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Raúl Esparza

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Raúl Esparza
Raúl Eduardo Esparza (born October 24, 1970) is an American stage and television actor, singer, and voice artist, best known for his role as New York Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Rafael Barba in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit where he had a recurring role in season 14 and was promoted to a series regular in seasons 15 to 19. He has received Tony nominations for his role as Philip Salon in the Boy George musical Taboo in 2004; Robert in the musical comedy Company in 2006; a lazy and snarky man in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming; and an aggressive volatile movie producer in David Mamet's Speed the Plow. He played the role of Riff Raff on Broadway in the revival of The Rocky Horror Show and the role of Caractacus Potts in the Broadway musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Esparza has been nominated in all Tony categories for which an actor is eligible. He is widely regarded for his versatility on stage, having performed musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Boy George, and the Sherman Brothers and plays by Mamet, Pinter, William Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard, and more. His film work includes Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty and Wes Craven's My Soul to Take and his television credits include roles on The Path, Medium, Hannibal, and Pushing Daisies. He narrated the audiobook for Stephen King's Under the Dome, as well as several others, and sings in concerts all over the country.
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Born
1970-10-24
Birth Place
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Michelle Perez
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Outsider.com

‘Law & Order: SVU’: Raúl Esparza Discusses Potential Benson-Barba Romance

It’s a reunion that started off kind of tense between two fan-favorite Law & Order: SVU characters. However, the long-awaited return of Raúl Esparza’s Rafael Barba in the recent season finale of the popular television drama series has now brought up some questions regarding one potential relationship. Could Mariska Hargitay’s Captain Olivia Benson and Esparza’s Barba be looking at a romance down the road?
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Law & Order: SVU Finale: Raúl Esparza on Benson, Barba and... Stabler? ('Are We Suddenly in a Triangle Here?')

Click here to read the full article. Warning: This post contains spoilers from Law & Order: SVU’s Season 23 finale. Proceed accordingly. Law & Order: SVU‘s Season 23 finale spent a lot of time hinting that Olivia Benson’s love life might be a more fecund field in the future, and it sowed two major seeds in the form of returned former assistant district attorney Rafael Barba and the absent — though no less a presence — Det. Elliot Stabler. At the top of the hour, Olivia’s therapy session with Dr. Lindstrom revealed that she was feeling unhappy, and he theorized that it...
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Picture for Law & Order: SVU Finale: Raúl Esparza on Benson, Barba and... Stabler? ('Are We Suddenly in a Triangle Here?')
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Outsider.com

‘Law & Order: SVU’: Raúl Esparza Says Benson and Barba are ‘Stumbling Toward Reconciliation’

A familiar face returns for the season finale of Law & Order: SVU. Here’s the lingering question. Will Benson and Barba reconcile?. Because we all know that Benson (Mariska Hargitay) didn’t like Barba’s choice in clients last December when he represented Richard Wheatley. You remember Wheatley (Dylan McDermott), don’t you? He’s the one had the wife of Elliot Stabler killed. And Stabler is Benson’s ex-partner. Plus, Wheatley liked to taunt Olivia. When she could’ve been killed in a car accident, Benson assumed Wheatley was behind the wreck.
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Outsider.com

‘Law & Order: SVU’ Star Raúl Esparza Explains Why Barba Is the Right Man for the Job in Season 23 Finale

The season finale of Law & Order: SVU is bringing back an old favorite, Rafael Barba. And the episode will see the ADA circle back to where he began. It’s been over five months since we’ve seen Barba grace the screen in the Dick Wolf universe, which is surprising since he was a fan favorite for years. The highly-skilled attorney joined the cast during season 14 as a recurring character. And the following season, he was promoted to a regular.
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'Candy' Stars Pablo Schreiber and Raúl Esparza Gush About Their 'SVU' Reunion (Exclusive)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans are about to be treated to an unexpected reunion between Pablo Schreiber and Raúl Esparza. The two alumni will come face to face in court during the final episode of Candy, Hulu’s true-crime series about the killing of Betty Gore starring Jessica Biel as accused ax murderer Candy Montgomery and Melanie Lynskey as her victim.
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'Law & Order: SVU' Season 23: Raúl Esparza Returns as Barba in Finale

Law & Order: SVU will see a familiar face returning to the series for the upcoming season 23 finale as Raúl Esparza returns to reprise his role as Rafael Barba. The report comes from Give Me The Remote, which says that the former series regular will be making another appearance to close out the latest season of the famous series. Barba was introduced back in 2012 during season 14 of the long-running series and made recurring appearances through the said season before he was made a series regular during the 15th and 18th seasons. He departed from the series partway through season 19, though Barba's absence hasn't been too long as he has appeared in a few episodes over the last few seasons with his last appearance being in season 23, episode 9, "The People Vs. Richard Wheatley." This last confrontation between the SVU team and Barba was an aggressive one, as he was defending the titular Richard Wheatley on a charge of murder. Barba was able to deadlock the jury, resulting in a mistrial, and Wheatley walked free.
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