Film Festival in USA. It made its theatrical premiere on October 28, 2005 in the US, more than 3 years from its initial premiere. Since then, it has been released on DVD in Spain,...

, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood

Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood

Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood is a 2003 direct-to-video comedy-horror film written and directed by Steven Ayromlooi. The sixth installment of the Leprechaun series taking place before the events of Leprechaun 3, Leprechaun, Leprechaun 2 and Leprechaun 4: In Space the film has the villainous...

, This Christmas

This Christmas (film)

This Christmas is a 2007 Christmas comedy-drama film produced by and distributed by Screen Gems. Written, produced and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmastime story that centers around the Whitfield family, whose eldest son has come home for the first time in four years...

, and Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna

Miracle at St. Anna is a 2008 war film, directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride, based on McBride's novel of the same name. The film was released on September 26, 2008, and is set during World War II, in fall of 1944 in Tuscany and in the winter of 1983 in New York City and Rome...

. In 2009, he played Fenix "Rise" Calderon, one of the main antagonists in the film Fast & Furious, and had a major role as the Na'vi warrior, Tsu'tey, in James Cameron's science fiction adventure film Avatar.
He has made television guest starring appearances on The Unit

The Unit

The Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force...

, Bones

Bones (TV series)

Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...

, CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

, NCIS

NCIS (TV series)

NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...

, The Practice

The Practice

The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...

and Eyes

Eyes (TV series)

Eyes is an ABC television series starring Tim Daly as Harlan Judd. Eyes follows the firm of Judd Risk Management which uses marginally legal means to investigate individuals and crimes where law enforcement would fall short...

. Alonso appeared in music videos by Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton

Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...

 & Aaliyah

Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...

. Alonso also hosted shows on the BET

Bet

Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...

 network.

Personal life

Alonso was born in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 of Cuban descent. He is an alumnus of Howard University

Howard University

Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...

. After graduating from Howard University

Howard University

Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...

 with a BBA

BBA

BBA may refer to:*Bachelor of Business Administration, degree*Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO against child labour in India*Backyard Brawlers Association, a wrestling promotion based primarily out of Rockville Centre, NY*Balanced Budget Act, U.S...

 in Marketing, he had a lucrative career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch

Merrill Lynch

Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...

 on Wall Street

Wall Street

Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...

