He began his professional acting career in the summer of 1983 at Mary Moody Northern Amphitheater in Galveston, TX, where he played Mexican General Santa Ana in the musical "Lone Star."
Espinoza's breakout role "Jesse Vasquez", the upwardly mobile but cheating husband of Gabrielle Carteris' character Andrea on Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1993 to 1995, quickly established him as an audience favorite at a time when Latin actors were scarce in primetime television.
Espinoza went on to assume the role of "Carlos", Kelly Bundy's clueless boyfriend on the hit television series Married... with Children (2 episodes, 1995–1996).
He also played Mexican police detective Alberto Aguilar on The Young and the Restless investigating the possible role of Victor Newman in a death that occurred in Mexico.
Subsequently, he has appeared in numerous films and theatrical productions as well as hundreds of hours of television on such notable shows as Private Practice, House, Without a Trace, Criminal Minds, Mayans M.C., American Horror Story, and Scandal, playing a variety of roles from blood-sucking priests to kind-hearted cops.