Laz Alonso
Lazaro "Laz" Alonso (born March 25, 1974) is an American actor of Afro-Cuban descent, best known for portraying Mother's Milk in the Amazon Prime Video series The Boys and Tsu'tey in James Cameron's Avatar.[1][2][3] Born and raised in Washington, D.C., to parents who were exiles from Cuba, Alonso developed an early passion for acting.[2] He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in marketing from Howard University's School of Business, followed by studies in film and television production at UCLA.[3][2] After initially pursuing a career in finance on Wall Street, he transitioned to entertainment, beginning with modeling and music production before landing acting roles in the early 2000s.[2] Alonso's breakthrough came with supporting roles in films like Fast & Furious (2009), where he played Fenix Calderon, and Jumping the Broom (2011), for which he won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.[3][2] He gained further acclaim for his performance as Tsu'tey in Avatar (2009), the highest-grossing film of all time, and has since starred in projects such as This Christmas (2007), Detroit (2017), and Fountain of Youth (2025).[1] On television, his notable credits include Breakout Kings (2011–2012), The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016), and Deception (2018), alongside his ongoing role in The Boys since 2019.[2] In addition to acting, Alonso is the founder and CEO of Abundancia Pictures, through which he has executive produced films like Down for Life (2010) and Detained (2024), and he directed the mini-documentary I Am, which premiered at Art Basel.[2] Recognized by Variety as one of the "Top Ten Actors to Watch," he resides in Los Angeles and remains active in philanthropy, supporting causes related to education and the arts.[3][2]Early life and education
Early life
Lazaro Alonso was born on March 25, 1974, in Washington, D.C., to Cuban immigrant parents of Afro-Cuban descent.[4] As an only child raised primarily by his single mother in a Cuban-American household, Alonso was immersed in Cuban traditions and culture from a young age, including speaking Spanish at home, which fostered a strong connection to his heritage.[5][6][7] This bilingual environment, where he learned English outside the home, highlighted his dual cultural identity—Cuban within the family and navigating broader African-American experiences in the city.[7] Growing up in the diverse urban setting of Washington, D.C., Alonso developed an early passion for performance and storytelling, often entertaining himself by creating imaginary scenes and characters as an only child.[8] This self-directed play, inspired by films like Rocky, sparked his lifelong interest in acting, shaping his creative outlook amid the city's multicultural influences.[5]Education
Alonso attended Howard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing.[3][9][10] Following his graduation, Alonso joined Merrill Lynch as an investment banker on Wall Street, engaging in the high-stakes world of finance that provided financial stability but also exposed him to the demanding routine of long hours and corporate pressures.[3][11][12] These experiences underscored the contrast between the structured security of banking and his deeper creative aspirations, prompting a reevaluation of his professional path.[10][13] While employed at Merrill Lynch, Alonso began pursuing his interest in entertainment by performing in off-Broadway theater productions in New York during evenings and weekends, maintaining a rigorous schedule that blended financial work with stage performances.[3][12][10] This period of balancing dual careers marked the initial steps toward his transition into acting, as the fulfillment from theater highlighted the limitations of his finance role and fueled his commitment to the arts.[11][14]Career
Early career and hosting
Alonso debuted in the entertainment industry in 2000 as the host of BET's A.M. @ BET, a morning news and talk show that aired from 2000 to 2001 and featured daily updates on current events, celebrity interviews, and lifestyle segments tailored to African American audiences.[15] The program, which ran for 30 minutes, provided Alonso with his first on-air platform, where he delivered engaging commentary and moderated discussions on urban culture and entertainment news.[16] He continued his hosting career with NYLA on BET from 2001 to 2003, a 30-minute lifestyle and variety series that spotlighted music, fashion, and celebrity interviews with guests including Tyrese, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, and the Williams sisters.[17][18] Through these roles, Alonso cultivated a dynamic on-air style marked by charisma and relatability, often covering red carpet events and live segments that resonated within Black media circles.[19] Transitioning from hosting to acting in the early 2000s, Alonso secured minor roles, including a BET announcer in the 2001 comedy film Down to Earth and a moving man in the 2000 HBO movie Disappearing Acts.[15][20] In 2002, he landed a recurring guest appearance as Manny, a barber at the Phatheadz shop, on the UPN sitcom One on One, marking one of his initial forays into scripted television.