Ricardo Gonzalez (born June 30, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Timo Cruz in the motion picture Coach Carter, as Spanish in Old School, as Ben Gonzalez on the CW supernatural drama television series Reaper, and as Naps In Roll Bounce. From 2016–2020, he portrayed the superhero vigilante character Rene Ramirez / Wild Dog on the CW superhero drama series Arrow. In 2021, he starred in the TV series adaptation of The Lost Symbol. In 2022, he joined the cast of Law & Order: Organized Crime as Detective Bobby Reyes.
Early life
Gonzalez was born in New York, of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. His parents met in Washington, DC, where they married. They moved and settled down in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn where they raised Gonzalez. His parents were later divorced. He attended elementary and junior high school while living in Brooklyn. Ever since he was a young child, Gonzalez would put on improvised "shows" for his family and participate in all of his school's plays. His teachers were instrumental in convincing Gonzalez to apply and try out for LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, on which Fame was based, in Manhattan. He did as suggested and was accepted. In 1997, he graduated and began to pursue a career in acting.
Career
Gonzalez started his acting career in New York, where he landed a small role in the made for television movie Thicker Than Blood (1998) as Sanchez. In 1999, he made his feature movie debut as Ricky in the movie Mambo Cafe, which was released in the year 2000. He followed that by participating in the film Prince of Central Park (2000) before heading for Los Angeles, California.