Luis Guzmán
Luis Guzmán (born August 28, 1956) is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in the Paul Thomas Anderson films Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999) and Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and the Steven Soderbergh films Out of Sight (1998), The Limey (1999) and Traffic (2000). His other film credits include Q & A (1990), The Hard Way (1991), Carlito's Way (1993) and Keanu (2016). For his role in The Limey, he received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
Luis Guzmán | |
|---|---|
Guzmán in February 2012 at the French premiere of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | |
| Born | August 28, 1956 |
| Education | The American University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–present |
On television, he starred as Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez on the HBO prison drama Oz (1998–2000), José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha on the Netflix series Narcos (2015), Jesse "Mama" Salander on the CBS medical drama Code Black (2015–18), Hector Contreras on Perpetual Grace, LTD (2019) and as Gomez Addams on the Netflix series Wednesday (2022).
Early life
Guzmán was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico, and was raised in New York City's Greenwich Village and the surrounding Lower East Side neighborhood. His mother, Rosa, was a hospital worker, and his stepfather, Benjamin Cardona, was a TV repairman.[1] Guzmán graduated from The American University and shortly after began his career as a social worker and moonlighted as an actor, eventually becoming heavily involved in street theater and independent films.[2]
Career
Guzman's numerous movie credits include Carlito's Way, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, Punch-Drunk Love, Welcome to Collinwood, Stonewall, Waiting..., The Salton Sea, and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.[3][4] He has also appeared on the TV shows Homicide: Life on the Street, Frasier, Community and Oz and voiced Ricardo Diaz in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and its prequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Guzmán starred in the short-lived 2003 television comedy Luis, and is a commentator on VH1's I Love the '80s, as well as I Love Toys and its sequels, including I Love the '70s and I Love the '90s. He co-starred on the 2007 HBO series John from Cincinnati, which lasted one season.
In early 2008, Guzmán starred in "Naturally Aged Cheddar Hunks" TV ads for Cabot Creamery.[5] He also appeared in the music video "Yes We Can." In 2010, he starred in HBO's How to Make It in America and appeared in a comical series of Snickers commercials that played during that year's Super Bowl.[6][7]
Personal life
Guzmán resides in Sutton, Vermont.[8]
Guzmán endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[9]
In 2018, Guzmán, along with New York Yankees all-star Bernie Williams, appeared in a season six episode of Jon Taffer's Bar Rescue, offering assistance not only to the El Krajo Tavern in Loiza, but the town's community center, after it was devastated from Hurricane Maria.
During Telegramgate, Guzmán was interviewed by MSNBC for his opinions on the situation in Puerto Rico and he expressed that "Ricky had to go" and that corruption on the island was a major issue that he hoped would be solved.[10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Short Eyes | Prisoner | |
| 1983 | Variety | Jose | |
| 1986 | No Picnic | Arroyo | |
| 1987 | *batteries not included | Bystander | |
| 1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | Jose | |
| 1989 | True Believer | Ortega | |
| Rooftops | Martinez | ||
| Black Rain | Frankie | ||
| Family Business | Julio Torres | ||
| 1990 | Q & A | Detective Luis Valentin | |
