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Guillermo Díaz (born March 22, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for films ''
Half Baked ''Half Baked'' is a 1998 American stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz. The film was directed by Tamra Davis, co-written by Chappelle and Neal Brennan and produced by Robert Simonds. ...
'' (1998), ''
200 Cigarettes ''200 Cigarettes'' is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Risa Bramon Garcia and written by Shana Larsen. The film follows multiple characters in New York City on New Year's Eve 1981. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of brothers ...
'' (1999) and '' Stonewall'' (1995). He is best known for his role as Diego "Huck" Muñoz in the drama series ''
Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
''. Díaz has made guest appearances on ''
Chappelle's Show ''Chappelle's Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show and starring in the majority of its sketches. Chappelle, Brennan, and Michele Armour were th ...
'', ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...
'', '' Weeds'', '' ER'', ''
Broad City ''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web series ...
'', and ''
Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...
''.


Early life and career

Díaz was born in New Jersey to Cuban parents, and grew up in
Washington Heights, Manhattan Washington Heights is a neighborhood in the uppermost part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest natural point on Manhattan by Continental Army troops to defen ...
. In 1994, he landed his first speaking role as Spike in Boaz Yakin's '' Fresh''. From there he began working on ''
Party Girl A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature fo ...
'' as Leo,
Parker Posey Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress and musician. Posey is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award nomination, a Satellite Award nomination and two Independent Spirit Award nominations. Posey made her film debu ...
's roommate. His next role was a drag queen (La Miranda) in Nigel Finch's '' Stonewall''. In 1996, Díaz worked in
Jim McKay James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008), better known professionally as Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist. McKay was best known for hosting ABC's '' Wide World of Sports'' (1961–1998). His introd ...
's '' Girls Town'' as Dylan, after which he appeared in ''
I'm Not Rappaport ''I'm Not Rappaport'' is a play by Herb Gardner, which originally ran on Broadway in 1985. Productions The play was originally staged by Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1984. The play premiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on November 19, 1985 ...
''. Díaz played Paco de la Vega al Camino Cordoba Jose Cuervo Sanchez Rodriguez Jr., a high school gang member in '' High School High''. He later appeared in ''
Freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
'' as Flaco, another gang member. While in Los Angeles, he did guest spots on '' ER'' and ''
Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by ...
''. After finishing work on the West Coast, Díaz traveled back east to play a stoner named Eric in Brian Sloan's film '' I Think I Do''. A similar role followed as Scarface in the film ''
Half Baked ''Half Baked'' is a 1998 American stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz. The film was directed by Tamra Davis, co-written by Chappelle and Neal Brennan and produced by Robert Simonds. ...
''. One of his co-stars was
Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...
, who later cast him in several episodes of ''
Chappelle's Show ''Chappelle's Show'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan, with Chappelle hosting the show and starring in the majority of its sketches. Chappelle, Brennan, and Michele Armour were th ...
''. In 1999, he landed a non-speaking role in ''
200 Cigarettes ''200 Cigarettes'' is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Risa Bramon Garcia and written by Shana Larsen. The film follows multiple characters in New York City on New Year's Eve 1981. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of brothers ...
'', and went on to act in both
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...
's directorial debut ''
Chelsea Walls ''Chelsea Walls'' is a 2001 independent film directed by Ethan Hawke and released by Lions Gate Entertainment. It is based on the 1990 play ''Chelsea Walls'' by Nicole Burdette. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Natasha ...
'' and the movie '' Just One Time'', where as secondary characters one critic thought that he and
Jennifer Esposito Jennifer Esposito is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the feature films '' Summer of Sam'' (1999), ''Don't Say a Word'' (2001), ''Welcome to Collinwood'' (2002), as well as ''Crash'' and ''Taxi'' (both 2004). She has also appe ...
provided what little "comic spark" existed in the film. Díaz played Guillermo García Gómez, a drug dealer/trafficker, in seasons 2-6 of the series '' Weeds''. In 2009, he starred on the series ''
Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...
'', where his portrayal of the gay nurse Angel received negative criticism in online forums for being too flamboyant. In 2010, he appeared in the thriller film '' Exquisite Corpse''. After having portrayed several Mexican thugs (
cholos ''Cholo'' () is a loosely defined Spanish language, Spanish term that has had various meanings. Its origin is a somewhat derogatory term for Mestizo, people of mixed-blood heritage in the Spanish Empire in Latin America and its successor sta ...
), Díaz was cast in 2010 as a Latino gangster named Poh Boy in ''
Cop Out Cop out or cop-out may refer to: Film and television * ''Cop Out (2010 film)'', a comedy film directed by Kevin Smith * ''Cop-Out'', a film by Lawrence L. Simeone, produced by Kimberley Casey * ''Cop-Out'', the US title for the 1967 UK film '' S ...
''. When asked about being typecast, he said: "I sed to worry but not really anymore. Now I'm just grateful that I'm working. I try to make everything different." In 2010, Díaz did a photoshoot for ''
Pinups Magazine ''Pinups'' is a triannual artists' publication in the United States playing on the historical centerfold practice of nudie magazines by making the centerfold the sole feature. There are no words—just an exaggeration of the classic centerfold. T ...
''. The photoshoot featured full frontal nudity from Díaz. In 2011, Díaz appeared alongside
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...
in a music video for the single "
I Wanna Go "I Wanna Go" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her seventh studio album, ''Femme Fatale'' (2011). It was written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback, with additional writing by Savan Kotecha. Spears first posted on her Twitt ...
", and took part in a scene referencing his character Scarface from ''Half Baked''. In 2012, Díaz began his role as Huck in the drama series ''
Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
''. Díaz was one of the many celebrities that acted in
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
and
Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...
's video for "Run" in 2014.


Personal life

Díaz is
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
. In 2011, he told ''
Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...
'' magazine that his rough upbringing in New York City, during which he hid his sexuality so as not to become a target, ultimately made him a better actor. He said: "I went to school in the Bronx. I learned to constantly try to cover up the fact that I was gay. That façade of being somebody I'm really not just to protect myself definitely helped with acting." He was named one of ''Out'' Magazine's 100 most influential gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people for 2013. Díaz has said on multiple occasions that he is a fan of
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
. He has been to all of her tours apart from
The Virgin Tour The Virgin Tour was the debut concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. The tour supported her first two studio albums, ''Madonna'' (1983) and '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). Although initially planned for an international audience, the to ...
and The Who's That Girl Tour. He also has her face tattooed on his right arm. In November 2017, Díaz was nominated to ''Out'' magazine's "OUT100" for 2017 in recognition of his work and his visibility.


In popular culture

In 2006, he joined the cast of a series of improv-based commercials for
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 ...
titled ''Mist Takes''. A Spanish version of the advertisements began airing, and the bilingual Díaz also starred in those with other Latino comedians.


Filmography


Film


Television


Other media


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diaz, Guillermo American male film actors American male television actors American people of Cuban descent American gay actors Hispanic and Latino American male actors LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people Living people People from Washington Heights, Manhattan 1975 births Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from New York City LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT people from New Jersey