Román Zaragoza
Román Zaragoza | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 8, 1996 New York City, US |
| Education | California State University, Northridge |
| Occupations | Actor, producer |
| Relatives | Raye Zaragoza (sister) |
Román Zaragoza (born May 8, 1996; Latin American Spanish: [roˈman saɾaˈɡosa]) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for portraying Sasappis, one of the main characters in the CBS sitcom series Ghosts (2021–2026). Zaragoza also voices Sokka in the upcoming 2026 animated fantasy film Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender.
Biography
Román Zaragoza was born on May 8, 1996, in New York City. His father, lawyer and actor Gregory Zaragoza, is of Akimel Oʼodham and Mexican descent, and his mother, business professor Shirley Zaragoza, is of Taiwanese and Japanese descent, and an imigrant from Japan.[1][2][3][4][5] He also has two sisters, including singer Raye Zaragoza.[4][6] He grew up in Manhattan, New York, and at the age of 11, his family moved to Los Angeles, California.[1][4][7] He began acting at the young age, having roles on stage, and in television commercials. At the age of 15, Zaragoza begun working with Native Voices at the Autry, a Native American theatre company.[1][8][9] He graduated from the California State University in Northridge in Los Angeles.[1]
Since 2021, he portrays Sasappis, one of the main characters in the CBS sitcom series Ghosts (2021–2026).[10][8] In 2022, he was also producer and actor in the short film This Is Their Land, recounting the events of the Modoc War of 1872, between the Modoc people and the United States Army in Northern California.[8][11] Zaragoza also voices Sokka in the upcoming 2026 animated fantasy film Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender.[12][13]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Everyday Kid | Russell | Television film |
| 2015 | Being Bryan | Ron | Short film |
| The Oblivious | Max | Short film | |
| Studio City | Teenager | Television film | |
| You Could Be Happy | Garrett | Short film | |
| 2017 | 30 seconds | Don | Short film |
| 2019 | Shadow Wolves | Junior | Feature film |
| 2021 | Abides | Jack | Short film |
| 2022 | This Is Their Land | Young Modoc person | Short film; also producer |
| 2024 | Window Breaker | Fence | Short film |
| 2026 | Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender | Sokka | Feature film; voice; upcoming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | Austin & Ally | Miles | Television series; 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Those Who Can't | Todd | Television series; episode: "White Guilt Trip" |
| 2019 | Stumptown | Leigh Green | Television series; episode: "The Other Woman" |
| 2021–2026 | Ghosts | Sasappis | Television series; main role; 75 episodes |
| 2022 | Spirit Rangers | Miy | Television series; voice; 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Gone Native | Narrator | Television series; voice; episode: "Dear legendary horror author Stephen King, instead of using Indian Burial Grounds in your books, have you thought of using European burial grounds?" |
References
- ^ a b c d Max Gao (24 February 2022). "Román Zaragoza on 'Ghosts' and Growing Native Representation in Mainstream Media". observer.com.
- ^ Juan Ayala (May 24, 2022). "AAPI Actors Roundtable: Kian Talan, Román Zaragoza, Soji Arai and Saylor Bell Curda (Podcast)". mediavillage.com.
- ^ "Román Zaragoza". tvinsider.com.
- ^ a b c "Román Zaragoza. Bio". romanzaragoza.com.
- ^ Taylor Heussner (June 15, 2018). "Raye Zaragoza Didn't Choose to Be a Political Songwriter". westword.com.
- ^ Rachel Cholst (June 30, 2022). "Artist to Watch: Raye Zaragoza". theboot.com.
- ^ "Global Music Awards Heretic Award for Protest/Activist Music".
- ^ a b c "CBS 'Ghosts' Actor Román Zaragoza On New Role, The Outdoors, And Upcoming Project". newscenemagazine.com. February 26, 2022.
- ^ Debra Wallace (September 29, 2022). "'Ghosts' Star Román Zaragoza Shares His Two Favorite Episodes and How He Measures His Worth in Hollywood". parade.com.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva; Denise Petski (December 9, 2020). "'Ghosts': Danielle Pinnock, Asher Grodman, Richie Moriarty, Sheila Carrasco & Román Zaragoza Join CBS Comedy Pilot As It Starts Production". deadline.com.
- ^ "Film Screening and Q&A of 'Modoc Nation' & 'This is Their Land' on March 14th 2023". colorado.edu. March 2, 2023.
- ^ Sabina Graves (April 11, 2024). "Aang: The Last Airbender Movie Has Found Its Cast, Including Dave Bautista". gizmodo.com.
- ^ Jessica Wang (April 11, 2024). "Aang: The Last Airbender, the first animated movie in Avatar trilogy, will follow Aang as an adult". ew.com.