Luis Guzmán (born August 28, 1956) is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in the

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with '' Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' (1997) and received ...

films ''

Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American period comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic fi ...

'' (1997), ''

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

'' (1999) and ''

Punch-Drunk Love ''Punch-Drunk Love'' is a 2002 American absurdist romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. It follows an entr ...

'' (2002) and the

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

films ''

Out of Sight ''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor Georg ...

'' (1998), ''

The Limey ''The Limey'' is a 1999 American crime film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Barry Newman, Nicky Katt, and Peter Fonda. The plot concerns an English career ...

'' (1999) and ''

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

'' (2000). His other film credits include '' Q & A'' (1990), '' The Hard Way'' (1991), ''

Carlito's Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels '' Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pac ...

'' (1993) and '' Keanu'' (2016). For his role in ''The Limey'', he received a nomination for the

Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male The Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male was one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards. It was first presented in 1987, with Morgan Freeman being the first recipient, for his role as Fast Black in '' Street Smart''. It was last pres ...

. On television, he starred as Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez on the HBO prison drama '' Oz'' (1998–2000), José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha on the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series ''

Narcos ''Narcos'' is an American-Colombian crime drama television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. Set and filmed in Colombia, seasons 1 and 2 are based on the story of Colombian narcoterrorist and drug ...

'' (2015), Jesse "Mama" Salander on the CBS

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the characters' jobs and portray som ...

'' Code Black'' (2015–18), Hector Contreras on ''

Perpetual Grace, LTD ''Perpetual Grace, LTD'' is an American neo-noir thriller television series that premiered on Epix on June 2, 2019. The series is produced by MGM Television, with co-creators Steven Conrad and Bruce Terris writing each episode. The main cast feat ...

'' (2019) and as

Gomez Addams Gomez Addams is the patriarch of the fictional Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams for ''The New Yorker'' magazine in the 1940s, and subsequently portrayed on television, in film and on the stage. Cartoons In Charles Addams's orig ...

on ''

Wednesday Wednesday is the day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday. According to international standard ISO 8601, it is the third day of the week. In countries which have Friday as their holiday, Wednesday is the fifth day of the week. In countrie ...

''.

Early life

Guzmán was born in

Cayey, Puerto Rico Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and ...

, and was raised in New York City's

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

and the surrounding

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

neighborhood. His mother, Rosa, was a hospital worker, and his stepfather, Benjamin Cardona, was a TV repairman. Guzmán graduated from

The American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...

and shortly after began his career as a

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

er and moonlighted as an actor, eventually becoming heavily involved in street theater and

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

Career

Luis Guzman at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

Guzman's numerous movie credits include ''

'', '' Carlito's Way: Rise to Power'', ''

'', ''

Welcome to Collinwood ''Welcome to Collinwood'' is a 2002 American caper comedy film written and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and starring William H. Macy, Isaiah Washington, Sam Rockwell, Michael Jeter (in his last movie, during his lifetime), Luis Guzmán, Pa ...

,'' '' Stonewall'', '' Waiting...'', '' The Salton Sea'', and '' Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events''. He has also appeared on the TV shows '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

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, t ...

'' and '' Oz'' and voiced Ricardo Diaz in the video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' and its prequel '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories''. Guzmán starred in the short-lived 2003 television comedy '' Luis'', and is a commentator on VH1's '' I Love the '80s,'' as well as ''

I Love Toys ''I Love Toys'' is a miniseries on VH1 and the eighth installment of the '' I Love the...'' series that premiered on March 6, 2006. It is a countdown of the 100 greatest toys, chosen partially through public voting on vh1.com and also considerat ...

'' and its sequels, including '' I Love the '70s'' and '' I Love the '90s''. He co-starred on the 2007 HBO series '' John from Cincinnati'', which lasted one season. In early 2008, Guzmán starred in "''Naturally Aged'' Cheddar Hunks" TV ads for Cabot Creamery. He also appeared in the music video "Yes We Can." In 2010, he starred in HBO's ''

How to Make It in America ''How to Make It in America'' is an American comedy-drama television series that ran on HBO from February 14, 2010, to November 20, 2011. The series follows the lives of Ben Epstein ( Bryan Greenberg) and his friend Cam Calderon ( Victor Rasuk) a ...

'' and appeared in a comical series of

Snickers Snickers is a chocolate bar made by the American company Mars, Incorporated, consisting of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts that is encased in milk chocolate. The annual global sales of Snickers was over $3 billion . In the United ...

commercials that played during that year's

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

Personal life

Guzmán resides in

Cabot, Vermont Cabot is a New England town located in the northeast corner of Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,443 at the 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated villages of Cabot Village, Cabot Plains, South Cabot, East Ca ...

. Guzmán endorsed Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

for

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In 2018, Guzmán, along with

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

all-star Bernie Williams, appeared in a season six episode of Jon Taffer's '' Bar Rescue'', offering assistance not only to the El Krajo Tavern in Loiza, but the town's community center, after it was devastated from Hurricane Maria. During Telegramgate, Guzmán was interviewed by

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

for his opinions on the situation in Puerto Rico and he expressed that " Ricky had to go" and that corruption on the island was a major issue that he hoped would be solved.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guzman, Luis 1956 births Living people California Democrats City College of New York alumni Hispanic and Latino American male actors Male actors from New York City Male actors from Vermont New York (state) Democrats Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Cabot, Vermont People from Cayey, Puerto Rico People from Greenwich Village People from the Lower East Side Puerto Rican male film actors Puerto Rican male television actors Vermont Democrats 20th-century Puerto Rican male actors 21st-century Puerto Rican male actors