Why Jonathan Pangborn From Doctor Strange Looks So Familiar
In "Doctor Strange," when Dr. Stephen Strange crashes his car and suffers irreversible neurological damage as a result of his injuries, he scours New York and beyond looking for a way to overcome his disability. But despite spending all of his accrued wealth and calling in all of his favors, he finds that there is nobody alive who can help repair the damage in his hands. That is, until a physical therapist tells him about a man with injuries just as bad as Strange's who managed to recover fully despite being told that this would be an impossibility. His name was Jonathan Pangborn.
After Strange tracks down Pangborn, the formerly disabled man tells him something bizarre. His hands can be fixed, but only from an ancient order of mystics located in a place called Kamar-Taj. This was Stephen Strange's first step to becoming Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Pangborn is important to the movie's story, we actually don't see much of his for the rest of the film. He only reappears at the very end as part of the teaser for the next "Doctor Strange" movie. This is a shame considering that Pangborn's actor, Benjamin Bratt, has the resume to be more than just a side character. With a career dating back over the past 30-plus years, there are many movies that may be the reason why Pangborn's actor looks so familiar.
Benjamin Bratt is most famous for his appearance on Law & Order
Bratt had his fair share of supporting roles throughout the 1990s, appearing in blockbuster films like "Bright Angel," "Demolition Man," and "The River Wild." However, it wasn't until 1995 that he gained mainstream recognition through his role in the popular NBC crime drama "Law & Order" (via IMDb). Starting in the show's sixth season, Bratt played the role of Detective Rey Curtis.
A conservative and crafty detective, Bratt played Curtis on the show until his character's retirement in 1999. During his time in the 27th precinct, Curtis' character undergoes many changes, including a separation and eventual reunion with his wife. Curtis would make one final appearance during the show's 20th season, where it is revealed that his wife died of multiple sclerosis after he originally left the show.
Bratt's role as Curtis would go on to earn him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. However, that was not the end of Bratt's time as a professional crime fighter. The 2000s would see him playing the cop role several more times, in addition to playing some more diverse characters.
He brought his badge back for the 2000s
Shortly after leaving "Law & Order," Bratt went on to play a policeman in several other big-budget pictures over the years. One of the most prominent examples of this comes in the 2000 film starring Sandra Bullock as FBI Agent Grace Hart, "Miss Congeniality." Bratt played Agent Eric Matthews, Hart's partner and eventual love interest who assists her in the investigation of the Miss America Pageant.
Likewise, Bratt would play another detective as Tom Lone in 2004's "Catwoman" alongside Halle Berry. Again, Bratt plays the love interest to his onscreen counterpart. However, in this movie, Lone often finds himself at odds with Catwoman's vigilante behavior.
Eventually, Bratt would break out of his badge-wearing typecast and take on different kinds of roles throughout the 2000s. The same year that "Catwoman" was released, Bratt appeared as Carlos alongside Kevin Bacon in "The Woodsman," a harrowing drama about the life of a child molester recently released from prison. He also appeared in the 2008 indie film "Trucker" alongside Nathan Fillion and Michelle Monaghan.
Bratt continued the next decade with some truly criminal roles
The 2010s saw Bratt continuing to diversify the kinds of roles he took on large-scale projects like movies and TV. Starting in 2011, Bratt began making regular appearances on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff show, "Private Practice." There, Bratt portrayed Dr. Jake Reilly, Seaside Health and Wellness' endocrinologist. He also served as the love interest and eventual husband of leading lady Addison Forbes Mongomery (via the "Grey's Anatomy" Fandom page). In addition to that, Bratt made major appearances on Season 9 of "24" (the miniseries "24: Live Another Day") as Steve Navarro and guested six times on "Modern Family" as Javier Delgado.
In 2014, after years of playing a cop, Bratt finally portrayed a major character on the opposite side of the legal fence. "Snitch," starring Dwayne Johnson, saw Bratt take on the role of Juan Carlos "El Topo" Pintera, a dangerous cartel boss. Bratt would follow this up with two more criminal performances as Antonio Pope (the villain of "Ride Along 2") and the real-world Chilean cartel member Roberto Alcaino in "The Infiltrator," a historical retelling of the famous bust on Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar's money-laundering operations.
In an interview with NBC's "Today" show, Bratt explained how "there's more responsibility playing someone that actually is still alive" but that his experience playing fictional cartel members helped him "portray this character as honestly ... as possible."