Clifton Collins Jr.
Clifton Craig Collins Jr. is an American actor.[1] After starting in 1990, with small roles in film and on television, Collins gained attention for his performance as Cpl. Ramon Aguilar, a prisoner "serving" under an imprisoned general played by Robert Redford in the 2001 film The Last Castle. His extensive work includes featured roles in films such as One Eight Seven (1997), Traffic (2000), Capote (2005), Star Trek (2009) and Pacific Rim (2013). Collins extensive work on television series includes Crisis Center (1997), Thief (2006), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, The Event (2010–2011), and Westworld (2016–2020).
Clifton Collins Jr. | |
|---|---|
Collins Jr. at the 2013 Weekend Of Horrors 11 | |
| Born | 1970|06|16 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Relatives | Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez (grandfather) |
Early life
Collins was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the grandson of actor Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez. He is sometimes credited as Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez in honor of his grandfather. His father is of German descent and his mother is of Mexican ancestry.[2]
Career
He first broke through the mainstream in 1997 with a performance as tagger César Sánchez in the film One Eight Seven. In 1998, he was in Ray Bradbury's cult film The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. He next portrayed a gay hitman named Francisco "Frankie Flowers" Flores for the Mexican drug cartels in Steven Soderbergh's 2000 ensemble drama Traffic.[3]
For his portrayal of a USMC prisoner in the 2001 film The Last Castle Collins was nominated for the 2002 American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for Best Supporting Actor in a motion picture. In 2002, he played the role of Buddy in the film American Girl.
In 2005, Collins won rave reviews for his subtle portrayal of killer Perry Smith in the fact-based film Capote, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006.
He starred in the 2005 film Dirty alongside Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. Collins starred on FX Networks' series Thief and received an Emmy nomination.[4] Collins also played a supporting role on FX Networks' series The Shield as undercover ICE agent Hernan. He also has a small role in 2006's Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
In 2007, Collins took the lead role in the indie feature The Perfect Game, playing former baseball player Cesar Faz, who coaches a local Mexican youth league team, leading them all the way to the Little League World Series.[5]
In 2008, Collins directed two music videos for the country music group Zac Brown Band: "Chicken Fried" and "Whatever It Is". Chicken Fried won the 2009 CMT breakthrough music video of the year award.
Collins starred in the comedy Sunshine Cleaning with Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin. He played Winston, the owner of a cleaning supply shop who builds meticulously detailed model airplanes with only one arm. Collins played the role with one arm bound tightly behind his back.[6] In 2009's Star Trek, Collins plays Ayel, a Romulan, second in command to the villain Nero.
In 2009, Collins joined Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker in the psychological thriller The Experiment.[7] Collins starred in Extract, a 2009 film by director Mike Judge. He co-produced the film National Lampoon's TV: The Movie in which he played Officer Sanchez alongside Jacob Vargas. He also voiced the fictional video game character Cesar Vialpando in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2009, he played Romeo in the film The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.[8]
In 2010, Collins joined the cast of NBC's drama The Event as Thomas.[9] The following year, he guests on two episodes of CSI: NY as a man named Raymond Harris, an ex-convict who seeks revenge against Mac Taylor and his partner to get some answers regarding a 17-year grudge against them. The episodes also guest-starred the now late Peter Fonda, who Collins previously worked with in San Andreas, as Taylor's ex-partner, who ends up getting killed by Harris. In 2014, Collins portrayed a law enforcement official, Franco Rodriguez, alongside Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Norman Reedus, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet in Triple 9.[10]
