Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor, best known for starring as Nurse Patsy de la Serda on the HBO comedy '' Getting On'', as Todd Rodriguez on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

comedy '' The Last Man on Earth'', and as Ernie Gomes on the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

drama ''

On Becoming a God in Central Florida ''On Becoming a God in Central Florida'' is an American dark comedy television series created by Robert Funke and Matt Lutsky that premiered on Showtime on August 25, 2019. The series stars Kirsten Dunst and is set in the early 1990s. In Septem ...

''. Other notable works include recurring as Marco Pasternak on

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

's ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

'' and co-starring on the short-lived Fox sitcoms ''

Running Wilde ''Running Wilde'' is an American sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz for the Fox Network. It stars Will Arnett as Steve Wilde, a self-centered, idle bachelor and heir to an oil fortune. The series follows Wilde's awkward attempts to regain the a ...

'' and ''

Enlisted Enlisted may refer to: * Enlisted rank An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...

''. In 2021, Rodriguez appeared in the crime television series '' CSI: Vegas''.

Life and career

Rodríguez was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in its

Little Havana Little Havana ( es, Pequeña Habana) is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city i ...

neighborhood. He first pursued a career in boxing, until he was led onto the path of acting by his high school teacher at age 17, first starring in an AIDS awareness play entitled ''The Inner Circle'' with Pedro Zamora. He dropped out of high school and managed to receive a scholarship, which he used to graduate from SUNY Purchase. After his graduation, Rodríguez stayed in

Purchase Purchasing is the process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between ...

and managed a cigar shop, from time to time visiting

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to act on stage. He did his first role on screen in 1999 in an episode of the legal drama television series ''

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 on ...

'', which was filming in the state. Rodríguez then moved to

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' ...

, focusing more on his career in the film industry and less on his acting on stage. His first role in a full-length feature film was in the 1999 comedy ''Wirey Spindell''. He achieved his breakthrough by scoring the recurring role of Frank on the ABC comedy series ''

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rece ...

'' in 2002. Rodríguez is most known for his recurring roles as Sgt. Núñez on ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

'' and SPC Chubowski on the

sitcom ''

''. He portrayed Marco Pasternak, the best friend and partner-in-crime of

Jimmy McGill James Morgan Jimmy McGill, better known by his business name Saul Goodman, is a character created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and portrayed by Bob Odenkirk in the television franchise ''Breaking Bad''. He appears as a major character ...

in the first and third seasons of ''

''. He had a brief role as Officer Morales in the 2002 film ''

Panic Room ''Panic Room'' is a 2002 American thriller film directed by David Fincher. The film stars Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart as a mother and daughter whose new home is invaded by burglars, played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoaka ...

'', and was a main cast member on '' The Last Man on Earth'' (2015). He also appeared as Officer Martinez in ''

Little Miss Sunshine ''Little Miss Sunshine'' is a 2006 American tragicomedy road film and the feature film directorial debut of the husband–wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Michael Arndt. The film sta ...

'' (2006). Rodriguez decided to depart '' CSI: Vegas'' after its first season as Medical Examiner Hugo Ramirez.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodríguez, Mel 1973 births American male actors Living people State University of New York at Purchase alumni American entertainers of Cuban descent American people of Cuban descent 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Hispanic and Latino American male actors Hispanic and Latino American entertainers