# Robert Beltran

Robert Adame Beltran (born November 19, 1953) is an American actor known for his role as Commander Chakotay on the 1990s television series Star Trek: Voyager. He is also known for stage acting in California, and for playing Raoul Mendoza in the 1982 black comedy film Eating Raoul.

## Early life

Beltran was born in Bakersfield, California, the son of Aurelia and Luis Beltran Perez, immigrants from Mexico. He attended East Bakersfield High School and Bakersfield College. He has two sisters and seven brothers, including Latin Jazz musician Louie Cruz Beltran.

## Career

Beltran graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in Theater Arts and moved to Los Angeles to begin his acting career. He had his first film role in Zoot Suit in 1981, but his breakthrough came in 1982 when he played the title character in the independently produced dark comedy Eating Raoul. Beltran had a supporting role as Chuck Norris' partner Trooper Kayo Ramos in the 1983 film Lone Wolf McQuade. He then starred in the 1984 TV film The Mystic Warrior as Native American brave Ahbleza, and as Hector in 1984's Night of the Comet. He played Father Michael in a 1993 episode of “Murder She Wrote” (S9, E12). He played Commander Chakotay, the Native American first officer of the starship Voyager, in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager from 1995 to 2001. During this time, he won the Nosotros Golden Eagle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Series in 1997. He was also nominated in 1996 for the NCLR Bravo Award for Outstanding Television Series Actor in a Crossover Role, and the ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role in 1998 and 1999.
Beltran founded and co-directed the East LA Classic Theater Group. He is also a member of the Classical Theater Lab, an ensemble of professional actors who co-produced his production of Hamlet in 1997, which he directed and starred in.
Beltran has collaborated with amateur actors in performing plays and scenes of plays of William Shakespeare. He produced and starred in a Los Angeles production of "The Big Knife" by Clifford Odets, a play which explores the Hollywood environment under the big studio system of the 1940s.
In May 2009, Beltran played the dual roles of Don Fermin and Older Eusebio in the American Conservatory Theater's staging of José Rivera's Boleros for the Disenchanted. He had the recurring role of Jerry Flute in Seasons 3 and 4 of HBO's Big Love.

## Recordings

Latino Poetry – Excerpts from a live performance by Beltran, recorded at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, April 2002

## Theater

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Writer | Theatre |
| 1979 | California Shakespeare Festival | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1980 | Bard in the Box Tour | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1980 | La Pastorela | Luzbel | Unknown | Unknown | El Teatro Campesino |
| 1981 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Oberon | Unknown | William Shakespeare | California Shakespeare Festival |
| 1981 | Henry IV, Part 1 & Henry IV, Part 2 | Unknown | Unknown | William Shakespeare | California Shakespeare Festival |
| 1981 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Robert Beltran and Kris Tabori | William Shakespeare | The Actors' Gang |
| 1981 | Romeo and Juliet | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1981 | The Taming of the Shrew | Petraccio | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1983 | Corridos | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | El Teatro Campesino |
| 1985 | The Quartered Man | Agent | Mark Travis | Donald Freed | Los Angeles Theatre Center |
| 1986 | I Don't Have to Show You No Stinkin' Badges | Sunny | Tony Curiel | Luis Valdez | San Diego Repertory Theatre |
| 1987 | Stars in the Morning Sky | Unknown | Bill Bushnell | Alexander Galin | Los Angeles Theatre Center |
| 1988 | A Burning Beach | Cuba | Bill Bushnell and Jose Luis Valenzuela | Eduardo Machado | Los Angeles Theatre Center |
| 1989 | Macbeth | Banquo | Des McAnuff | William Shakespeare | Mandell Weiss Center |
| 1991 | Windows | The Lieutenant | Robert Egan | Ariel Dorfman and Tony Kushner | Los Angeles Theatre Center |
| 1993 | A Touch of the Poet | Cornelius | Rubén Sierra | Eugene O'Neill | Cal State L.A. |
| 1997 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Robert Beltran | William Shakespeare | The Actors' Gang |
| 2003 | The Big Knife | Charlie Castle | Tonyo Melendez | Clifford Odets | Lillian Theatre |
| 2009 | Henry IV, Part 1 & Henry IV, Part 2 | Unknown | Unknown | William Shakespeare | Unknown |
| 2009 | Boleros for the Disenchanted | Don Fermin/Eusebio | Carey Perloff | José Rivera | American Conservatory Theater |
| 2009 | Solitude | The Man | Jose Luis Valenzuela | Evelina Fernandez | Los Angeles Theatre Center |
| 2011 | Devil's Advocate | General Noriega | Jose Luis Valenzuela | Donald Freed | Los Angeles Theatre Center |

