Efrain Antonio Ramírez (born October 2, 1973) is an American actor and
DJ, best known for playing Pedro Sánchez in the 2004 indie film ''
Napoleon Dynamite
''Napoleon Dynamite'' is a 2004 American comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt and Sean Covel, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Jon Heder in the role of the titular character, a nerdy high- ...
''. He later reprised his role in the
2012 animated series of the same name.
Early life
Ramírez was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, to
Salvadoran
Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvado ...
parents, both are from El Salvador. He has four brothers, one of whom is his identical twin Carlos.
Career
Ramirez has starred in a number of films, including ''Napoleon Dynamite'' as Pedro Sánchez, ''
Employee of the Month'' with
Dane Cook
Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released six comedy albums: ''Harmful If Swallowed''; ''Retaliation''; '' Vicious Circle''; '' Rough Around the Edges: Live from Madison Square Garde ...
,
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' Swe ...
, and
Dax Shepard, ''
Crank'' and ''
Crank: High Voltage'' with
Jason Statham
Jason Statham (; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying characters in various action-thriller films who are typically tough, hardboiled, gritty, or violent.
Statham began practising Chinese martial arts, kickboxing ...
, ''Searching for Mickey Fish'' with
Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Leroy Baldwin (born October 5, 1960) is an American actor. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Baldwin played the role of Detective Beau Felton in the NBC TV series '' Homicide: Life on the Stree ...
, ''
All You've Got
''All You've Got'' is a 2006 sport/drama film directed by Neema Barnette and starring stars Ciara Harris and Adrienne Bailon. The film debuted on MTV.
Plot summary
A rivalry between two volleyball teams (the Phantoms and the Madonnas) causes a ...
'' with
Ciara
Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
, and
HBO's Walkout and made cameos in ''
Nacho Libre
''Nacho Libre'' is a 2006 sports comedy film directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White. It stars Jack Black as Ignacio, a Catholic friar and lucha libre fan who secretly moonlights as a luchador to earn money fo ...
'' and ''
Mr. & Mrs. Smith''. In 2009, Efren starred in the comedy ''
American Summer
''The Pool Boys'' (also known as ''American Summer'') is a 2008 American comedy film directed by James B. Rogers. It stars Matthew Lillard, Brett Davern, Rachelle Lefèvre, Efren Ramirez and Tom Arnold.
Principal photography began in late Ap ...
'' with
Matthew Lillard
Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor. His early film work includes Chip Sutphin in ''Serial Mom'' (1994), Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein in ''Hackers'' (1995), Stu Macher in ''Scream'' (1996), Stevo in ''SLC Punk ...
as well as appearing as a contestant on MTV's ''
Celebrity Rap Superstar
''Celebrity Rap Superstar'' is an American reality show which premiered on MTV on August 30, 2007. The series was hosted by Kevin Hart and Liz Hernandez.
Overview
The series features eight rappers teaching eight celebrities to be able to perform ...
''. On July 14, 2008
Sierra Mist
Sierra Mist is a lemon-lime flavored soft drink line. Originally introduced by PepsiCo in 1999, it was eventually made available in all United States markets by 2003. The drink was rebranded as "Mist Twist" in 2016, although it reverted to Sierr ...
released a series of commercials aimed at multicultural consumers in which Efren stars. The first being named "Wedding Girl" followed by "Mannequin Man" and an online spot, "The Whiner," which will be posted at the Sierra Mist dedicated site, RefreshYourMind.com
Soon after the success of ''Napoleon Dynamite'', the music group
G. Love and Special Sauce asked Efren to appear in their music video "Booty Call". He also played
Ashlee Simpson
Ashley Nicolle Ross ( Simpson; born October 3, 1984), known professionally as Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer and actress. The younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, she began her career as a back-up dancer for her sister ...
's boyfriend in the music video for her 2005 song "
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a male friend or acquaintance, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved.
A boyfriend can also be called an admirer, beau, suitor and sweetheart. The analogous female ...
". Ramírez made a cameo appearance in a 2005 episode of
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''
George López
George T. López (April 23, 1900 – December 23, 1993) was a renowned Santo (art), Santos woodcarver who was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982. He was born in the small village of Cordova, New ...
'' wearing a T-shirt similar to the shirt
Jon Heder
Jonathan Joseph Heder (; born October 26, 1977) is an American actor, best known for his role as the title character of the 2004 comedy film ''Napoleon Dynamite''. He has also appeared in the films '' Just Like Heaven'', ''The Benchwarmers'', ''S ...
wears in ''Napoleon Dynamite'' that reads, "Vote For Pedro". In 2007 Ramírez appeared as the judge for an acting challenge on
Cycle 8 of ''America's Next Top Model''.
Ramírez made several cameos throughout his career. In
''King Cobra'', he portrayed a teenager playing a game of
hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...
with his girlfriend (portrayed by Ramirez's wife
Iyari Limon
Iyari Pérez Limón (born July 8, 1976) is a Mexican-born American actress, best known for her supporting role as Potential Slayer Kennedy on the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''.
Early life
Limón was born in Guadalajara, Jalis ...
). They later end up as prey for the title
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.
Etymology
The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
. In the music video for
Sleazy, Pedro appears as a cameo and lip syncs
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi.
B ...
's verse.
He co-founded Powerhouse Pictures Entertainment, LLC with
Chris Barrett, and they co-authored the book ''Direct Your Own Life: How To Be A Star in Any Field You Choose'' being published on June 10, 2008 through
Kaplan Publishing
Kaplan, Inc. is an American for-profit corporation that provides educational and training services to colleges, universities, businesses and individuals around the world. Founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan, the company offers a variety of test prep ...
.
Personal life
In 1998, Efren married actress
Iyari Limon
Iyari Pérez Limón (born July 8, 1976) is a Mexican-born American actress, best known for her supporting role as Potential Slayer Kennedy on the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''.
Early life
Limón was born in Guadalajara, Jalis ...
. The marriage was later
annulled
Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost ...
.
Ramírez is also a popular
DJ,
who has performed worldwide and toured in over 50 cities across 5 continents. His sets include a variety of music, from
hip hop,
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
,
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, to
hard house. His production company "Nocturnal Rampage" throws a recurring
rave
A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
event every summer in
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Efren
1973 births
American people of Salvadoran descent
American male actors of Mexican descent
American male film actors
Hispanic and Latino American male actors
Male actors from Los Angeles
American twins
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Living people