| 1991 | The Hard Way | Detective Benny Poole | |
| McBain | Papo | ||
| 1992 | Innocent Blood | Morales | |
| Jumpin' at the Boneyard | Taxi Driver | ||
| 1993 | Guilty as Sin | Detective Martinez | |
| Naked in New York | Auditioner | ||
| Mr. Wonderful | Juice | ||
| Carlito's Way | Pachanga | ||
| 1994 | The Cowboy Way | Chango | |
| 1995 | Lotto Land | Ricki | |
| Stonewall | Vito | ||
| 1996 | The Substitute | "Rem" | |
| 1997 | The Brave | Luis | |
| Boogie Nights | Maurice "T.T." Rodriguez | ||
| 1998 | Out of Sight | Chino | |
| Snake Eyes | Cyrus, Drug Dealer | ||
| One Tough Cop | Gunman Papi | ||
| 1999 | The Limey | Eduardo Roel | |
| The Bone Collector | Eddie Ortiz | ||
| Magnolia | Luis | ||
| 2000 | Luckytown | Jimmy | |
| Traffic | DEA Agent Ray Castro | ||
| 2001 | Double Whammy | Juan Benitez | |
| Sam the Man | Murray | ||
| 2002 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Jacopo | |
| The Salton Sea | Quincy | ||
| Punch-Drunk Love | Lance | ||
| Welcome to Collinwood | Cosimo | ||
| The Adventures of Pluto Nash | Felix Laranga | ||
| 2003 | Confidence | Officer Omar Manzano | |
| Anger Management | Lou | ||
| Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd | Ray Christmas | ||
| Runaway Jury | Jerry Hernandez | ||
| 2004 | Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Bald Man | |
| 2005 | Dreamer | Balon | |
| Carlito's Way: Rise to Power | Nacho Reyes | Direct-to-video | |
| Waiting... | Raddimus | ||
| 2006 | Disappearances | Brother St. Hilaire | |
| Fast Food Nation | Benny | ||
| School for Scoundrels | Sergeant Moorehead | ||
| Hard Luck | "Million Dollar" Mendez | Direct-to-video | |
| 2007 | Maldeamores | Ismael | |
| War | Benny | AKA Rogue Assassin | |
| Cleaner | Detective Vargas | ||
| 2008 | Beverly Hills Chihuahua | Chucho (voice) | |
| Nothing like the Holidays | Johnny | ||
| Yes Man | Jumper | ||
| 2009 | He's Just Not That Into You | Javier | |
| Still Waiting... | Raddimus | Direct-to-video | |
| Fighting | Martinez | ||
| The Taking of Pelham 123 | Phil Ramos | ||
| Old Dogs | Nick | ||
| 2011 | Arthur | Bitterman | |
| The Caller | George | ||
| 2012 | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | Gabato Laguatan | |
| 2013 | The Last Stand | Deputy Mike Figuerola | |
| Turbo | Angelo (voice) | ||
| We're the Millers | Mexican Cop | ||
| 2014 | Two Men in Town | Terence | |
| In the Blood | Chief Ramón Garza | ||
| The Lookalike | Vincent | ||
| Henry & Me | Vernon "Lefty" Gomez (voice) | ||
| Top Five | Bobby the Cop | ||
| Reclaim | Superintendent | ||
| 2015 | Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha | Farmer | |
| Ana Maria in Novela Land | Licenciado Schmidt | ||
| Puerto Ricans in Paris | Luis | ||
| 2016 | Keanu | Bacon Diaz | |
| The Do-Over | Jorge the Shooter Boy | ||
| 2017 | Sandy Wexler | Oscar | |
| Literally, Right Before Aaron | Federico | ||
| 9/11 | Eddie | ||
| 2018 | The Padre | Gaspar | |
| Belleville Cop | Ricardo Garcia[11] | ||
| 2021 | Lady of the Manor | Wally | |
| The Birthday Cake | Jochee | ||
| 2023 | Havoc | TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Equalizer | Gypsy Cabbie | Episode: "The Lock Box" | |||
| 1985–86 | Miami Vice | Miguel Revilla, Goon #1 | 2 episodes | |||
| 1990 | Hunter | Carlos Delgado | Episode: "La Familia" | |||
| 1991 | Monsters | Luis | Episode: "Desirable Alien" | |||
| Law & Order | Cesar Pescador | Episode: "Heaven" | ||||
| 1992 | To Catch a Killer | Waiter | Television film | |||
| Quiet Killer | Adelaido Ortiz | |||||
| Civil Wars | Hector Rodriguez | Episode: "Tape Fear" | ||||
| 1993 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Lorenzo Molera | Episode: "Son of a Gun" | |||
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Gomez | Episode: "Storm Warning" | ||||
| NYPD Blue | Hector Martinez | 2 episodes | ||||
