Raúl Esparza (born October 24, 1970) is a Cuban-American stage actor.
Born in Wilmington, Delaware and raised in Miami, Florida, Esparza graduated from Belen Jesuit in 1988 and later received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He first drew attention with his performance in the 2000 Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show, which won him the Theatre World Award. The following year he appeared off-Broadway in tick, tick... BOOM! by Jonathan Larson, garnering a Drama Desk Award nomination as Outstanding Actor in a Musical. He received a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in the ill-fated musical Taboo.
Additional Broadway credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2005) and Sondheim's Company (2006), for which he received his second Tony nomination. His off-Broadway work includes Comedians (2003) and The Normal Heart (2004). Beginning in November 2007, Raúl will be appearing in Harold Pinter's play The Homecoming with Michael McKean and Ian McShane.
In 1999, Esparza portrayed Che in the national tour of Evita. In regional theatre he has appeared in two other Stephen Sondheim musicals, Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along.
He currently has a recurring role on the show Pushing Daisies as travelling salesman Alfredo Aldarisio, a role originally given to Paul Reubens.
Esparza was the subject of a New York Times profile in which he revealed that he is bisexual.
