Luis Guzmán

Luis Guzmán (born January 1, 1957) is an American actor. Born in Cayey, Puerto Rico and raised in Manhattan, New York, he is best known for his character work. For much of his career, his squat build, wolfish features, and brooding countenance have garnered him roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen, but his later career has seen him move into more mainstream roles. He is a favorite of directors Steven Soderbergh, who cast him in Out of Sight, The Limey, and Traffic, and Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast him in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love.

Biography

Guzmán was born in Puerto Rico, but grew up in New York City's Greenwich Village and surrounding Lower East Side neighborhood. A graduate of City College of New York, he began his career not as a social worker; however, he moonlighted as an actor and became heavily involved in street theater and independent films. He currently lives with his wife Angelita Galarza-Guzmán and their five children in Sutton, Vermont, where he owns a ranch called Wild Orchard Stables.

Career

His numerous movie credits include Carlito's Way, Welcome to Collinwood, 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 and Oz and had a role 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 comentator on VH1's I Love the '80s and its sequels, including I Love the '70s and I Love the '90s.

Selected filmography

Carlito's Way (1993) as Pachanga
Stonewall (1995) as Vito
Boogie Nights (1997) as Maurice TT Rodriguez
Out of Sight (1998) as Chino
The Bone Collector (1999) as Eddie Ortiz
Magnolia (1999) as Luis
Traffic (2000) as Ray Castro
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) as Jacopo
The Salton Sea (2002) as Quincy
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) as Lance
Welcome to Collinwood (2002) as Cosimo
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) as Ricardo Diaz
Anger Management (2003) as Lou
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) as Ray
Runaway Jury (2003) as Jerry Hernandez (uncredited)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) as Bald Man
Waiting...(2005) as Raddimus
Fast Food Nation (2006) as Benny
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006) as Ricardo Diaz

External links