David Zayas

Zayas worked across actor, police officer, character actor, stage actor and television actor and 1 further recorded occupations. This article rests on 34 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — David Zayas • Born — 15 August 1962 • Birthplace — Ponce, Puerto Rico • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1995–present

Zayas was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and raised in The Bronx, New York.

Zayas joined the United States Air Force at age 19 and was a police officer with the New York City Police Department for almost 15 years. His experience as a police officer allowed him to develop as a character actor, leading to a series of acting jobs on television and film, mainly playing law enforcement officers, but playing characters on the other side of the law, as well, such as Enrique Morales on HBO's long-running prison-drama Oz. Zayas was a main cast member of Dexter for all of its eight seasons and its spinoff series Dexter: Resurrection. Zayas has been a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company since 1992, a New York City-based traveling actors group. He branched out into television and film projects, and has diversified with guest roles in such popular television series such as New York Undercover, Person of Interest, FBI (playing Mexican drug lord Antonio Vargas), and NYPD Blue. At LAByrinth, he met his future wife, actress Liza Colón. • Illustration — (L-R): Julie Benz, David Zayas, Michael C. Hall and C.S. Lee at the Paley Center for Media Gala Honoring Showtime Networks in 2008 Zayas played a corrupt police officer in 16 Blocks (2006) and an NYPD officer in Michael Clayton (2007). He is featured in the independent film Shadowboxing (2010), which appeared on the film festival circuit. He appears in Sylvester Stallone's feature film The Expendables (2010) and The Brothers Strause's film Skyline (2010). In 2012, Zayas played Ernie Trask, a hotel super, in the twelfth episode of season 1 of Person of Interest. In 2013 he portrayed Detective Esteban Flores in Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret, a television film about the murder of Travis Alexander. Zayas portrayed mob boss Sal Maroni in the Batman prequel Gotham, which premiered on Fox on September 22, 2014. Shortly thereafter, he appeared in Annie (2014) as Lou, a gregarious bodega owner who helps Cameron Diaz's Hannigan learn to love herself. Zayas starred in the 2021 film R#J, a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Shaun Munro noted Zayas as one of the few prominent actors present in the film and called him "well-cast in the role of Juliet’s amusingly surly father."

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1995 — Law & Order — McGinty — Episode: "Savages" • 1996 — New York Undercover — Paco Martinez — Episode: "The Enforcers" • Law & Order — Raoul Cervantes — Episode: "Causa Mortis" • 1997 — Feds — Unknown — Episode: "Somebody's Lyin'" • 1998 — Trinity — Uniform Cop #1 — Episode: "...To Forgive, Divine" • Law & Order — Carlos — Episode: "Flight" • 1999 — Third Watch — Motorman — Episode: "Welcome to Camelot" • 2000 — NYPD Blue — Joaquin Enriquez — Episode: "These Shoots Are Made for Joaquin" • The Beat — Rei Morales — 12 episodes • All My Children — Unknown — Episode: "13 December 2000" • 2000–2003 — Oz — Enrique Morales — 26 episodes • 2001 — Wit — Code Team Blue Head — Television film • 2002 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Detective Milton — Episode: "Protection" • UC: Undercover — Jorge Gonzales — Episode: "Manhunt" • Guiding Light — Prison Guard — Episode: "22 October 2002" • 2003 — Law & Order — John Mireles — Episode: "Smoke" • Angels in America — Super — 3 episodes • Undefeated — Paulie — Television film • 2005 — Angel — Angel's Father — Television film • 2006–2013 — Dexter — Angel Batista — 96 episodes • 2006 — Numb3rs — Carlos Costavo — Episode: "Brutus" • 2006 — Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Fire Marshall — Episode: "On Fire" • 2007 — Without a Trace — Gabriel Molina — Episode: "Crash and Burn" • Shark — Alvarez — Episode: "Strange Bedfellows" • The Closer — Brian — Episode: "Grave Doubts" • Burn Notice — Javier — Episode: "Pilot" • 2008 — Law & Order — Detective Justin Cabrera — Episode: "Submission" • 2009 — CSI: Miami — Ben Porterson — Episode: "Wolfe in Sheep's Clothing" • In Plain Sight — Harrison Locke — Episode: "Rubble with a Cause" • 2010 — Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Lt. Stanley Maas — Season 9: 2 episodes • 2012 — Person of Interest — Ernie Trask — Episode: "Super" • Grimm — Salvadore Butrell — Episode: "Leave It to Beavers" • 2013 — The Following — Tyson Hernandez — Episode: "Guilt" • Deception — Frank — Episode: "Pilot" • Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret — Detective Esteban Flores — Television film • 2013–2023 — The Blacklist — Manny Soto — 4 episodes • 2014 — Saint George — Junior — 6 episodes • 2014–2015 — Gotham — Sal Maroni — 8 episodes • 2015 — Elementary — Juan 'El Gato' Murillo — Episode: "The Past Is Parent" • 2016 — Bloodline — Sheriff Aguirre — 7 episodes • 2016–2017 — Shut Eye — Eduardo Bernal — 20 episodes • 2017–2024 — Blue Bloods — Governor of New York Martin Mendez — 7 episodes • 2018 — Seven Seconds — Captain Carlos Medina — Episodes: "Of Gods and Men", "Until It Do" • Chicago P.D. — Carlos Mendoza — Episode: "Endings" • Quantico — Charlie — Episode: "Hell's Gate" • 2019 — Deadly Class — El Alma del Diablo — 5 episodes • 2020 — Next — Ignacio — 3 episodes • 2020–2021 — FBI — Antonio Vargas — 3 episodes • 2021 — Pose — Carlos — Episode: "Something Old, Something New" • 2021–2022 — Dexter: New Blood — Angel Batista — Episodes: "Runaway" & "Sins of the Father" • 2024 — Diarra from Detroit — Marshall — Recurring role • Bob's Burgers — Bubble Master (voice) — Episode: "Jade in the Shade" • 2024–2026 — The Bear — David Marrero — 5 episodes • 2025 — Dexter: Resurrection — Angel Batista — 10 episodes • 2026 — The Night Agent — Mike Fonseca — Episode: "Package Deal" • 2026 — R.J. Decker — Victor Ochoa • 2026 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Judge Warren Fels — Episode: "Corrosive"

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2000 — Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train — Valdez — East 13th Street Theatre • 2003 — Our Lady of 121st Street — Edwin — Union Square Theatre • Anna in the Tropics — Cheché — Royale Theatre • 2008 — The Little Flower of East Orange — Espinosa / Surgeon 2 — Joseph Papp Public Theater/Martinson Hall • 2022 — Cost of Living — Eddie — Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Nominated—Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play • 2024 — Brooklyn Laundry — Owen — New York City Center Stage I

Zayas worked as actor, police officer, character actor and stage actor, and the authority record catalogues a further 2 occupations under the same name, among them television actor and film actor. Zayas was active from 1995. Zayas was employed by New York City Police Department. Zayas worked in Spanish.