Manuel Pérez "Manny" Batista (born May 5, 1969) is a Dominican American actor who has appeared in the television series Third Watch and in the film Washington Heights.

By the time Pérez finished high school he knew that he wanted to be an actor so he moved to New York City where he majored in drama at Marymount Manhattan College, graduating in 1992.

Following his performance on the film Washington Heights (which he also co-wrote and produced), Pérez garnered praise from many critics.

He won the 2002 Best Actor Award at The Milan International Film Festival in Italy for his performance in Washington Heights.

Pérez also said that when he first came to the United States, he gained a great deal of weight from what was later discovered to be hookworms in his stomach, which had first infected his feet after he walked the streets barefoot.