Robert Adame Beltran (born November 19, 1953) is an American actor, known for his role as Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager.
Beltran was born in Bakersfield, California, the son of Aurelia Olgin (née Adame) and Louis Perez Beltran, first generation Mexican-Americans. He refers to himself as being “Latindio” (a portmanteau of Latino and Indio). Beltran attended East Bakersfield High School and Bakersfield College. He has seven brothers and two sisters, including the well-known Latin Jazz musician Louie Cruz Beltran, and he is a Christian.
Beltran graduated from California State University, Fresno with a degree in Theater Arts and moved to Los Angeles to begin his acting career. He has been working steadily since 1979 in both theater and film. Beltran had his first film role in Zoot Suit in 1981, but his breakthrough came in 1982 when he played Raoul in the cult classic film Eating Raoul.
Beltran is perhaps best known for his role as Commander Chakotay in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager from 1995 to 2001. Beltran won the Nosotros Golden Eagle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Series in 1997. He was nominated in 1996 for the NCLR Bravo Award for Outstanding Television Series Actor in a Crossover Role, and the ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Television Series in a Crossover Role in 1998 and 1999.
Beltran founded and co-directed the East LA Classic Theater Group. He is also a member of the Classical Theater Lab, an ensemble of professional actors who co-produced his production of Hamlet in 1997, of which he directed and starred.
Since at least 2003, Beltran has collaborated with actors in the LaRouche Youth Movement on the plays of Friedrich Schiller and William Shakespeare. Following discussions with LaRouche on the question of classical tragedy, Beltran produced and starred in a Los Angeles production of "The Big Knife" by Clifford Odets, a play which explores the Hollywood environment during the historical period of the "red scares" under the administration of President Harry Truman.
One of Beltran's siblings was born with Down Syndrome and for four years between 1998 - 2001, Beltran hosted the Galaxy Ball, a fund raising event for the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA). The Galaxy Ball brought together actors from other Star Trek series for a small convention during which there was a cabaret and a dinner dance. In 2001, it was reported in USA Today that the Galaxy Ball raised more than US$50,000 for the DSALA, as well as other charities. In addition to his Film and Theater career, he is also working on composing music.
Latino Poetry Excerpts from a live performance by Robert Beltran (recorded at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, April 2002)
