Eldy Banda is a celebrity parent best known as the mother of American actor Benjamin Bratt. Eldy was a nurse and political activist, but her fame came solely from her children. Eldy’s son, Benjamin, has worked in film and on television as an actor and producer. He has supporting roles in ‘90s box office hits, including Demolition Man, Clear and Present Danger, and The River Wild. From 1995 to 1995, Benjamin starred as NYPD Detective Rey Curtis on NBC’s Law & Order. Is Benjamin Eldy’s only child? Keep reading to get a detailed sneak peek into Edy Banda’s life.
Eldy Banda Bio
Eldy Banda was born in Lima, Peru, and moved to the United States with her family when she was 14. Eldy is of Quechua descent. She was the wife of Peter Bratt Sr., a sheet metal worker of German and English ancestry. Peter’s father, George, was a Broadway actor. The couple was married from 1960 to 1967. During their union, Eldy and Peter welcomed five children.
As an activist for Native American rights, Eldy took her son Benjamin and other children to participate in the 1969 Native American occupation of Alcatraz.
Eldy Banda has two grandchildren: Mateo Bravery Bratt and Sophia Rosalinda Bratt.
Eldy Banda Children
Two of Eldy Banda’s children entered the film and television industry. Peter Bratt is an award-winning film producer, writer, and director whose first feature film was Follow Me Home in 1996. Peter’s other projects include La Mission (2009), Good Boy (2010), The TV (2010), Dolores (2017), and The People’s Home (2021). Peter was born on 14 November 1962 in San Francisco, California, and holds American nationality.
Benjamin Bratt is the most famous of Eldy’s children. He was born on 16 December 1963 and attended Lowell High School in San Francisco, where he was a member of the Lowell Forensic Society. Benjamin joined the University of California in 1986 and was a Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity member. He then enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco in the MFA program but left before graduating to star in the 1987 television film Juarez.
Benjamin began his professional acting career in Juarez at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He then landed a supporting role in the television film Police Story: Gladiator School in 1988. After several positions in a low-budget film and television films like One Good Cop and Shadowhunter, Benjamin appeared in Blood In, Blood Out, and Demolition Man.
He played a supporting role in The River Wild, Clear and Present Danger, and Texas. In television, Benjamin played Detective Reynaldo Curtis in Law & Order, a role that gained him international recognition. He appeared in the show’s 95 episodes over five seasons and 14 years until he left it in 1999.
In 2000, Benjamin co-starred in The Next Best Thing and played opposite Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. He produced the 2009 film La Mission directed by his brother Peter, and also produced and starred in Follow Me Home, which Peter directed.
Benjamin married actress and former Bond girl Talisa Soto in 2002. They have two children, Sophia, born in December 2002, and Mateo, born in October 2005.
Wrapping Up
Eldy Banda did a fantastic job as a mother raising his children to be independent in their respective careers.
