Randy Vasquez (born October 16, 1961) is an American actor and director.

Early life

Vasquez was born in

Escondido, California Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census. Et ...

. He attended

Escondido High School Escondido High School (EHS) is one of three high schools in the Escondido Union High School District located in Escondido, California. Escondido High received a California Distinguished School award in 2007. History The first building to house E ...

and is a cousin of actor and director

James Vasquez James Vasquez (born c. 1972), also known as Pedro James Vasquez, is an American actor, writer, and director. Early life and education Vasquez is originally from Escondido, California, United States. He graduated from Escondido High School in 1 ...

, who also grew up in Escondido. His father, a school teacher and accountant, is of Mexican ancestry and his mother was a coal miner's daughter, originally from

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. Vasquez's parents divorced in 1966 and he elected to live with his father in Escondido. He initially attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

before dropping out in 1979 to become an actor. Talent manager Bob Marcucci spotted him in an acting class and helped him find auditions. In 1984, he got his first role, a small part on ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order t ...

''.

Career

Since debuting on television in 1984, Vasquez has made several appearances in

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

, most notably as Marcos in '' Acapulco H.E.A.T.'' and as Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez in '' JAG''. In 1998, he was cast as bartender Paolo Kaire on '' Love Boat: The Next Wave''. In 2002, he moved into film direction with ''Testimony'', a documentary about Salvadorean activist Maria Guardado. In 2005, he directed a comedic drama titled ''Perceptions''. In 2009, Vasquez returned to UCLA, where he earned a bachelor's degree in American Indian Studies. His 2011 film ''The Thick Dark Fog'' won the Best Documentary award at the 36th annual

American Indian Film Festival The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated solely to Native American/First Nations films and prepared the way for the 1979 formati ...

. In 2017, he directed a third documentary, ''Badger Creek'', a film about a

Blackfeet Nation The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

family.

Partial filmography

*''

'' (TV) (Help Wanted: Angel) (1984) *''

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr., and starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop who ...

'' (1984) .... Beverly Palms Hotel Bellhop (as Randy Gallion) *''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...

'' (TV) (6 episodes) (1989–1990) .... Ricardo Fonseca *''

Almost an Angel ''Almost an Angel'' is a 1990 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by John Cornell and starring Paul Hogan. The original music score was composed by Maurice Jarre. The film was a critical and commercial failure. Plot Terry Dean (Paul Hog ...

'' (1990) .... Hood Nervo at Bank *'' Acapulco H.E.A.T.'' (TV) (22 episodes) (1993–1994) .... Marcos *''

The Demolitionist ''The Demolitionist'' is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Robert Kurtzman. The film stars Nicole Eggert, Richard Grieco, Bruce Abbott, Heather Langenkamp, Susan Tyrrell and Tom Savini. Plot A murdered female police officer is brought ...

'' (1995) .... Henry 'Little Henry' Burne *'' The Stranger'' (1995) .... Marcus *''Moonbase'' (1997) .... Masani *''

Sliders Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

'' (TV) (1 episode) (1997) .... Carlos *'' Love Boat: The Next Wave'' (TV) (6 episodes) (1998) .... Bar Manager Paolo Kaire *''

First Monday ''First Monday'' is an American legal drama television series which aired on CBS during the midseason replacement from January 15 to May 3, 2002. The series centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Like another 2002 series, '' The Court'', it was i ...

'' (TV) (13 episodes) (2002) .... Miguel Mora *'' JAG'' (TV) (48 episodes) (1999–2003) .... Gunnery Sergeant Victor 'Gunny' Galindez *''Perceptions'' (2005) .... Mark Westin *''Level Seven'' (2008) .... Warden Vasquez *'' The Rookie'' - S4E3 ''In the Line of Fire'' (2021) .... Arson Investigator Breeze

References

External links

* 1961 births Living people Hispanic and Latino American male actors American male television actors American male film actors People from Escondido, California Male actors from California American male actors of Mexican descent American film directors of Mexican descent University of California, Los Angeles alumni {{US-tv-actor-1960s-stub