White Teeth

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ortiz was born in Albany, New York, of Puerto Rican and Italian ancestry, and grew up in Richardson, Texas. He was introduced to puppetry by a touring marionette group. He built puppets in high school. He attended Collin County Community College, where he designed puppets for a production of *The Rocky Horror Show* called *The Rocky Horror (Puppet) Show*. He then went to Purchase College, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2010. In 2010, Ortiz and classmates from the acting conservatory at Purchase College, including Jason Ralph whom he had met at Collin College, founded the theater group Strangemen and Company. With Strangemen, Ortiz co-conceived and developed the play *The Woodsman*, based on L. Frank Baum's Tin Woodman, which premiered in 2012 in Brooklyn. He co-directed and performed in the work, playing the title character, Nick Chopper. *The Woodsman* had three off-Broadway runs, in 2014, 2015, and 2016; Ortiz won an Obie Award for puppet design for the 2016 production.

Reader's Guide

Ortiz's first job after college was with the British puppet theater Blind Summit and Tectonic Theater Project at the New Victory Theater as a puppeteer in *El gato con botas* (Puss in Boots). He has built puppets for Theatre for a New Audience and The New Group. In 2017, he designed the puppets for The Public Theater's Public Works production of *As You Like It*, which was remounted in 2022. With Public Works, he also designed the puppets for a 2019 production of Disney's *Hercules*. Ortiz designed the set and puppets for a production of *Zémire et Azor* he directed for Opera Saratoga in 2017. In 2023, he directed, and designed the puppets and scenery for Leonard Bernstein's *Candide* at the Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ortiz won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Puppet Design for the 2022 Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's play *The Skin of Our Teeth*. In 2022, his puppet designs also appeared on Broadway in a revival of *Into the Woods*. Working with designer Neal Scanlan, Ortiz led a team operating the puppet for the alien character Rocky in the 2026 film *Project Hail Mary*. During filming, Ortiz recited Rocky's dialogue for actor Ryan Gosling to play against, believing the lines would be replaced by a more famous actor, but directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller kept his performance in the film. Rocky has been described as the "breakout star" of the film, and *Variety* has reported that Ortiz's performance will be submitted for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor category. Ortiz has designed puppets for the Metropolitan Opera, including the 2024 production of John Adams's *El Niño*, and the fall 2026 premiere of Missy Mazzoli's *Lincoln in the Bardo*, adapted from the novel of the same name.

Did You Know?

• Ortiz won an Obie Award for puppet design for the 2016 production of *The Woodsman*.
• He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Puppet Design for the 2022 Broadway revival of *The Skin of Our Teeth*.
• Ortiz voiced and operated the puppet for Rocky in the 2026 film *Project Hail Mary*.
• During filming of *Project Hail Mary*, Ortiz recited Rocky's dialogue for actor Ryan Gosling to play against, and directors kept his performance in the film.
• According to *Variety*, Ortiz's performance as Rocky will be submitted for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

From Albany to the Stage

He spent his childhood years in Richardson, Texas, where a chance encounter with a touring marionette troupe first ignited his fascination with puppetry. That early spark led him to construct his own puppets during high school, laying the groundwork for a lifelong craft. At Collin County Community College, he designed the puppets for a student production of *The Rocky Horror Show*, reimagined as *The Rocky Horror (Puppet) Show*. This combination of hands-on puppet-building and disciplined acting study would prove essential to his later work, where he simultaneously designs, voices, and physically operates complex characters on stage and screen.

Strangemen and The Woodsman

Together, the group co-conceived and developed *The Woodsman*, a theatrical adaptation drawing on L. Frank Baum's Tin Woodman character. *The Woodsman* became a defining early project that showcased his ability to merge storytelling, direction, and physical puppet performance into a single cohesive vision.

A Range Across Broadway, Opera, and Ensemble Theater

Ortiz's post-college career quickly broadened well beyond his own company. His first professional gig placed him with the British puppet theater Blind Summit and the Tectonic Theater Project at the New Victory Theater, operating puppets in *El gato con botas*. That same year with Public Works, he created puppets for a production of Disney's *Hercules*.

Rocky and the Road to Hollywood

Working alongside designer Neal Scanlan, he led the team responsible for operating the alien character Rocky. But his contribution went further: he also voiced the character, reciting Rocky's dialogue on set so that star Ryan Gosling had a real performance to react against. Ortiz assumed those lines would ultimately be replaced by a more recognizable voice, yet directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller chose to keep his delivery in the final cut. The result has been widely noted—Rocky has been called the "breakout star" of the film. According to *Variety*, Ortiz's performance is set to be submitted for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a remarkable trajectory for a man whose primary identity has been as a designer and operator of inanimate objects. The episode underscores how his deep, embodied understanding of a puppet's personality can translate into a performance that audiences experience as genuinely alive.