# Daniel Zovatto
**Daniel Zovatto** is a Costa Rican and American actor known for horror and thriller roles, breakout appearances in *It Follows* (2014) and *Don't Breathe* (2016), a lead part in Showtime's *Penny Dreadful: City of Angels*, and his portrayal of the serial killer [Rodney Alcala](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodney-alcala) in *Woman of the Hour* (2023)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/). He was born in [San José, Costa Rica](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-jose-costa-rica), in 1991[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/daniel_zovatto).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Daniel Zovatto Blanco; born 1991 in San José, Costa Rica[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/) |
| Nationality | Costa Rican and American[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/) |
| Training | Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, New York[4](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/tico-comienza-a-abrirse-paso-en-el-cine/SGYBRUXDWZDZHJF5UGCWWKR7XY/story/) |
| Breakthrough | Greg Hannigan in *It Follows* (2014); Money in *Don't Breathe* (2016)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/) |
| Lead television roles | Tiago Vega in *Penny Dreadful: City of Angels* (2020); the Prophet in *Station Eleven* (2021)[5](https://penny-dreadful.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Zovatto) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/) |
| Signature film role | Serial killer Rodney Alcala in *Woman of the Hour* (2023)[6](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto) |
| Family | Son of television host Sylvia Blanco; married to actress Tara Holt since March 24, 2023[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/) |
## Background and training
Zovatto's birth name is Daniel Zovatto Blanco[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/). His mother, Sylvia Blanco, was a well-known television personality in [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america), and his father, Daniel Zovatto Blanco, was an Argentine politician[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/). Zovatto has repeatedly credited his mother with sparking his ambition: he grew up visiting the sets of her evening program, and he has described her encouragement as decisive when his acting plans seemed doubtful[4](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/tico-comienza-a-abrirse-paso-en-el-cine/SGYBRUXDWZDZHJF5UGCWWKR7XY/story/). In a 2016 interview he recalled telling people at age eight that he wanted to be the first actor from [Costa Rica](https://www.edgepedia.org/costa-rica) to reach the United States and win an Oscar[7](https://www.nacion.com/viva/cine/entrevista-daniel-zovatto-el-tico-que-actuara-en-fear-the-walking-dead/M2UAYZ7FJ5E7BJNYFQNBJHGQMU/story/).
**New York and the move to film.** After finishing secondary school he moved to New York to study acting at the [Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-strasberg-theatre-and-film-institute)[4](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/tico-comienza-a-abrirse-paso-en-el-cine/SGYBRUXDWZDZHJF5UGCWWKR7XY/story/). He appeared in the short films *55 Days* and *The Return*, then made his feature film debut in the independent horror film *Beneath* (2013), directed by [Larry Fessenden](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-fessenden)[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/). His television debut followed the same year with a guest appearance on *Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*, after which he relocated to Los Angeles[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/).
## Breakthrough in horror
Two horror roles made his reputation. In David Robert Mitchell's *It Follows* (2014) he played Greg Hannigan, one of the young people pursued by the film's mysterious force; the film premiered on the festival circuit and, by Zovatto's own account, kickstarted his career by bringing him to Los Angeles and to his first film festival[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/) • [6](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto). He then played Money in [Fede Álvarez](https://www.edgepedia.org/fede-alvarez)'s *Don't Breathe* (2016), a violent thriller that, like *It Follows*, is set in Detroit[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/). On Rotten Tomatoes, *It Follows* remains his highest-rated film at 95 percent[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/daniel_zovatto).
## Television lead roles
Zovatto's most substantial television work came in two prestige series. In *Penny Dreadful: City of Angels* (2020), the Showtime spin-off created by original *Penny Dreadful* showrunner John Logan, he starred as Detective Tiago Vega, a Mexican-American police officer investigating a murder in 1930s Los Angeles[5](https://penny-dreadful.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Zovatto) • [3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/). He told La Nación that the Vega family, with [Adriana Barraza](https://www.edgepedia.org/adriana-barraza) as the matriarch, was the heart of the show, and that the series' treatment of late-1930s racism carried deliberate parallels to the present[8](https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/tico-daniel-zovatto-protagoniza-penny-dreadful/PKE4EOAAAJCPDJX6F6I62XXZ6Q/story/). In HBO's pandemic-era miniseries *Station Eleven* (2021), he played the Prophet, a role that drew wide attention[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/).