[21] These early opportunities built on his BET visibility, earning him budding recognition in urban entertainment networks.[19] Prior to committing fully to acting, Alonso balanced a demanding career on Wall Street as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, where he logged 90-hour work weeks, with persistent auditions for commercials and off-off-Broadway theater in New York.[22] This dual existence proved challenging, as he navigated financial pressures and the instability of entry-level entertainment pursuits while leveraging his marketing degree from Howard University to sustain himself.[23] Eventually, he left finance to focus on acting, a move that allowed him to gain traction through small roles and establish a foothold in Hollywood.[22]Breakthrough roles
Alonso's breakthrough came in 2009 with his portrayal of Fenix Calderon, the ruthless henchman to drug lord Arturo Braga, in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the franchise.[24] To prepare for the physically demanding role, Alonso underwent an intense prison-style workout regimen emphasizing calisthenics, chin-ups, and pull-ups to achieve a V-shaped upper body that evoked a hardened, possibly incarcerated background.[25] He drew character inspiration from Mike Tyson's tattoos and intellectual self-taught nature, incorporating elements like a Mao Tse Tung tattoo, while using Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power to inform Fenix's strategic manipulations, such as exploiting Dominic Toretto's vulnerabilities.[25] This nuanced approach allowed Alonso to subvert the "default thug" stereotype, blending affable charm with underlying menace, culminating in a high-stakes climactic fight scene opposite Vin Diesel that highlighted his raw physicality and action-hero prowess.[25] That same year, Alonso took on the role of Tsu'tey, the fierce Na'vi warrior and heir to the Omaticaya clan, in James Cameron's groundbreaking Avatar.[26] His performance was captured through innovative motion-capture technology, where he embodied the blue-skinned alien by focusing on the character's inherent "swag" and cultural authenticity rather than ethnic parallels, performing in a performance-capture studio to translate human movements into the Na'vi's fluid, otherworldly grace.[27] Collaborating closely with Cameron, whom Alonso described as operating like a meticulous scientist in a laboratory, he absorbed lessons in granular detail-oriented acting that refined his process and elevated the ensemble's immersion in Pandora's world.[26][27] Tsu'tey's arc, from rigid traditionalist to sacrificial hero in the film's climactic battle, contributed to Avatar's narrative depth and visual spectacle, helping propel the epic to become the highest-grossing film of all time with over $2.7 billion in worldwide earnings upon release. These dual 2009 roles generated significant industry buzz, culminating in Alonso's selection as one of Variety's "10 Actors to Watch," where he was highlighted alongside emerging talents for his commanding presence in major blockbusters.[28] The recognition underscored his rapid ascent as a versatile leading man capable of anchoring high-octane action and pioneering visual effects-driven storytelling.[29]Ongoing television work
Alonso starred as Charlie Duchamp, a dedicated Deputy U.S. Marshal, in the A&E crime drama Breakout Kings (2011–2012). The series centered on Duchamp leading a specialized task force composed of reformed convicts to track down and recapture escaped prisoners, leveraging the inmates' criminal expertise to solve high-stakes cases. Duchamp's arc highlighted his struggle to maintain authority and trust within the unconventional team, evolving from a by-the-book leader to someone more empathetic toward his recruits, before his abrupt death by gunshot from an escaped convict in the season 2 episode "An Unjust Death."[30][31] In 2013, Alonso portrayed FBI agent Will Moreno in the NBC mystery drama Deception, a short-lived series blending procedural investigation with soap opera elements, where his character assisted an undercover detective infiltrating a wealthy family amid secrets and murder. The show marked a shift toward more intricate ensemble dynamics for Alonso but received mixed critical reception and was canceled after one season due to low ratings.[32][15] Transitioning to lighter fare, he played Detective Billy Soto, the reliable partner to the titular lead, in the NBC comedy-drama The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016), which followed a homicide detective balancing chaotic family life with case-solving. Critics panned the series for its predictable procedural format and uneven tone, assigning it a 22% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 37/100 on Metacritic, though it ran for two seasons.[33][34] Alonso achieved breakout television success as Marvin T. "Mother's Milk" Milk (MM) in Amazon Prime Video's satirical superhero series The Boys (2019–present), portraying the team's grounded strategist and operations leader who grapples with personal trauma from his family's history with superheroes. Across seasons, MM's development deepens his role as the moral anchor, evolving from a cautious family man to the group's reluctant leader following season 3's events, while confronting themes of generational cycles and resilience that mirror Alonso's own Afro-Latino heritage. The performance has significantly boosted Alonso's career, establishing him as a prominent lead in prestige television and earning praise for adding emotional depth to the ensemble.