Gonzalez's parents moved from Puerto Rico to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City. Gonzalez was born in the borough of Brooklyn and later moved to the borough of Queens. Before acting, he played semi-professional football, worked as a bouncer and security guard in New York clubs. He studied Criminal law in college. Gonzalez replied to an ad for Manito (then called Cruel World) in Backstage magazine; three weeks later he was called to read the script for Director Eric Eason. The film played in 50 festivals in 2002. The following year he was cast at the last minute for the role of Wrench in The Italian Job. In 2005, he played Jonny Calvo in the short-lived Fox Network television show Jonny Zero and played Xavier in the horror film Saw II.
