J.W. Cortés is an award-winning actor, Marine combat veteran, singer, speaker and philanthropist. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City to inspiring Puerto Rican parents, he developed an interest in the arts along with a desire to serve his community and country.
In addition to being the first actor to portray the DC comic book character ‘Detective Carlos Alvarez’ on FOX’s primetime hit series GOTHAM, he currently serves with New York State’s MTA Police Department. Cortés has enjoyed working on a variety of other productions to include NBC’s The Blacklist, The Mysteries Of Laura, The Night Shift, STARZ’s Power and films such as Blue Caprice, As Good As Dead and Monsters and Men. He will be returning to the stage in the fall of 2018 for the first ever production of the renowned playwright Bernard Pomerance’s last play, Spin Off.
He also helps raise awareness and funding for various philanthropic organizations and serves on various boards to include the Detective Rafael Ramos Foundation, the Gary Sinise Foundation, the Semper Fi Fund and was recently appointed by the NYC Mayors Office Of Media and Entertainment to the Latin Media and Entertainment Commission as its Co-Chairman and as well to the Cooperate Advisory Board of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
Cortés served in the United States Marine Corps for nearly 13 years, serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His military awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medals, Presidential Unit Citation and Marine of the Year.
