Rey Curtis

Reynaldo Curtis is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order, created by Ed Zuckerman and portrayed by Benjamin Bratt from 1995 to 1999. He appeared in 98 episodes (95 episodes of Law & Order and three episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street). He also appeared in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie. Curtis is introduced as a homicide detective in the New York Police Department, the junior partner of Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) in Manhattan's 27th Precinct Detective Squad. In contrast with his wilder predecessor, Mike Logan (Chris Noth), Curtis — a conservative, devout Catholic — does his job by the book, and views it in black and white terms: He believes that if someone breaks the law, he or she deserves to go to jail, regardless of circumstances. These views initially create friction with Briscoe. Curtis transferred to the 27th from the NYPD's Organized Crime Control Bureau, and occasionally comments on the increased scope of investigations he was able to undertake due to its larger budget. He left the OCCB because his female supervisor was making unwelcome sexual advances toward him. Curtis and his wife Deborah (played by Pat Moya) were married in 1989 and had three daughters: Olivia (born 1990), Serena (born 1992) and Isabel (born 1994). His sister died in a car accident at the age of 10. He is of Peruvian, English, Native American and German descent. His wife Deborah is part-Native American, of Pequot ancestry; it is implied that this gives her a source of income which relieves Curtis of the need to work extra jobs. Both women and men are attracted to Curtis. On two occasions, women attempt to seduce Curtis, spend the night with him (without any sexual contact), and complicate the case against the defendant when the alleged relationship is used to challenge Curtis's testimony. In the character's first season on the show, he is rebuked by his superiors on at least four occasions: in the first, Briscoe calls him out for pulling his gun on a suspect; in the second, Curtis loses his temper with a suspect in the interrogation room and must be removed; in the third, Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S.