Paul Calderón (born ) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is a founding member of the Touchstone Theatre, the American Folk Theatre and the LAByrinth Theater Company. He is also a member of the Actors Studio, auditioning and accepted as a member in 1984 alongside Melissa Leo and two other actors. He is best known for portraying Raymond Cruz in the 1998 crime comedy film '' Out of Sight'' and the 2023 neo-Western

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Justified: City Primeval''.

Early life

Calderón was born in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

as a child. After a stint in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, he studied acting under the

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

. He became a member of the Actors Studio in 1984, and was a founding member of the LAByrinth Theater Company.

Career

Calderón got his big break in 1984 in a revival of Miguel Piñero's '' Short Eyes'' directed by Kevin Conway at the Second Stage Theatre. In 1995 he won an Obie and an Audelco Award for his performance in ''Blade to the Heat'' at the Public Theater. His most notable Broadway role was opposite Robert De Niro in ''Cuba and His Teddy Bear''. He appeared

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in such plays as '' Requiem for a Heavyweight''; ''Two Sisters and a Piano'' and ''Dancing on Her Knees'', both written by Nilo Cruz; '' Troilus and Cressida'' at the Delacorte Theater in

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

, in the role of

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

; and ''Divine Horsemen'' for the LAByrinth Theater Company, a play which he had written, directed and produced. He wrote and directed ''Master of the Crossroads'', based on his own short story; it was premiered at the Bridge Theater in Manhattan, starring Kate Jackson. He has had various short stories published in literary journals. His last published story was "Primitive Grace" for the international e-magazine ''Noir Nation''. In the 1980s, Calderón appeared in several TV series. He acted in three episodes of '' Miami Vice'', playing a different character in each. He also appeared in the extended music video of " Bad" by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

(who played the film's main character, Darryl). Calderón appeared in Abel Ferrara's 1992 crime drama '' Bad Lieutenant'', starring Harvey Keitel. Calderón was almost cast as Jules Winnfield in the 1994 film '' Pulp Fiction'', since director Quentin Tarantino had been impressed by his audition, but the role eventually went to Samuel L. Jackson, and Calderón was given a role as a bartender, Paul, who speaks the line, "Hey, my name's Paul and this shit's between y'all," to

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

's character, Vincent Vega. He has performed in numerous feature films, including '' King of New York'', '' Sea of Love'', '' The Last Castle'', '' The Firm'', '' Four Rooms'', '' Out of Sight'', '' La Soga'', '' Cop Land'', '' The Addiction'', and '' 21 Grams''. He has made many guest appearances on television series, including recurring roles on '' Dream Street'', '' Law & Order'' and '' Miami Vice''. In 2012, he guest-starred in the '' Blue Bloods'' episode "Domestic Disturbance", playing Lieutenant Martin Perez. (He reprised the role in the 2016 ''Blue Bloods'' episode "Back in the Day".) Calderón worked on two films in 2012: ''West End'', directed by Joe Basille; and ''Biodegradable'', a futuristic film shot in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

with an all Latino cast, directed by Juan Basanta. In 2014, he played Arquimedes, the bodyguard of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in seven episodes of the fifth (final) season of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series '' Boardwalk Empire''. He played Alejandro, a recurring role on '' Fear the Walking Dead''. Since 2017, he has appeared as Detective Santiago "Jimmy" Robertson on the Amazon TV series, '' Bosch''. In 2023, he reprised his role from '' Out of Sight'' as Raymond Cruz in the FX

'' Justified: City Primeval''. In 2025, he reprised his role of Detective Santiago "Jimmy" Robertson in the ''Bosch'' spinoff series '' Bosch: Legacy.''

Personal life

Calderón lives in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

with his wife Catherine. They have two children.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calderon, Paul Living people Obie Award recipients People from East Harlem Male actors from Manhattan People from the Lower East Side Puerto Rican male film actors Puerto Rican male stage actors Puerto Rican male television actors Year of birth missing (living people)