Oswaldo Castillo (d. March 19, 2021), also known as ''Ozzie Castillo'', was a

Nicaraguan American A Nicaraguan American ( es, nicaragüense-americano, ''nicaragüense-estadounidense'', or ) is an American of Nicaraguan descent. They are also referred to as "nica" or "nicoya". The Nicaraguan American population at the 2010 Census was 348,20 ...

gardener/construction worker-turned-actor. Castillo was born in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

and, in 1986, fled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

after being tortured by

Somoza The Somoza family ( es, Familia Somoza) is a former political family that ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years from 1936 to 1979. Their family dictatorship was founded by Anastasio Somoza García and was continued by his two sons Luis Somoza D ...

militants for suspected opposition activities. Castillo left Nicaragua in 1979. He settled in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and worked in construction, where he later met Adam Carolla in 1989. The two became good friends. Castillo was the co-star of'' The Hammer''. He played "Oz", a character which is based on his real life while working in construction with Adam Carolla. Castillo and Carolla met while working in construction together and building the Bodies in Motion gym in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

, where they shot the movie. Castillo continued as Carolla's gardener and was asked to appear in Carolla's independent film to play a character based on himself. He also appeared as a cast member on ''

The Adam Carolla Project ''The Adam Carolla Project'' is an American reality television series featuring comedian Adam Carolla. The series aired on TLC from October to December 2005. Overview Before gaining celebrity on '' Loveline'' and ''The Man Show'', Carolla worke ...

'' working with Adam Carolla as a member of a construction crew. Castillo was a movie reviewer on the number one podcast '' The Adam Carolla Show''. He participated in segments like "Ozzie's Movie Review", "Nicaraguan Name That Tune", and "Nicaraguan Movie Quote Game." The fun in these games is in trying to understand what Ozzie is saying through his thick accent.

References

External links

* Year of birth missing 20th-century births 2021 deaths Nicaraguan male actors Nicaraguan emigrants to the United States {{film-actor-stub