Benjamin Bratt was born on December 16, 1963 into a diverse family background. His mother Eldy, a nurse, is Quechua Indian from Lima, Peru and his father, a sheet-metal worker, is American with German and English descent.

His mother is also a Native American activist who took her five children along when she was part of the Alcatraz prison takeover, she wasn’t the first landing party of Indians who took the island, but arrived the next day with Benjamin and his siblings. Benjamin was born and raised in San Francisco and lives there today.

Benjamin has three sisters, one brother, Peter Bratt whom is a Producer and three half brothers from his father’s previous marriage.

Benjamin’s grandfather George Bratt was a Broadway actor in the 1920s and 1930s.

Today Benjamin is very involved and a supporter of Native American causes such as the American Indian College Fund, the Tribal Athletics Program, the American Indian Friendship House and the United Indian Nations.

In 1987 he played the character of Sgt. Rosendo Juarez in the television pilot Juarez and Lovers, however the show didn’t get aired. He gave his screen debut in the 1988 television movie, “Police Story: Gladiator School”. His first lead role was the character ex-gang leader who became the leader of an anti-crime patrol Tony Maldonado in the television series Knightwatch from 1988 to 1989.

Benjamin Bratt is known for his role in the successful television series‚ Law & Order where he played Detective Reynaldo 'Rey' Curtis from 1995 to 1999. The character's Mestizo ancestry, a mix of Native Peruvian and German-English backgrounds, was the same as Benjamin’s background. This outstanding performance brought him two wins at the American Latino Media Arts Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series on Law & Order in 1998 and 1999. Other wins and nominations are as follows:
Emmy Awards
· Nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Law & Order in 1999
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards
· Won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture for Traffic in 2001
· Nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order in 1999
· Nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order in 1998
· Nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order in 1997
· Nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Law & Order in 1996
American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Awards
· Won Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for Piñero in 2002
· Won Outstanding Actor in a Made-for-Television Movie for Exiled in 1999
Blockbuster Awards
· Won Favorite Supporting Actor in a Comedy for Miss Congeniality in 2001

During his work on the series, he made several other movies, including 1996 movie “Follow me home” where Benjamin starred and produced with his brother Peter Bratt before he decided to quit Law & Order to spend more time with his family and to focus on making movies.

Several movies followed before Benjamin gave one of his best performances in the 2001 movie “Piñero”, playing the lead role of Miguel Piñero.

Named “The Sexiest Man in Hollywood” in a poll by cable channel E! in October 2002 and named “50 Most Beautiful” by People’s Magazine in 1999. Benjamin is certainly an actor to see, respect and adore.

In 2005 and 2006, Benjamin was back on the television screens. He stared as Major Jim Tisnewski in the series ‚E-Ring. The series was cancelled after the first season with many episodes left for viewing.

Benjamin’s latest movie “Love in the time of Cholera” is about a love triangle set in turn of the century South America, where he plays the character Dr. Juvenal Urbino. The release date is set for November 2007.