Don Castro is a Manila-born, award-winning American actor and filmmaker based in New York City. His career spans theatre, film, television, and original works, with a dedication to telling compelling stories across mediums.
On stage, Don has collaborated with many acclaimed theatre companies in New York City and beyond, including Ensemble Studio Theatre, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, Target Margin Theater, San Francisco Playhouse, and Metro Theater Company (St. Louis). He has performed at La Mama ETC, The Public Theater, Here Arts Center, The Chocolate Factory, Abrons Arts Center, New Ohio Theatre, The Kitchen, Theatre Row, Theater for the New City, and internationally in Athens and Spetses, Greece.
Don has dedicated much of his career to developing original characters in new work, having originated lead roles in the world premieres of You Mean To Do Me Harm by Christopher Chen (Obie Award winner), Turning the Glass Around by Pia Wilson (Genius: Aretha), and The Tear Drinkers by Mike Iveson (Gatz with Elevator Repair Service, What The Constitution Means To Me on Broadway). Over the years, Don has worked closely with playwrights such as Zhu Yi, Leah Nanako Winkler, and Naveen Choudhury, whose plays have been featured in Steppenwolf Theatre’s Mix list—a resource spotlighting diverse and nuanced new voices "in the collective effort to move toward a holistic, nuanced, and equitable approach to diversity in theatre."
Films featuring his work have screened at festivals in cities worldwide, such as the Toronto International Film Festival, Cannes’ Short Film Corner, Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea, and the Tribeca Film Festival. Credits include The Goldfinch (with Nicole Kidman), The Wizard of Lies (with Robert De Niro), M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, and the award-winning short Bohemibot (Student Academy award), written and directed by Brendan Bellomo (Porcelain War, 2024 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature).
Don's television appearances include Power Book II: Ghost (Seasons 2 and 3, reprising the recurring role of Dean Wong), Marvel’s Daredevil (Season 3, in the recurring role of Agent Arinori), Modern Love (the guest starring role of Leo), Blue Bloods (the guest starring role of Peter Chen), The Blacklist, Pose, The Affair, Louie, The Following, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
As a filmmaker, Don wrote, directed, produced, and starred in his award-winning, Emmy-eligible debut short film, Your blue heart, which screened at festivals across the U.S. and internationally. Highlights include the pioneering Micheaux Film Festival (sponsored by Panavision, Roku, and Sony Pictures, among others), DIWA Filipino Film Festival, San Diego Filipino Film Festival (the largest curation of Filipino films in the U.S.), NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival, Queens World Film Festival, Kaminari Japan Film Festival (Best Short Film winner), and Cebu International Film Festival (Best Short Narrative winner). Your blue heart was featured this past summer on CUNY TV, streaming on Roku TV, Vizio, iWantTFC, and is now available for download HERE.
Beyond acting and directing, Don also created soundscapes under the moniker Lacuna. His debut release, The Invisible Things, was featured in collaboration with Baran Dance of Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of SITES: Reset, a multimedia art installation in Durham, North Carolina.
He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and SAG-AFTRA.
Home page photo by Josie Mi.