Other television credits include three episodes of *Fear the Walking Dead* (2015) as Jack, a recurring part as Gideon LeMarchal on the final seasons of ABC's *Revenge*, Ramon Bayer-Boatwright in *Here and Now* (2018) opposite [Tim Robbins](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-robbins) and [Holly Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/holly-hunter), and a role in the series *The Deleted*[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/). Comparing the two media, he has said that television involves "a lot more cooks in the kitchen," while film directors he has worked with take a more singular approach and the experience feels more intimate[6](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto).
## Recent and upcoming work
In 2023 Zovatto played Father Esquibel, the second lead, opposite [Russell Crowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-crowe) in *The Pope's Exorcist*, a horror film inspired by the real archives of the priest [Gabriele Amorth](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabriele-amorth); he has described working with Crowe as a formative experience[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/) • [6](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto). The same year he took on his first biographical role, the serial killer Rodney Alcala, in *Woman of the Hour*, the directorial debut of his co-star [Anna Kendrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-kendrick); the film reached theaters on October 11 and Netflix on October 18[6](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto). He prepared for the part in part through the photographs Alcala took of his victims, which police released to identify them, saying they showed how Alcala made his subjects comfortable[6](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto). The role was, in his words, the most challenging of his career, and he has said he wants to play more real-life people[9](https://sessionmag.com/daniel-zovatto/).
Upcoming projects listed for him include [Paul Schrader](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-schrader)'s *The Basics of Philosophy* (2026), *The Get Out* (2026), *The Last Druid* with Russell Crowe, and *Dime Detective*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/). He has also said he is attached to a surfing thriller with [Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner), which Costner co-wrote[6](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto).
## Costa Rican identity
Zovatto speaks openly about his origins, using Costa Rican slang on set and calling himself "tico," the national self-designation[7](https://www.nacion.com/viva/cine/entrevista-daniel-zovatto-el-tico-que-actuara-en-fear-the-walking-dead/M2UAYZ7FJ5E7BJNYFQNBJHGQMU/story/). He has said he would like to contribute to film culture in Costa Rica, possibly through a school, and has expressed interest in making Costa Rican films in the future[7](https://www.nacion.com/viva/cine/entrevista-daniel-zovatto-el-tico-que-actuara-en-fear-the-walking-dead/M2UAYZ7FJ5E7BJNYFQNBJHGQMU/story/) • [4](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/tico-comienza-a-abrirse-paso-en-el-cine/SGYBRUXDWZDZHJF5UGCWWKR7XY/story/).
## A same-name political analyst
The name Daniel Zovatto also belongs to a separate person: an international political analyst who comments on Latin American elections for Costa Rican and Spanish-language media[10](https://www.nacion.com/revista-dominical/analista-daniel-zovatto-sobre-las-elecciones-en/GLO6G2HWQRG7TP52L7WD5VOV4A/story/). The two are distinct individuals.
## References
1. [Daniel Zovatto, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4683167/)
2. [Daniel Zovatto Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/daniel_zovatto)
3. [Daniel Zovatto : Sa biographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-641304/biographie/)
4. [Tico comienza a abrirse paso en el cine, La Nación](https://www.nacion.com/archivo/tico-comienza-a-abrirse-paso-en-el-cine/SGYBRUXDWZDZHJF5UGCWWKR7XY/story/)
5. [Daniel Zovatto, Penny Dreadful Wiki](https://penny-dreadful.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Zovatto)
6. [In Conversation with Daniel Zovatto, Numéro Netherlands](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-daniel-zovatto)
7. [Entrevista: Daniel Zovatto, el tico que actuará en 'Fear The Walking Dead', La Nación](https://www.nacion.com/viva/cine/entrevista-daniel-zovatto-el-tico-que-actuara-en-fear-the-walking-dead/M2UAYZ7FJ5E7BJNYFQNBJHGQMU/story/)
8. [Tico Daniel Zovatto protagoniza 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels', La Nación](https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/tico-daniel-zovatto-protagoniza-penny-dreadful/PKE4EOAAAJCPDJX6F6I62XXZ6Q/story/)
9. [Daniel Zovatto, Session Magazine](https://sessionmag.com/daniel-zovatto/)
10. [Analista Daniel Zovatto sobre las elecciones en Costa Rica, La Nación](https://www.nacion.com/revista-dominical/analista-daniel-zovatto-sobre-las-elecciones-en/GLO6G2HWQRG7TP52L7WD5VOV4A/story/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of Latin America and Iberia › Colombian, Andean, and Central American actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license