Benito Martinez (born June 28, 1971) is an American actor of Guatemalan heritage best known for his role as David Aceveda in FX Networks' critically acclaimed crime drama The Shield, which brought him national and international attention.
He played Brett in the first Saw film.
Career[]
Born in 1971 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Benito Martinez started performing on stage at age 8 by playing the vihuela in the Mariachi Del Norte de Bennie Martinez, his father's mariachi. The following year, he also started participating in theatrical productions at La Compania de Teatro de Albuquerque, a bilingual theater company co-founded by his mother, Margarita Martinez. After many years of doing both, Martinez decided to pursue his passion for acting.
At the age of 16, he gained his first television role in the short-lived drama series The Bronx Zoo. Throughout his career, he appeared in numerous guest-starring, recurring and regular roles in films and popular TV series, such as Firefly and Supernatural, and voiced several characters in various video games, including Killer7 or Age of Empire III. However, his breakthrough came in 2002, when he started to play David Aceveda in the acclaimed crime drama series The Shield, which ran from 2002 to 2008.
Martinez received his theatrical training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art's prestigious three-year program after attending Hollywood High Performing Arts Magnet in Los Angeles. At the academy, he obtained an advanced certificate in stage combat.
Filmography[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Sunset Grill | Guillermo |
| 1995 | My Family | Young Paco |
| Ballistic | Gang Leader | |
| Outbreak | Dr. Julio Ruiz | |
| 2000 | Romeo and Juliet | Tybalt |
| 2002 | New Suit | Juan |
| 2003 | Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico | El Curandero / Man #2 |
| 2004 | Saw | Brett |
| ¡Mucha Lucha!: The Return of El Maléfico | Lonestar / Don Reyes | |
| Million Dollar Baby | Billie's Manager | |
| 2006 | End Game | Ramsey |
| Kill Your Darlings | Officer Jones | |
| 2008 | The S Word | Dad |
| The Man Couch | ||
| 2009 | Not Forgotten | Detective Sanchez |
| 2010 | The Dry Land | David Valdez |
| Unthinkable | Alvarez | |
| Takers | Officer in Charge | |
| 2012 | Bless Me, Ultima | Gabriel |
| 2014 | Beyond the Lights | Jesse Soria |
| 2017 | American Made | James Rangel |
| 2019 | Queen & Slim | Sheriff Edgar |
| 2023 | Fool's Paradise | Mayor Raposa |
Television Series[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Bronx Zoo | Fernandez |
| 1990-1992 | Zorro | Jose Macias / José Maceas |
| 1992 | Reasonable Doubts | Savedra |
| 1993 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Salazar |
| 1995 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Hotel Manager |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | Orderly |
| 1997 | Sunset Beach | Salvador Aguilar |
| 1998 | The X Files | Orderly |
| L.A. Doctors | Policeman | |
| 1999 | Silk Stalkings | Cesar Lobo |
| 2001 | NYPD Blue | Lt. Gomez |
| Touched by an Angel | Officer Dave | |
| Once and Again | Raoul | |
| 2002 | American Family | Police Officer |
| For the People | Dr. Leonard Bushnell | |
| Firefly | Corbin | |
| 2003 | Karen Sisco | Ed Fuentes |
| What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Horatio Hidalgo | |
| 2002-2005 | ¡Mucha Lucha! | Lone Star |
| 2006 | Monk | Foreman - Juror No. 7 |
| Numb3rs | Arthur Ruiz | |
| Bones | Thomas Vega | |
| 2007 | Standoff | Senator Espinosa |
| 2008 | Shark | Agent Juarez |
| 2002-2008 | The Shield | David Aceveda |
| 2008-2009 | The Unit | President Benjamin Castillo / President-Elect Benjamin Castillo |
| 2009 | The Forgotten | Police Chief |
| 2010 | 24 | Victor Aruz |
| Burn Notice | David | |
| Lie to Me | Charlie Sheridan | |
| 2009-2010 | Saving Grace | Ronnie / Ronnie Rodriguez |
| 2011 | Covert Affairs | Jorge |
| Torchwood | Captain Santos | |
| 2011-2012 | Supernatural | Edgar / Leviathan |
| Sons of Anarchy | Luis Torres | |
| 2012 | Major Crimes | Javier Ramirez |
| 2013 | NCIS: Los Angeles | Gonzalo Vargas |
| Castle | Special Agent Sam Walker | |
| Dallas | Officer | |
| Almost Human | Captain Alexio Barros | |
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Gabriel Ortiz |
| The Mentalist | Commander Delgado | |
| Graceland | Alfredo Armas | |
| 2014-2015 | House of Cards | Hector Mendoza |
| 2015 | Criminal Minds | Chief Raul Montoya |
| Code Black | Steve Jasso | |
| 2015-2017 | American Crime | Alonzo Gutierrez / Luis Salazar / Dominic Calderon |
| 2017 | The Leftovers | Arturo |
| 2016-2018 | How to Get Away with Murder | A.D.A. Todd Denver |
| 2018 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Santino Rojas |
| Shooter | President Alvarez | |
| 2016-2019 | The Blacklist | Senator Diaz |
| 2019 | Jack Ryan | Senator Moreno |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Mateo Dias | |
| 2019-2020 | 13 Reasons Why | Sheriff Diaz |
| 2021 | On My Block | Ricky Galindo |
| 2022 | S.W.A.T. | Miguel |
| Big Sky | Dr. Cowley | |
| 2021-2022 | Mr. Mayor | Mayor Victor Delgado |
| 2023 | The Rookie | Judge Rivas |
| 2021-2023 | 9-1-1: Lone Star | Gabriel Reyes |
| With Love | Jorge Diaz Sr. | |
| 2024 | CSI: Vegas | Raphael Tarquenio |
Television Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Her Costly Affair | Campus Cop |
| 2010 | Mandrake | Harry |
| Lies in Plain Sight | Hector Delgado | |
| 2016 | Home | Peter Ochoa |
| 2017 | Menendez: Blood Brothers | Jose Mendenez |
| Behind Enemy Lines | Mateo Rodriguez | |
| 2019 | Jane the Novela | Raul |
Video Games[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Killer7 | Coyote Smith |
| Age of Empires III | Delgado / General Bolivar | |
| 2007 | The Shield | Captain David Aceveda |
| 2010 | Vanquish | Prof. Francois Candide |
| 2012 | Call of Duty: Black Ops II | Manuel Noriega |
| 2013 | Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance | Desperado scientist / Khamsin |
| Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel | Bautista | |
| 2015 | Battlefield Hardline | Captain Julian Dawes |
Gallery[]
