Washington, D.C.-born of Afro-Cuban descent. Actor Laz Alonso (Fast & Furious, Down for Life, Avatar) is a busy man. Most recently, he’s been playing a U.S. Marshall with a really odd idea in the new A&E series, Breakout Kings. The odd idea: chase down escaped prisoners by recruiting help from the three most elusive convicts he’s ever caught—kind of It Takes a Fugitive with a lot more guns and explosions.
A&E has renewed Breakout Kings after its first 13 episodes, but Laz is branching out already. He’s just too darn smart and good-looking for that. He came to Breakout fresh from two seasons on Southland, the cop drama that started on NBC and continued (with a smaller cast) on TNT. Before that it was Avatar, and before that The Fast and the Furious. What a wild ride it’s been…and it’s just getting started.
A lot of very recognizable names for a guy who’s only been at this for a decade or so, and who began as an on-air host on BET. After a few small parts in TV dramas and sitcoms, and as a regular in a couple of short-lived half-hour shows (One on One, Eyes) things really started to pull together after things got a little weird: when he shared an Emmy Award not for his brilliant film work, but for being part of the infamous Budweiser campaign that made “Waaazzzuuuup?” the watchword of a generation. Then things really caught fire, just a couple of years ago, with a series of great roles in everything from Spike Lee’s The Miracle of St. Anna to Down for Life. The biggies have come in quick succession: Fast and Furious/Avatar/Southland/Jumping the Broom. And now he’s part of the remake of Straw Dogs, releasing worldwide September 25.
That’s a lot of work, a lot of credits, for one hard-working young actor. And you have to hink that Laz Alonso is in it for the long haul…even if we never see Breakbout Kings again.