In 2015, HBO's science fiction drama Westworld added Collins as Lawrence / El Lazo, a charming but lethal outlaw, with a knack for maneuvering and negotiating the various criminal elements.[11]
In 2019, Collins Jr. filmed Jockey, which won the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for best acting.[12]
Awards
In 2019, Collins was awarded an Impact Award by the National Hispanic Media Coalition for his "Outstanding Performance in Film and Television".[13] On October 29, 2021, he will receive the Distinguished Performance Award at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.[14]
Writing
He wrote his first book, Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars with Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez, in 2015.[15]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Carlos' Friend #2 | |
| 1992 | For Richer, for Poorer | Co-Worker | TV Movie |
| Fortress | Nino Gomez | ||
| 1993 | Sworn to Vengeance | - | TV Movie |
| Menace II Society | Vato #2 | ||
| Poetic Justice | Mailroom Supervisor | ||
| 1994 | The Stoned Age | Tack | |
| Witch Hunt | Tyrone | TV Movie | |
| 1995 | Milestone | Clif | Short |
| Dead Presidents | Betancourt | ||
| One Tough Bastard | Jarhead #2 | ||
| 1996 | Sgt. Bilko | Soldier #2 | |
| 1997 | One Eight Seven | Cesar Sanchez | |
| The Bad Pack | Townsman 1 | ||
| 1998 | The Replacement Killers | Loco | |
| The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit | Martinez | ||
| The Defenders: Taking the First | Nelson Rodriguez | TV Movie | |
| 1999 | Mascara | - | |
| Light It Up | Robert "Rivers" Tresmont | ||
| My Sweet Killer | Horton | ||
| Mi abuela | - | Short | |
| 2000 | Price of Glory | Jimmy Ortega | |
| Tigerland | Private Miter | ||
| Traffic | Francisco "Frankie Flowers" Flores | ||
| Lessons Learned | - | TV Movie | |
| 2001 | The Last Castle | Corporal Ramon Aguilar | |
| 2002 | Road Dogz | Raymo Serrano | |
| Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool | - | ||
| The Rules of Attraction | Rupert | ||
| American Girl | Buddy | ||
| 2003 | I Witness | Claudio Castillo | |
| Undefeated | Loco | TV Movie | |
| 2004 | Mindhunters | Vince Sherman | |
| 2005 | Capote | Perry Smith | |
| Dirty | Officer Armando Sancho | ||
| Life of the Party | Kipp | ||
| Bounty Hunters | Mouse | TV Movie | |
| 2006 | Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders | Kenneth Bianchi | |
| Babel | Officer At Border Crossing | ||
| Little Chenier | "T-Boy" Trahan | ||
| TV: The Movie | Tijuana Cop #1/ Minion/Miranda | ||
| 2008 | Sunshine Cleaning | Winston | |
| Under Still Waters | Jacob | ||
| 2009 | Horsemen | "Stingray" | |
| The Perfect Game | Cesar Faz | ||
| Star Trek | Ayel | ||
| Crank: High Voltage | Jesus "El Huron" Verona | ||
| Extract | "Step" | ||
| The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day | Romeo | ||
| Brothers | Major Cavazos | ||
| Tom Cool | Tom Picasso | ||
| 2010 | Tell-Tale | Detective | Short |
| The Experiment | Nix | ||
| Scott Pilgrim vs. The World | Vegan Police | ||
| 2011 | The FP | C.C. Jam | |
| Machine Gun Justice | Jack Grizzly | Short | |
| 2012 | Potus | Pimp | Short |
| Gotten | Gun Dealer | Short | |
| Hellbenders | Lawrence | ||
| Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: The Great Calamity | Edgar Allan Poe (voice) | Short | |
| Freeloaders | Vic | ||
| 2013 | Parker | Ross | |
| Pacific Rim | Ops Tendo Choi | ||
| 2014 | Transcendence | Martin | |
| 2015 | Knight of Cups | Jordan | |
| Stung | Sydney | ||
| Man Down | Charles | ||
| Evil Men | Lazlo Kirk | TV Movie | |
| 2016 | Triple 9 | Detective Franco Rodriguez | |
| Transpecos | Hobbs | ||
| Punching Henry | Dramatic Actor | ||
| Hacker | Zed | ||
| 2017 | Small Town Crime | Mood | |
| M.F.A. | Kennedy | ||
| A Crooked Somebody | Nathan | ||
| The Vault | Detective Iger | ||
| Cabeza Madre | John | ||
| 2018 | Super Troopers 2 | Bus Driver | |
| The Mule | Gustavo | ||
| 2019 | Honey Boy | Tom | |
| Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Ernesto "The Mexican" Vaquero | ||
| Waves | Bobby | ||
| Running with the Devil | The Farmer | ||
| Lucky Day | DPO Ernesto Sanchez | ||
| 2021 | Breaking News in Yuba County | Ray | |
| Jockey | Jackson Silva | [16] | |
