Arlen Escarpeta

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Arlen Alexander Escarpeta (born April 9, 1981) is a Belizean actor.

In 2004, Escarpeta earned critical acclaim for his breakout film role as an honor student caught with a handgun at school in the independent drama American Gun. The film, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, also starred Forrest Whitaker, Marcia Gay Harden and Donald Sutherland. The following year, he co-starred with Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox in McG’s true-life drama We Are Marshall, about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed Marshall University’s football team.

Escarpeta was more recently seen in David Wain’s comedy, The Ten, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. He had earlier appeared in Carls Franklin’s coutroom thriller High Crimes, starring Morgan Freeman and Ashely Judd.

Escarpeta first gained attention on the small screen when he starred in the NBC series American Dreams. He played Sam Walker, a young black man dealing with the changing times of the turbulent ’60s. His television work also includes guest roles in on such series as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Without A Trace, Cold Case, Judging Amy, ER, The Shield, Boomtown, 7th Heaven and Boston Public.

In 2009 he played Lawrence, in the horror slasher Friday the 13th. Arlen follows Friday the 13th with leading roles in several features. He next stars in the drama Roslyn, followed by Preston Whitmore’s Dough Boys. He also stars as a young LAPD officer on patrol during the racial gang war in the drama 818, on which Escarpeta also serves co-producer. Escarpeta has also been cast in Final Destination 5, the fifth film in the hit horror franchise.