Danny Trejo is an American film actor born on May 16, 1944. He has
appeared in many films, usually as a villain or antihero. His most
memorable films include "Con Air," "Desperado," "Heat," and "Machete."
Trejo frequently collaborates with film director Robert Rodriguez.
Trejo
was born in Los Angeles and is the son of Dan Trejo and Alice Rivera.
Robert Rodriguez is Trejo's second cousin, although neither man was
aware of this relationship until they filmed "Desperado." Trejo spent
much of the 1960s in California prisons and became a champion boxer for
the welterweight and lightweight divisions In San Quentin Prison. He
also joined a twelve-step program during his incarceration and says that
he has been sober since 1969. Trejo enrolled in Pitzer College in
Claremont, California, upon his release from prison but left after one
semester.
He was speaking at a recovery meeting in 1985 when one
of the attendees invited Trejo to watch the filming of "Runaway Train."
He got a job as an extra, and screenwriter Edward Bunker recognized
Trejo as a former inmate of San Quentin, where Bunker had also served
time. Bunker offered Trejo a job training star Eric Roberts to box.
Director Andrei Konchalovsky was also impressed by Trejo and offered him
a more prominent role in "Runaway Train."
Trejo has since
appeared in many films with A-list actors such as Charles Bronson,
Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, and Robert De Niro. He
typically plays small roles, which allows him to routinely appear in
five or more films per year. Major films in which Trejo has played a
significant role include "Blood In, Blood Out," "Marked for Death" and
"Once Upon a Time in Mexico."
His first leading role was Machete
Cortez in the 2010 action film "Machete," which was followed by the 2013
sequel, "Machete Kills." Trejo originally appeared as Machete in a
trailer for "Grindhouse," a B-grade action film directed by Robert
Rodriquez and Quentin Tarantino. The trailer was originally intended as a
spoof, but it became so popular that Rodriquez decided to make a film
based on the character of Machete.
Trejo's characters, especially
those directed by Rodriquez, are often named after sharp instruments. In
addition to Machete, Trejo played Razor Charlie in the horror film
series "From Dusk till Dawn," and his character in "Desperado" was named
Navajas, which is Spanish for blades. His character in "Predators" was
Cuchillo, Spanish for knife.
He has a heavily lined face and has a
long mustache in most of his films, giving Trejo a distinctive
appearance. He also has a tattoo on his chest depicting a woman with a
sombrero that is visible in some of his films. Trejo usually plays
thugs, but he also plays sympathetic characters in films such as "Bubble
Boy" and "Spy Kids," which was directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Trejo
has made guest appearances on television series such as "Breaking Bad"
in which he played a recurring role in two episodes, one in 2009 and
another in 2010. He also played a character similar to himself in
"Monk," an action-comedy series starring Tony Shalhoub. Trejo played an
inmate at San Quentin prison, who was Monk's roommate. He was also a
good guy in an episode of "Desperate Housewives," a television drama
series.
He has also performed extensive voice work. Trejo provided
the voice for Enrique on "King of the Hill," a long-running animated
comedy. The character of Octavio on this series is based on Trejo,
although he does not voice that character. Trejo's voice work also
includes characters in video games such as "Def Jam," "Grand Theft
Auto," and "Fallout." These animated characters often bear a strong
resemblance to Trejo.
Trejo has made many cameo appearances in
music videos such as "Like Yeah" by rapper Tech N9ne. Additional videos
in which Trejo appears include "Double Blade" by Jay Chou and "Open Your
Eyes" by Marylene and the Sons of Disaster. Adult film star Lupe
Fuentes also featured Trejo in her music video "We Are the Party."
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