Cuban born and raised on the streets of Washington D.C. Laz Alonso grew up in a single parent household; His father died when he was very young. Although, both of his parents are Cuban, Alonso identified most with his Black-American heritage due to the fact that there wasn't that many Latinos in D.C. In high school, he hung out with a lot of Dominicans.

His neighborhood was predominately Black-American as well as Howard University, the college he attended. Alonso's goal from the beginning was to be an actor. Thinking to himself "he couldn't just drop the business degree". So he went on Wall Street to work for Merill Lynch to fulfill his mother's wishes, but then he realized that's not where he wanted to be. Later on, he quit to pursue acting.

In 2000, Alonso appeared in a HBO aired movie called Disappearing Acts with Wesley Snipes. He also had the opportunity to work with director Gina Prince-Bythewood. He also had an important role in 30 Years to Life. The buff-brother can also be seen in 'Land of Opportunity', a Puerto Rican love story set in Washington Heights.


Won an Emmy Award for his participation in Budweiser's "Wassup" commercials. Made a cameo appearance in Aaliyah's video & tribute "Miss You". Is bilingual in English & Spanish. Participated in ABC's Diversity Showcase.