[35][36][37] In 2025, Alonso promoted the series at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, participating in a panel discussing MM's arc alongside co-stars.[38] Expanding into animation, Alonso voiced the dual roles of Terry—a suburban dad—and his alien alter ego Sabo Brok in the Netflix series My Dad the Bounty Hunter (2023), an action-comedy about a father's secret interstellar career intersecting with his children's lives during a family road trip. The production emphasized authentic portrayals of Black family dynamics, with Alonso collaborating closely with showrunner Everett Downing Jr. to infuse the character with relatable paternal warmth and humor.[39] Alonso also joined the cast of Guy Ritchie's adventure film Fountain of Youth (2025), a heist story for Apple TV+ involving a team seeking a legendary artifact, which premiered globally on May 23, 2025, after principal photography wrapped in 2024.[40][41]Filmography
Film
Laz Alonso's film career spans over two decades, featuring a range of supporting and leading roles in genres from action and drama to horror and comedy. Below is a chronological list of his feature film appearances, including roles and directors where applicable.[4][15]| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 30 Years to Life | Rastaman | Melissa Martin |
| 2001 | Down to Earth | Winston | Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz |
| 2002 | G | Tre | Christopher Scott Cherot |
| 2002 | All Night Bodega | Nelson | Yosuke Yagi |
| 2003 | Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood | Rory | Steven Ayromlooi |
| 2004 | Hittin' It! | Chris B. | Nnegest Likké |
| 2005 | Constantine | Morgue Security Guard (uncredited) | Francis Lawrence |
| 2005 | All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos | Tyler | Richard W. Munchkin |
| 2005 | Flip the Script | Nelson | Damian Lee |
| 2005 | Jarhead | Ramon Escobar | Sam Mendes |
| 2006 | The Tenants | Jacob | Danny Noz |
| 2007 | Stomp the Yard | Zeke | Sylvain White |
| 2007 | Captivity | DiSantos | Roland Joffé |
| 2007 | Divine Intervention | Deacon Wells | Paul Levin |
| 2007 | This Christmas | Malcolm Moore | Preston A. Whitmore II |
| 2008 | Miracle at St. Anna | Corporal Hector Negron | Spike Lee |
| 2009 | Avatar | Tsu'tey (voice) | James Cameron |
| 2009 | Fast & Furious | Fenix Calderon | Justin Lin |
| 2009 | Down for Life | Officer Barber | Alan Jacobs |
| 2011 | Jumping the Broom | Jason Taylor | Salim Akil |
| 2011 | Straw Dogs | John Burke | Rod Lurie |
| 2013 | Battle of the Year | Dante Graham | Benson Lee |
| 2017 | Detroit | Congressman John Conyers | Kathryn Bigelow |
| 2018 | Traffik | Darren Cole | Deon Taylor |
| 2021 | Wrath of Man | Carlos | Guy Ritchie |
| 2024 | Detained | Avery | Felipe Mucci |
| 2025 | Fountain of Youth | Patrick Murphy | Guy Ritchie |
Television
Alonso's television career began with hosting duties and progressed to guest spots, recurring roles, and leading characters in drama series.| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | A.M. @BET | Host | Morning news and talk show on BET. |
| 2001–2003 | NYLA | Host | Lifestyle show on BET.[17] |
| 2002 | Half & Half | Derek | Guest role, 2 episodes.[42] |
| 2002 | Providence | Eddie | Guest role, 1 episode ("The Eleventh Hour (2)").[43] |
| 2003 | The Practice | Derrick Mills | Guest role, 1 episode ("Rape Shield").[44] |
| 2003–2004, 2006 | One on One | Manny / Trent | Recurring guest role, 4 episodes.[42] |
| 2004 | Soul Food | Derek | Guest role, 1 episode ("Pagan Poetry").[45] |
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Dwayne | Guest role, 1 episode.[46] |
| 2004 | CSI: Miami | Dennis de Labeque | Guest role, 1 episode ("Pro Per").[47] |
| 2004 | NCIS | Staff Sgt. Steven Washington | Guest role, 1 episode.[46] |
| 2005 | Entourage | Snoop's Assistant | Guest role, 1 episode. |
| 2005 | Bones | George Warren | Guest role, 1 episode.[46] |
| 2005–2007 | Eyes | James Cage | Recurring role, 4 episodes.[48] |
| 2006 | The Unit | Sgt. Carmichael | Guest role, 1 episode ("Natural Selection").[46] |
| 2010–2011 | Southland | Det. Gil Puente | Recurring role, 10 episodes (seasons 2–3).[49] |
| 2011–2012 | Breakout Kings | Charlie Duchamp | Main cast, 23 episodes.[4] |
| 2013 | Deception | Will Moreno | Main cast, 11 episodes.[4] |
| 2013 | Imagination Unleashed: An Artisan's Journey | Himself | Appearance in documentary special.[43] |
| 2014–2016 | The Mysteries of Laura | Billy Soto | Main cast, 38 episodes.[50] |
| 2019 | L.A.'s Finest | Warren Hendrix | Recurring role, season 1 (9 episodes).[51] |
| 2019–2024 | The Boys | Marvin T. Milk / Mother's Milk (M.M.) | Main cast, 32 episodes (seasons 1–4).[52] |
| 2023–2024 | My Dad the Bounty Hunter | Terry Hendrix / Sabo Brok (voice) | Main cast, voice role, 20 episodes (2 seasons).[53] |