Who Plays Dante Torres on Chicago PD?

• Dante Torres is the latest addition to Chicago PD’s Intelligence Unit, but viewers still have much to learn about him.
• Actor Benjamin Levy Aguilar plays Torres, showing off his talent in high-profile action scenes on the gritty drama.
• While Torres faces danger in Season 11, there’s room for growth and development as he navigates challenges within the team.

Dante Torres has captured the attention of Chicago PD fans — even as he’s gotten himself into trouble as part of the Intelligence Unit. The character is the latest person to join Intelligence, as the NBC crime drama has rotated through a few short-lived heroes, looking for the one who can mesh with the established team. Torres certainly has the determination required for the job, but he also has a lot to learn.

Audiences also still have a lot to learn about Torres. Actor Benjamin Levy Aguilar is an up and coming performer, and Torres has been missing in action from several episodes, so there are plenty of question marks surrounding the character. Viewers want to know more about who plays Torres and where Torres is headed… presuming he survives the rest of Chicago PD Season 11. Here’s everything that the series has established about Dante Torres so far.

Who Plays Dante Torres on Chicago PD?

Actor Benjamin Levy Aguilar Isn’t New to the Series

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Chicago PD has spent the last several seasons looking for a replacement for fan-favorite Antonio Dawson, after Jon Seda was let go from the series in Season 6. Lisseth Chavez was brought in as Officer Vanessa Rojas in Season 7, but the character didn’t catch on and Chavez exited Chicago PD at the end of the season. Next up was Cleveland Berto portraying Officer Andre Cooper in Season 8, yet he likewise wasn’t kept on past a handful of guest appearances. Enter Benjamin Levy Aguilar, who made his debut as Officer Dante Torres in Season 9, Episode 18, “New Guard.”

However, eagle-eyed viewers would have recognized his face. Levy Aguilar previously appeared on Chicago PD in Season 7, Episode 1, “Doubt,” as the character Franco Chavaro. It’s an interesting piece of trivia, since “Doubt” was the episode that officially wrote out Antonio Dawson; the character was sent to rehab for his drug addiction off-screen. It’s also not uncommon, since many One Chicago cast members have appeared on this or other Dick Wolf shows before landing their starring roles. Chicago Fire’s Daniel Kyri guest-starred on Chicago Med, and Chicago Med alum Brian Tee previously played a villain on Chicago PD. But Levy Aguilar might be the first actor to guest star in an episode that has a small connection to his future character… because Franco was arrested by Kevin Atwater, who’d become Dante Torres’ partner a few years later.

His other credits are mostly very different from the gritty procedural. The star’s biggest role before the One Chicago franchise was in the short-lived FOX soap opera Filthy Rich, playing Antonio Rivera — an MMA fighter revealed to be the son of high-profile minister Eugene Monreaux and the ambitious Yopi Candalaria (portrayed by Ted star Alanna Ubach). The U.S. remake of the New Zealand drama only lasted one season. Earlier in his career, Levy Aguilar had uncredited appearances as a protester in Straight Outta Compton and a student in Glee. Dante Torres is his most high-profile character to date, and has given him a chance to show off a different side of his talent because of its emphasis on action scenes. As per IMDb, before he became an actor, Levy Aguilar was a soccer player, earned a black belt in Krav Maga and trained in tactical shooting and evasive driving.

What Has Chicago PD Said About Torres?

The Character’s History Still Hasn’t Been Fully Explored

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Due to Torres’ inconsistent screen time, Chicago PD viewers still don’t know a lot about Dante. He was only in one Season 9 episode before being promoted to the main cast in Season 10, but he missed several episodes in Season 10 as well as the beginning of Season 11. The character is even more of an enigma because of the show’s tendency to focus its episodes on one or two characters at a time; there have been episodes like the Kim Burgess-centric “Safe Harbor” in which Torres appears, but is only in a few scenes. So despite being in his second season as a member of Intelligence, Dante Torres still feels like a new character.

Torres was originally brought into the fold by now-former Detective Jay Halstead, who recruited him out of the police academy. He is frequently seen working alongside Kevin Atwater, and the two have formed an intriguing friendship, given that Atwater is outgoing and often quotable, while Torres is more quiet and stoic. (So far, there hasn’t been an in-joke between the two about how Torres looks a little familiar.) Outside of the 21st District, Torres’ closest relationship is with his mother Catalina — he’s dedicated to taking care of her, even if she finds his attention a bit smothering at times. Down to Earth and cognizant of his past mistakes, Torres takes his commitments to both his family and his team seriously.

However, some viewers have called out how Torres is underdeveloped. His introduction is similar to how Adam Ruzek was recruited from the academy by Alvin Olinsky, and his being “the new recruit with a complicated past” is an archetype reminiscent of Rojas, who was revealed to have a difficult upbringing. Torres mentions in Chicago PD Season 11, Episode 4, “Escape” the problems that his mother had when he was younger, and that he was able to help her get away. While not all of Torres’ challenges are related to his family, viewers are hoping to find out more about what makes him tick, especially because Benjamin Levy Aguilar’s performances have won fans over.

What’s Next for Torres in Chicago PD Season 11?

Dante Torres Is the Latest Character in Peril

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Chicago PD Season 11 has not gone well for Dante Torres. He did not appear in the first few episodes, with the on-screen explanation being that he was on furlough — a break unlikely for a relatively new police officer. Then in Chicago PD Season 11, Episode 4, “Escape,” Torres went undercover in a drug smuggling operation and developed a soft spot for the leader’s wife, Gloria Perez. Despite Gloria saying she didn’t trust Torres and the two arguing more than once, the episode ended with the pair having sex on a rooftop. Their story was picked up in Chicago PD Season 11, Episode 9, “Somos Uno,” which saw Torres being tortured by some of Perez’s minions. While that was a harrowing scene, there’s no indication yet that Torres is going to be killed off or written out like Rojas and Cooper before him.

However, the character definitely has a lot of growing to do if he makes it through the rest of the season. Season 11 has proven that Torres means well but doesn’t always make the best choices… even by the Intelligence Unit’s more flexible code. He also doesn’t yet know what his niche within the team is. There is room to let him learn from his mistakes, as well as to develop his partnership with Atwater, who could also benefit from more screen time. Part of bringing in characters who are newer officers is that they’re supposed to grow and mature. Audiences haven’t seen that kind of storyline play out since Burgess was promoted to Intelligence, since so many of the previous additions haven’t stuck around.

It’s time to change that. While it’s unlikely that Torres bounces back right away from the torture sequence, hopefully he’s not sent on another furlough and doesn’t fade into the background. Chicago PD has spent a long time looking for a new character with staying power; Dante Torres could be the answer, as long as he gets the attention he deserves.

Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.

Chicago P.D. TV Show Poster

Chicago P.D.

Chicago P.D. follows the Intelligence Unit, a crack team of officers and detectives within the Chicago Police Department. It is the first spinoff of Chicago Fire and the second show in the One Chicago franchise.