| 1994 | seaQuest DSV | General Guzmano | Episode: "The Good Death" | |||
| The Burning Season | Estate Boss | Television film | ||||
| 1995 | House of Buggin' | Various | 10 episodes | |||
| 1995–96 | New York Undercover | Det. Lopez, Joaquin | 2 episodes | |||
| 1998 | Early Edition | John Hernandez | Episode: "The Quality of Mercy" | |||
| Michael Hayes | Santos | Episode: "Vaughn Mowery" | ||||
| 1998–2000 | Oz | Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez | 12 episodes | |||
| 2000 | The Huntress | Paulie Dortmunder | Episode: "Pilot" | |||
| Thin Air | Chollo | Television film | ||||
| 2002 | Frasier | George | Episode: "Enemy at the Gate" | |||
| 2003 | Luis | Luis Cortez | 9 episodes | |||
| 2007 | John from Cincinnati | Ramon Gaviota | 10 episodes | |||
| 2010–11 | How to Make It in America | Rene Calderon | 16 episodes | |||
| 2011 | Community | Himself | Episode: "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" | |||
| 2013 | Republic of Doyle | Charles Alomar | Episode: "The Devil Inside" | |||
| 2014 | Mind Games | Nate | 4 episodes | |||
| 2015 | Narcos | José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha | 6 episodes | |||
| 2015–18 | Code Black | Jesse "Mama" Salander | 47 episodes | |||
| 2016 | Roadies | Gooch | 4 episodes | |||
| 2018 | The Untitled Action Bronson Show | Himself | Episode: "An Australian Surprise and Luis Guzmán" | |||
| Bar Rescue | Himself | Episode: "Operation: Puerto Rico" | ||||
| 2019 | Perpetual Grace, LTD | Hector Contreras | 10 episodes | |||
| Godfather of Harlem | Alejandro "El Guapo" Villabuena | 4 episodes | 2018-2019 | Shameless | Mikey O'Shea | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | The Eric Andre Show | Himself | Episode: "Named After My Dad's P*nis" | |||
| 2021 | Ultra City Smiths | Rodrigo Smalls (voice) | 6 episodes | |||
| Hightown | Jorge Cuevas | 7 episodes | ||||
| 2022 | The Resort | Illan Iberra | Episode: "Hünch Fò Llub Seeth" | |||
| Entergalactic | Huge Mover (voice) | Netflix special | ||||
| Wednesday | Gomez Addams | 2 episodes[12] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Ricardo Díaz |
| 2006 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Undisputed" | Prisoner | Cash Money Millionaires |
| 2013 | "Gorilla" | Strip Zoo Owner | Bruno Mars |
| 2017 | "1-800-273-8255" | Track Coach | Logic (ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid) |
| 2018 | "Está Rico" | Gambler | Marc Anthony, Will Smith & Bad Bunny |
Awards and nominations
See also
References
- ^ "Luis Guzman Biography (1957?-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ "Luis Guzman, Visiting Faculty, MFA in Film". Vermont College of Fine Arts. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ "Actor Luis Guzmán had a very different job before Hollywood. He drew on it for 'Hold On.'". NBC News.
- ^ BWW News Desk. "Based On A True Story, Independent Film HOLD ON Opens 12/06". BroadwayWorld.com.
- ^ Swansburg, John "Cheese Puff" Slate.com (January 18, 2008). Retrieved on May 1, 2008.
- ^ "Snickers Ad Starring Luis Guzmán from Super Bowl 2020 Ads". E! News.
- ^ "Snickers TV Commercial, '#SnickersFixedTheWorld: Online Date' Featuring Luis Guzman". iSpot.tv.
- ^ "Legislative Documents". Leg.state.vt.us. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ "Bernie Sanders campaign taps Rosario Dawson, Luis Guzman to woo Latino voters in LA". Los Angeles Daily News. May 26, 2016.
- ^ "Luis Guzman on Ricardo Rossello and protests in San Juan". MSNBC.com. July 21, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
- ^ "Actor Luis Guzmán had a very different job before Hollywood. He drew on it for 'Hold On.'". NBC News.
- ^ "Netflix's Addams Family Spin-off Wednesday Adds Comedian Luis Guzman". Gizmodo. August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.