Life and career

Of Colombian and Puerto Rican descent, Arias was born and raised in New York City, the son of Antonio and Miriam Arias. He attended Moore Catholic High School and St. John's Preparatory School before studying theater at Carnegie Mellon University.

His first big break came in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon in 1992, which he worked on in different capacities for several years. In addition to television roles, he also continued to work on stage, including a starring role in The Wild Party in 2000.

In 2001 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, actress Anna Alvim. He was on the show Knight Rider for the first half season.

In July of 2013, it was announced that Arias would play Carl Villante, the head of an elite investigative unit, in the ABC series Castle. He appears in the film Cesar Chavez.