Kirk Acevedo

Kirkland M. Acevedo, known professionally as Kirk Acevedo, was born on November 27, 1971 in New York City, where he was raised in the Bronx alongside his brother Richard. Of Puerto Rican descent, Acevedo displayed a passion for performance from an early age, staging improvised shows for his family and taking drama classes throughout his schooling. He honed his craft at the illustrious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts at SUNY Purchase’s School of Acting. While still a student, he auditioned for the groundbreaking HBO series Oz and secured the role of the volatile gang leader Miguel Álvarez, a part that propelled him from a newcomer to a series regular and marked the beginning of a prolific television career. His early work also included a memorable turn as Staff Sergeant Joe Toye in Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed miniseries Band of Brothers and supporting roles in films such as The Thin Red Line and Boiler Room.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Acevedo demonstrated remarkable versatility, appearing in a wide array of genres from crime dramas like Law & Order: Trial by Jury to sci‑fi thrillers such as Fringe, where he portrayed FBI Agent Charlie Francis and later returned as a shapeshifting parallel‑universe counterpart. He has also become a familiar face on the small screen in series like 12 Monkeys, where he played José Ramse, and Arrow, taking on the recurring villain Ricardo Diaz before becoming a series regular. His filmography includes notable titles such as Dinner Rush, Invincible, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Acevedo’s contributions have been recognized with an ALMA Award for The Thin Red Line and multiple nominations for his performance in Oz. Beyond acting, he co‑founded the theatre company The Rorschach Group, reflecting his ongoing commitment to the performing arts.