Rise to Fame
He was studying biology at the University of Puerto Rico and headed toward medical school when a director cast him in a local commercial. That detour sent him to New York, to the American British Dramatic Arts School, and eventually to a Fox audition he sat four or five times before landing Fernando Sucre on Prison Break. Sucre wasn't the lead. He was the cellmate, the comic relief, the guy whose entire arc revolved around getting back to his pregnant girlfriend. It worked. The original run was four seasons from 2005 to 2009, with a revival in 2017, and Nolasco picked up three ALMA Award nominations for Supporting Actor along the way.
In the Spotlight
After Prison Break, he cycled through blockbuster supporting work, appearing in Transformers and A Good Day to Die Hard as the reliable presence studios call when they need charisma without complication. He found a meatier recurring role in Starz's Hightown, a cop drama that ran three seasons before wrapping in March 2024. Between roles, he's been building 3SIX9STUDIOS, a production company. The career has held its shape without ever quite making the leap from recognizable face to top-line billing.
Side Notes
He was born on Christmas Eve in Vieques, Puerto Rico, to Dominican parents, and grew up in a family of physicians (his father was a gynecologist, his mother and brother were doctors too). His childhood friend was Jorge Posada. He lost his sister Deborah in 2010. He hosts an annual celebrity golf tournament, the Amaury Nolasco & Friends Golf Classic, that raises money for Puerto Rican nonprofits including the UPR Pediatric Hospital. The guy who plays hardened criminals spends his downtime running charity golf.