Rick Gonzalez, who is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, was born on June 30, 1979 in New York City and was raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn. At a young age, he was always entertaining his family and performed in school productions. He later applied for the High School of the Performing Arts and subsequently graduated from that school. He then launched his acting career, landing a small role in 1998's TV movie Thicker Than Blood where he played Sanchez. A year later he made his feature movie debut in Mambo Cafe, where he played Ricky. In 2000, he appeared in the film Prince of Central Park before moving to Los Angeles, California. In Hollywood, he was cast for roles such as Rudy Bonilla in The Rookie, and Primo in Biker Boyz. 2005 saw Gonzalez playing the role of Timo Cruz in the movie Coach Carter. Other film credits include War of the Worlds, Roll Bounce and Pulse. His television appearances include those in Law and Order: SVU, Touched by an Angel, ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Shield and CSI.