. He currently resides in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	A.M. @ BET	Host	TV series
2000	Disappearing Acts Disappearing Acts Disappearing Acts is a 2000 romantic drama, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and stars Sanaa Lathan, Wesley Snipes, and Regina Hall. The film is an adaptation of the New York Times best-selling novel Disappearing Acts, by Terry McMillan....	Moving Man	TV movie
2001	30 Years to Life 30 Years to Life 30 Years to Life is a 2001 American comedy film, written and directed by Vanessa Middleton. The film marks Middleton's directorial debut, and stars Allen Payne, Paula Jai Parker, and Tracy Morgan.-Plot:...	Richard
2001	Down to Earth Down to Earth (2001 film) Down to Earth is a 2001 comedy film directed by Chris and Paul Weitz. It is the third film adaptation based on Harry Segall's stageplay Heaven Can Wait, preceded by Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait . The film stars Chris Rock as Lance Barton, a comedian who is killed before his time on...	BET Announcer
2001	NYLA	Host	TV series
2002	Morning Breath	Migeulito	Short film
2002	G G (2002 film) G is a film released in 2002 by Christopher Scott Cherot. It made its worldwide premiere on May 10, 2002 at the Tribeca Film Festival in USA. It made its theatrical premiere on October 28, 2005 in the US, more than 3 years from its initial premiere. Since then, it has been released on DVD in Spain,...	Craig Lewis
2002	All Night Bodega	Angel
2002	Providence Providence (TV series) Providence is an American drama series that aired on NBC starring Melina Kanakaredes. The show ran for five seasons from January 8, 1999 until December 20, 2002.-Synopsis:The show revolves around Dr...	Eddie	Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night" Episode: "Left-Overs"
2003	Crime Partners	David Little
2003	La cenicienta	Lazaro	Episode: "La Cenicienta"
2003		Derek Mills	Episode: "The Heat of Passion" Episode: "Rape Shield"
2003–2004	One on One One on One (TV series) One on One is an American sitcom that aired on the now-defunct UPN from its September 3, 2001 premiere until May 15, 2006. The series stars Flex Alexander as a single sportscaster, who becomes a full-time dad when his ex-wife decides to accept a job out of the country and his teenage daughter...	Manny	3 episodes
2004	Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...	Dwayne	Episode: "The Line"
2004	Soul Food	Derek	Episode: "Pagan Poetry"
2004	NCIS NCIS (TV series) NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...	Staff Sergeant Steven Washington	Episode: "Split Decision"
2004	CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....	Dennis de Labeque / Deuce Deuce	Episode: "Pro Per"
2004	Hittin' It!	Chris B.
2005	All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos	Tyler
2005	Constantine Constantine (film) Constantine is a 2005 American action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou...	Morgue Security Guard
2005		Jacob 32
2005	Flip the Script	Nelson
2005	Entourage Entourage (TV series) Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...	Snoop's Assistant	Episode: "The Abyss"
2005	Jarhead Jarhead (film) Jarhead is a 2005 biographical drama war film based on U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford's 1991 Gulf War memoir of the same name, directed by Sam Mendes, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with co-stars Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chris Cooper. The title comes from the slang term used to refer to...	Damien
2005	Bones Bones (TV series) Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...	George Warren	Episode: "The Man in the Wall"
2005–2007	Eyes Eyes (TV series) Eyes is an ABC television series starring Tim Daly as Harlan Judd. Eyes follows the firm of Judd Risk Management which uses marginally legal means to investigate individuals and crimes where law enforcement would fall short...	James Cage	4 episodes
2006	One on One One on One (TV series) One on One is an American sitcom that aired on the now-defunct UPN from its September 3, 2001 premiere until May 15, 2006. The series stars Flex Alexander as a single sportscaster, who becomes a full-time dad when his ex-wife decides to accept a job out of the country and his teenage daughter...	Trent	Episode: "California Girl"
2006		Wesley
2006		Sgt. Carmichael	Episode: "Natural Selection"
2007	Stomp the Yard Stomp the Yard Stomp the Yard is a 2007 drama and dance film produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division on January 12, 2007. Directed by Sylvain White, Stomp the Yard centers around DJ Williams, a college student at a fictional historically Black university who pledges...	Zeke	Film
2007	Capitivity	Det. Ray Di Santos
2007	Bunny Whipped Bunny Whipped -Cast:*Dan Warner*Joey Lauren Adams as Ann*Laz Alonso as Kenny Kent*Pedro Miguel Arce as Security Guard*Ike Barinholtz as Joe*Dre Bowie as Groupie*Eric Bradley as Additional Voices*Damian Cecere as Police Officer...	Kenny Kent	Film
2007	Mano	Angel	Short film
2007	This Christmas This Christmas (film) This Christmas is a 2007 Christmas comedy-drama film produced by and distributed by Screen Gems. Written, produced and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmastime story that centers around the Whitfield family, whose eldest son has come home for the first time in four years...	Malcolm Moore
2007	Divine Intervention	Deacon Wells
2008	Miracle at St. Anna Miracle at St. Anna Miracle at St. Anna is a 2008 war film, directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride, based on McBride's novel of the same name. The film was released on September 26, 2008, and is set during World War II, in fall of 1944 in Tuscany and in the winter of 1983 in New York City and Rome...	Corporal Hector Negron
2009	Fast & Furious	Fenix "Rise" Calderon	Film
2009	The Ballad of G.I. Joe The Ballad of G.I. Joe The Ballad of G.I. Joe is a video short released in 2009 on the website Funny or Die. Written by Daniel Strange and Kevin Umbricht, it parodies several characters from G.I...	Doc Doc (G.I. Joe) Doc is the code name of two fictional characters from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic book and cartoon series....	Video short
2009	U.S. Attorney	Henry Williams	TV movie
2009	Down for Life Down for Life (film) Down for Life is a 2010 American dramatic film directed by Alan Jacobs based on the true story of a 15-year old Latino gang leader in Watts, Los Angeles. The story follows one day in her life as she struggles to break away from her gang...	Officer Barber
2009	Columbia Ave.	Max DelGado	Short film
2009	Avatar	Tsu'tey	Film
2010	Just Wright Just Wright Just Wright is a 2010 romantic comedy film starring Common and Queen Latifah that tells the story of a physical therapist who falls in love with a pro basketball player. The film received mixed reviews.-Plot:...	Mark Matthews	Film
2010–2011	Southland Southland (TV series) Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...	Det. Gil Puente	4 episodes
2011	Straw Dogs Straw Dogs (2011 film) Straw Dogs is a 2011 American thriller film directed, produced, and written by Rod Lurie. It is a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 film of the same name, itself based on the Gordon Williams novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm.-Plot:...	Deputy John Burke
2011	Jumping the Broom Jumping the Broom Jumping the Broom is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Salim Akil and produced by Tracey E. Edmonds, Elizabeth Hunter, T.D. Jakes, Glendon Palmer, and Curtis Wallace....	Jason Taylor	Film
2011–Present	Breakout Kings Breakout Kings Breakout Kings is an American drama television series created by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, which airs on the A&E network. The series premiered on March 6, 2011. The series was picked up for a second season on July 6, 2011, which is expected to begin in 2012.-Premise:In order to catch escaped...	Charlie Duchamp	renewed for second season

External links

• Interview with Laz Alonso, January, 2008, by Joshua Hudson, G.I. Jobs Magazine http://www.gijobs.net/magazine.cfm?id=1003&issueId=76