| After Yang | George | ||
| Nightmare Alley | Funhouse Jack | ||
| Painted Beauty | Peter | ||
| TBA | Landscape with Invisible Hand | Dave Reilly |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Freddy's Nightmares | Mickey | Episode: "Interior Loft" |
| The Flash | Javier O'Hara | Episode: "Double Vision" | |
| 1991 | Adam-12 | Kid in Class | Episode: "D.A.R.E." |
| Veronica Clare | Latino Manager | Episode: "Slow Violence" | |
| Jake and the Fatman | Roberto | Episode: "Street of Dreams" | |
| 1993 | Acapulco H.E.A.T. | David Kern | Episode: "Code Name: Desert Dragon" |
| 1995 | Madman of the People | Jorge | Episode: "Notes from the Underground" |
| Live Shot | Carlos Sandoval | Episode: "For Whom the Stinkin' Bell Tolls" | |
| 1996 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Fito | Episode: "El Coyote: Part 1 & 2" |
| Land's End | - | Episode: "Red Cadillac" | |
| 1997 | Crisis Center | Nando Taylor | Main Cast |
| ER | Mr. Brown | Episode: "Tribes" | |
| NYPD Blue | Jimmy Cortez | Episode: "I Love Lucy" | |
| 1998 | Diagnosis Murder | Boyd Harcourt | Episode: "Rear Windows '98" |
| 1999 | Martial Law | - | Episode: "Friendly Skies" |
| 2000–01 | Resurrection Blvd. | James Garcia | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 2002 | The Twilight Zone | Andy Perez | Episode: "Last Lap" |
| 2003 | Alias | Javiar Parez | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2006 | Thief | Jack "Bump" Hill | Main Cast |
| 2007 | The Shield | Hernan | Episode: "Haunts" & "Exiled" |
| Masters of Science Fiction | Frendon Blythe | Episode: "Little Brother" | |
| 2008 | Fear Itself | Richard "Family Man" Brautigan | Episode: "Family Man" |
| 2010 | Southland | Detective Ray Suarez | Episode: "The Runner" |
| 2010–11 | The Event | Thomas | Main Cast |
| 2011 | CSI: NY | Raymond Harris | Episode: "Nothing for Something" & "Life Sentence" |
| Pound Puppies | Scar/Weasel (voice) | Episode: "Rebel Without a Collar" | |
| 2013 | Red Widow | James Ramos | Main Cast |
| Cleaners | Julian | Main Cast: Season 1 | |
| The Blacklist | Hector Lorca | Episode: "The Stewmaker (No. 161)" | |
| 2015–17 | Ballers | Maximo Gomez | Recurring Cast: Season 1-3 |
| 2016–20 | Westworld | Lawrence/"El Lazo" | Main Cast: Season 1–2, Guest: Season 3 |
| 2019 | Veronica Mars | Alonzo Lozano | Main Cast: Season 4 |
| 2021 | The Stand | Bobby Terry | Episode: "The Vigil" |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Cesar Vialpando |
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ "Clifton Collins Jr. Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ Beale, Lewis (April 13, 2010). "Clifton Collins Jr. feels safe at home with his Mexican heritage in 'The Perfect Game'". Daily News Latino. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ Roger Ebert (January 1, 2001). "Traffic Movie Review".
- ^ "And the nominees are ..." Los Angeles Times. July 7, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ Lyford, Kathy (June 4, 2007). "Clifton Collins Jr. to star in 'Game'". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ Wolcott, Gary (April 16, 2009). "Q & A with Clifton Collins Jr. of 'Sunshine Cleaning'". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (July 5, 2009). "Clifton Collins Jr". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (October 29, 2009). "Review: 'The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ "Clifton Collins Jr. Joins The Event". TVGuide.com.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 12, 2014). "Clifton Collins Jr. Joins Triple 9". deadline.com.
- ^ "Westworld". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "Anthony D'Alessandro". Deadline. August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ Clifton Collins accepts NHMC Impact Award for Outstanding Performance in Film and Television, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved August 4, 2021
- ^ "2021 Honored Guests". SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ Collins, Clifton; Alvarez, Gustavo "Goose" (November 3, 2015). Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars. ISBN 978-0761185529.
- ^ JOCKEY
External links
- Media related to Clifton Collins Jr. at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Clifton Collins Jr. at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database
- Clifton Collins Jr. at AllMovie