# Jon Seda
**Jon Seda** (born 1970) is an American actor whose screen career began with a boxing role and grew through acclaimed television work on *Homicide: Life on the Street*, *Oz*, *The Pacific*, and NBC's *Chicago* franchise. His full name is Jonathan Seda.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jon-seda/credits/3000088888/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, New York City, New York, United States[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jon-seda/credits/3000088888/) |
| Boxing record | 21 wins and 1 loss as an amateur; runner-up in the New Jersey Golden Gloves competition[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5151/jon-seda) • [3](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2010/april/actors-experience-pacific) |
| Screen debut | Cast as Romano, a Cuban boxer, in the 1992 boxing film *Gladiator* at his first audition[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/) |
| Signature TV roles | Detective Paul Falsone on *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1997–1999); Sgt. John Basilone in *The Pacific* (2010); Detective Antonio Dawson across the *Chicago* franchise (2012–2019); Dr. Sam Velez on *La Brea* (2021–2024)[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seda-jon-1970) • [3](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2010/april/actors-experience-pacific) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/) |
| Film roles | *I Like It Like That* (1994), *The Sunchaser* (1996), *Selena* (1997), *12 Monkeys* (1995), *Bad Boys II* (2003), *Bullet to the Head* (2012), *Into the Deep* (2025)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/) |
| Awards | Independent Spirit Award nomination, Best Male Lead, 1995; Margo Albert Award, Most Promising Actor, 2000; Imagen Awards for *Chicago P.D.* in 2014 and 2019[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/awards/) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seda-jon-1970) |
| Family | Married Elisabeth Gomez on July 4, 2001; three children and one stepchild[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seda-jon-1970) |
## Early life and boxing
Seda was born in Manhattan to Puerto Rican parents and raised in Clifton, New Jersey, the second oldest of six children.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-05-ca-starseda-story.html) After finishing high school he took up boxing, training in New Jersey gyms, and as an amateur built a record of 21 wins and 1 loss.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5151/jon-seda) He reached the runner-up position in the New Jersey Golden Gloves competition, and a professional or Olympic boxing career was his stated ambition; his first goal after the [Golden Gloves](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-gloves) was the 1992 Olympics.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5151/jon-seda) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/bio/)
The path into acting came through his family. His mother suggested he take acting classes in New York as a backup, at the school his younger sister attended; a teacher there, Rita Litton, encouraged him and brought a manager to see him.[10](https://crypticrock.com/interview-jon-seda/) That manager sent him to his first audition, an open casting call for the boxing film *Gladiator* (1992), where he won the co-starring role of Romano, a Cuban boxer, using his own fighting experience on screen.[10](https://crypticrock.com/interview-jon-seda/) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/)
## 1990s film and television
**Breakthrough roles.** After *Gladiator*, Seda played a street kid in *Zebrahead* (1992) and a Dominican hoodlum in [Brian De Palma](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-de-palma)'s *Carlito's Way* (1993). His breakthrough came as Chino, the flawed husband of [Lauren Vélez](https://www.edgepedia.org/lauren-velez)'s character, in Darnell Martin's *I Like It Like That* (1994), a comedy-drama about a Bronx family; the role brought him a 1995 Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/awards/) He appeared in [Terry Gilliam](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-gilliam)'s *12 Monkeys* (1995) as the inmate Jose, and in Michael Cimino's *The Sunchaser* (1996) as Brandon "Blue" Monroe, a terminally ill young man who takes his doctor hostage; the film premiered in competition at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/) • [11](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/jon-seda/)
In 1997 he played [Chris Pérez](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-perez), the musician husband of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, opposite [Jennifer Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-lopez) in *Selena*, a role that made him widely known to Hispanic film audiences.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/) • [12](https://chicagopd.fandom.com/wiki/Jon_Seda) He later said the part mattered to him beyond the performance itself, and that he and Pérez remained friends; he also spoke warmly of working with [Rita Moreno](https://www.edgepedia.org/rita-moreno) on *I Like It Like That*.[13](https://peopleenespanol.com/chica/jon-seda-i-like-it-like-that-interview/)
**Television regular.** Seda first appeared on *Homicide: Life on the Street* as a guest in 1996 and joined the NBC series as a regular in the fall of 1997, playing Detective Paul Falsone through 1999.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seda-jon-1970) He worked again with Darnell Martin on the premiere episode of HBO's prison drama *Oz*, playing the hot-headed convict Dino Ortolani.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/) ALMA Award nominations followed for both *Homicide* (1998 and 1999, in the crossover-role category) and *Selena* (1998).[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/awards/)
## The Pacific and prestige drama
In 2010 Seda portrayed Gunnery Sergeant John "Manila" Basilone in *The Pacific*, HBO's ten-part World War II miniseries from [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks) and [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg). Basilone was awarded the [Medal of Honor](https://www.edgepedia.org/medal-of-honor) for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal.[3](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2010/april/actors-experience-pacific) • [14](https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2010/03/11/hbos-the-pacific-an-interview-with-jon-seda/) Seda said he felt a direct connection to the part: Basilone, like Seda, was born in New York and raised in New Jersey, and both had boxed.[3](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2010/april/actors-experience-pacific) The role earned him a 2011 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.[15](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jon-seda/bio/3000088888/) He then joined another HBO series, *Treme*, as a regular, playing Nelson Hidalgo from 2011 to 2012.[16](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/jon-seda/)
