David Zayas is an Puerto Rican-American theatrical, film, and television actor.
Born in Puerto Rico, but raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Zayas joined the United States Air Force early in life where he was able to develop skills that would lead him to become a New York City Police officer after he was discharged from service. As a police officer, Zayas developed the personality that would allow him to develop as a character actor, and which led to a series of acting jobs on television and film mainly playing law enforcement officers. However, working in law enforcement also provided Zayas with the ability to play characters on the other side of the law. This ability allowed him to play Enrique Morales, one of the most memorable inmates of HBO's long-running prison-drama OZ. In a total number of 28 episodes from 2002-2003, Zayas's character became one of the most ruthless inmates featured in that series.
A member of the LAByrinth Theatre Company since 1992, a New York City-base traveling actors group, Zayas has branched out into television and film projects, which has diversified his resumé which guest roles in such popular television series such as New York Undercover and NYPD. It was at LAByrinth where he met his future wife, actress Liza Colón-Zayas. They presently reside in Los Angeles where Zayas plays Angel Batista in the Showtime drama Dexter starring actor Michael C. Hall in the title role.