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | Zoot Suit | Lowrider | |
| 1982 | Eating Raoul | Raoul Mendoza | |
| 1983 | Lone Wolf McQuade | Deputy Arcadio "Kayo" Ramos | |
| 1984 | Night of the Comet | Hector Gomez | |
| 1985 | Latino | Eddie Guerrero | |
| 1987 | Slam Dance | Frank | |
| 1987 | Gaby: A True Story | Luis | |
| 1988 | The Bulldance | Jack | |
| 1989 | Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills | Juan | |
| 1991 | Kiss Me a Killer | Tony Montero | |
| 1991 | To Die Standing | Juan Delgado | |
| 1991 | Bugsy | Alejandro | |
| 1995 | 500 Nations | | |
| 1995 | Nixon | Frank Sturgis | |
| 1997 | Managua | Ramon | |
| 1997 | Trekkies | Himself | Documentary |
| 1997 | How Else Am I Supposed to Know I'm Still Alive | | |
| 1999 | Luminarias | Joe | |
| 2000 | Fahrenheit 452: The Art Police | | Short |
| 2002 | Foto-Novelas | | |
| 2009 | Repo Chick | Aguas | |
| 2009 | Taking Chances | Joseph Sleeping Bear | |
| 2013 | Water & Power | | |
| 2013 | Free Birds | Chief Massasoit (voice) | |
| 2018 | Magic Lantern | Ed | |
| 2019 | The Circuit | | |
| 2020 | Butterflies | James | Short |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | Calendar Girl Murders | Mooney | Television film |
| 1984 | The Mystic Warrior | Ahbleza | Television film |
| 1985 | Street Hawk | Marty Walsh | 1.5-hour pilot |
| 1986 | The Family Martinez | Hector Martinez | Television film |
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Howard Thunder | Episode: "Barrington" |
| 1987 | Private Eye | Miguel Brojas | Episode: "Barrio Nights" |
| 1988 | The Bronx Zoo | Mike | Episode: "A Day in the Life" |
| 1989 | Miami Vice | Amendez | Episode: "Freefall" |
| 1990 | Sisters | Mike Perez | Television film |
| 1990 | El Diablo | "El Diablo" | Television film |
| 1990 | Midnight Caller | Carlos Valenzuela | |
| 1991 | The Chase | Mike Silva | Television film |
| 1991 | Veronica Clare | Duke Rado | |
| 1991 | La Pastorela | Luzbel | |
| 1992 | Stormy Weathers | Gio | Television film |
| 1993 | Shadow Hunter | Frank Totsoni | Television film |
| 1993 | Rio Shannon | Tito Carson | Television film |
| 1993–1994 | Murder, She Wrote | Frank Garcia / Father Michael | |
| 1994 | Lois & Clark | Fuentes / Murphy | |
| 1994 | Models, Inc. | Lieutenant Louis Soto | |
| 1994 | State of Emergency | Raoul Hernandez | Television film |
| 1995 | Runway One | Ramon Perez | Television film |
| 1995–2001 | Star Trek: Voyager | Commander Chakotay | Main cast; 172 episodes |
| 1999 | Ultimate Trek: Star Trek's Greatest Moments | Chakotay (archive footage) | |
| 2001 | 2001 ALMA Awards | Himself - Presenter | TV special |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | Judge Ojeda | Episode: "Tinder Box" |
| 2005 | Manticore | Sergeant Baxter | Television film |
| 2007 | Fire Serpent | Cooke | Television film |
| 2007 | Medium | Father Armando Avilar | Episode: "Whatever Possessed You" |
| 2007 | Cry of the Winged Serpent | Father Juan | Television film |
| 2009–2011 | Big Love | Jerry Flute | |
| 2012 | Young Justice | Maurice Bodaway (voice) | Episode: "Beneath" |
| 2022 | Star Trek: Prodigy | Captain Chakotay (voice) | Recurring role; 7 episodes |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force | Commander Chakotay | |

## Notable awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1996 | NCLR Bravo Award | Outstanding Television Series Actor in a Crossover Role | Star Trek: Voyager | Nominated |
| 1997 | Nosotros Golden Eagle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Television Series | Star Trek: Voyager | Won |
| 1998 | ALMA Award | Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role | Star Trek: Voyager | Nominated |
| 1999 | ALMA Award | Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role | Star Trek: Voyager | Nominated |