## The Chicago franchise and La Brea
**Antonio Dawson.** In 2012 Seda entered producer [Dick Wolf](https://www.edgepedia.org/dick-wolf)'s *[Chicago](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-franchise)* universe, joining *Chicago Fire* in a recurring role as Detective Antonio Dawson; in 2014 he moved to the spin-off *Chicago P.D.* as part of the main cast, where he played the character for 115 episodes through 2019, and he also carried the role into *Chicago Justice* (2017) and an episode of *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*.[12](https://chicagopd.fandom.com/wiki/Jon_Seda) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/) • [17](https://www.dailyherald.com/20170303/news/jon-seda-stays-on-right-side-of-law-in-chicago-justice/) His *Chicago P.D.* work won him Imagen Awards for Best Actor – [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) in 2014 and 2019, with further nominations in most intervening years.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/awards/)
**La Brea and recent film.** After leaving the *Chicago* franchise following *Chicago P.D.* season 6, Seda joined NBC's adventure-drama *La Brea* in 2021 as Dr. Sam Velez, filming in Melbourne, Australia; the series ran through 2024, totaling 30 episodes.[18](https://onechicagocenter.com/2021/03/23/jon-seda-since-leaving-chicago-pd/) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/) • [19](https://fametown.com/en/celebrity/jon-seda/) His 2025 film *Into the Deep*, an underwater thriller co-starring [Richard Dreyfuss](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-dreyfuss), Scout Taylor-Compton, and [Stuart Townsend](https://www.edgepedia.org/stuart-townsend), reached theaters on January 24, 2025.[10](https://crypticrock.com/interview-jon-seda/)
## Craft and recognition
Seda has repeatedly described his boxing training as the model for his acting preparation, telling one interviewer that "the script is my ring": he studies each line for motivation and nuance before performing.[20](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/jon-seda-interview-chicago-pd/) His Puerto Rican background and range have let him play Latin and non-Latin parts of many kinds, from the Tejano Chris Pérez to the Italian-American-inflected Basilone, and he has spoken about the importance of avoiding stereotyped roles.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-05-ca-starseda-story.html) • [20](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/jon-seda-interview-chicago-pd/)
His honors include the 2000 Margo Albert Award for Most Promising Actor from the Nosotros Golden Eagle Awards, a 2011 NAACP Image Award nomination for *The Pacific*, and the two Imagen Award wins for *Chicago P.D.*.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seda-jon-1970) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/awards/) Outside acting, he established the Jon Seda Foundation for research on reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome.[15](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jon-seda/bio/3000088888/)
## References
1. [Jon Seda List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jon-seda/credits/3000088888/)
2. [Jon Seda, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/5151/jon-seda)
3. [The Actors' Experience in The Pacific, Naval History Magazine (April 2010), U.S. Naval Institute](https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2010/april/actors-experience-pacific)
4. [Jon Seda, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jon-seda/)
5. [Seda, Jon 1970–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seda-jon-1970)
6. [Jon Seda, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/)
7. [Jon Seda – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/awards/)
8. [Seasonal Star Turns, Los Angeles Times (September 5, 2004)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-05-ca-starseda-story.html)
9. [Jon Seda – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781218/bio/)
10. [Interview – Jon Seda, Cryptic Rock](https://crypticrock.com/interview-jon-seda/)
11. [Jon SEDA, Festival de Cannes](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/jon-seda/)
12. [Jon Seda, Chicago P.D. Wiki](https://chicagopd.fandom.com/wiki/Jon_Seda)
13. [Jon Seda Discusses 'I Like It Like That' Anniversary, People en Español](https://peopleenespanol.com/chica/jon-seda-i-like-it-like-that-interview/)
14. [HBO's 'The Pacific': An Interview with Jon Seda, Breitbart (March 11, 2010)](https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2010/03/11/hbos-the-pacific-an-interview-with-jon-seda/)
15. [Jon Seda Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jon-seda/bio/3000088888/)
16. [Jon Seda, FormulaTV](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/jon-seda/)
17. [Jon Seda stays on right side of law in 'Chicago Justice', Daily Herald (March 3, 2017)](https://www.dailyherald.com/20170303/news/jon-seda-stays-on-right-side-of-law-in-chicago-justice/)
18. [What has Jon Seda been doing since leaving Chicago PD?, One Chicago Center](https://onechicagocenter.com/2021/03/23/jon-seda-since-leaving-chicago-pd/)
19. [Jon Seda (56), Actor – Biography, Fametown](https://fametown.com/en/celebrity/jon-seda/)
20. [Jon Seda Interview: 'Chicago P.D.' and Trying Not to Be Stereotyped, Daily Actor](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/jon-seda-interview-chicago-pd/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Sc to Sl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; 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