Ulises Acosta(I)
- Actor
Ulises David "Uli" Acosta (born November 1, 1994) is an Afro-Latino actor, singer, musician, and writer. He has made various appearance in films, television shows, and more since the age of seven. Acosta was born and raised in Waukegan, IL., the son of Marisol (Perez), a Puerto Rican housewife and child-caregiver, and Jose David Acosta Jr. II, a Honduran working-man and entrepreneur. He has two brothers, Jose David Jr. III ("David"), who is six years older, and Uziel David ("Uzi"), who is five years younger. Acosta also grew up alongside many cousins from both sides of his family and was raised Christian Baptist, citing this upbringing as his introduction to the world of performing, as he often acted in homemade plays with his brothers and cousins, and sang/ played instruments with his mother in the church choir.
Before the end of Acosta's middle school years, he'd go on to work in Chicago Broadway, commercial work, print modeling, animated voice overs, and in films alongside actors such as Alfred Molina ("Spider-Man 2", "Magnolia", "Boogie Nights"), John Leguizamo ("Moulin Rouge!", "Spawn", "Romeo + Juliet"), Frank Vincent ("The Sopranos", "Casino", "Goodfellas"), and more. Acosta attended Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep (CRSM) in Waukegan, IL., where he spent a considerable amount of time volunteering for the community at food banks, homeless shelters, and immigration shelters. During high school, Acosta would go on to co-found a student organization with the goal of advocating for immigration rights. He and the members of the organization regularly attended immigration court hearings to take notes for family members who couldn't attend, as well as prayer vigils held at detention centers on scheduled days of deportations.
Acosta trained and performed at the Actors Training Center (ATC) in Wilmette, IL., from the age of 10 until the age of 18; later in life, he'd go on to teach at ATC. After graduating from high school, he attended Loyola University Chicago (LUC) on a full-ride academic scholarship. While attending LUC he would continue volunteering for the community at food banks, churches, and local parks. Acosta also took on many leaderships roles including orientation leader, mentor for new students in the scholarship committee, and even musical arranger for an extracurricular a cappella group; he graduated from LUC in 2017 with a B.A. in Theatre.
In 2019, Acosta became an official SAG-AFTRA member following his co-star role in the FOX TV-series, "Empire", working in scenes with actors, Taraji P. Henson ("Hidden Figures", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Hustle & Flow"), Tasha Smith ("Couples Retreat", "Why Did I Get Married?", "The Whole Ten Yards"), Vivica A. Fox ("Kill Bill: Vol 1", "Batman & Robin", "Independence Day"), and Terrence Howard ("Four Brothers", "Hustle & Flow", "Crash").
Acosta lives in Atlanta, Georgia and continues to work as an actor and private acting coach, all while actively promoting his brand "UliEntertains", where he shares originally produced scripts, music, and social media content meant to inspire and promote community.
Before the end of Acosta's middle school years, he'd go on to work in Chicago Broadway, commercial work, print modeling, animated voice overs, and in films alongside actors such as Alfred Molina ("Spider-Man 2", "Magnolia", "Boogie Nights"), John Leguizamo ("Moulin Rouge!", "Spawn", "Romeo + Juliet"), Frank Vincent ("The Sopranos", "Casino", "Goodfellas"), and more. Acosta attended Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep (CRSM) in Waukegan, IL., where he spent a considerable amount of time volunteering for the community at food banks, homeless shelters, and immigration shelters. During high school, Acosta would go on to co-found a student organization with the goal of advocating for immigration rights. He and the members of the organization regularly attended immigration court hearings to take notes for family members who couldn't attend, as well as prayer vigils held at detention centers on scheduled days of deportations.
Acosta trained and performed at the Actors Training Center (ATC) in Wilmette, IL., from the age of 10 until the age of 18; later in life, he'd go on to teach at ATC. After graduating from high school, he attended Loyola University Chicago (LUC) on a full-ride academic scholarship. While attending LUC he would continue volunteering for the community at food banks, churches, and local parks. Acosta also took on many leaderships roles including orientation leader, mentor for new students in the scholarship committee, and even musical arranger for an extracurricular a cappella group; he graduated from LUC in 2017 with a B.A. in Theatre.
In 2019, Acosta became an official SAG-AFTRA member following his co-star role in the FOX TV-series, "Empire", working in scenes with actors, Taraji P. Henson ("Hidden Figures", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Hustle & Flow"), Tasha Smith ("Couples Retreat", "Why Did I Get Married?", "The Whole Ten Yards"), Vivica A. Fox ("Kill Bill: Vol 1", "Batman & Robin", "Independence Day"), and Terrence Howard ("Four Brothers", "Hustle & Flow", "Crash").
Acosta lives in Atlanta, Georgia and continues to work as an actor and private acting coach, all while actively promoting his brand "UliEntertains", where he shares originally produced scripts, music, and social media content meant to inspire and promote community.