Luis Guzmán Biography

LUIS GUZMÁN

Date of Birth: August 28, 1956

Born in Puerto Rico, Luis Guzmán moved with his family to Manhattan when he was a child. He graduated from City College and went to work as a youth counselor at the Henry Street Settlement House. In his spare time, he performed in street theater and independent films, making his debut in Short Eyes (1977). His next film wasn't until 1983, when he landed a able role in Variety. Guzmàn's first big break came with a guest appearance on the TV series Miami Vice in 1985. He went on to appear in a guest role on another series called Equalizer, and returned to Miami Vice for one more appearance before landing a role in the box office hit, Crocodile Dundee II (1988).

Known as a character actor who specializes in playing tough guys with a heart, Guzmàn has worked steadily since then, alternating between television and film, and even playing a regular role on the HBO series Oz, from 1998 to 2000. Some of the major motion pictures he's appeared in have been Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Traffic (2000), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) and The Runaway Jury (2003). He received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his appearance in The Limey (1999), directed by Steven Soderbergh. In September 2003, his self-titled sitcom Luis debuted on the Fox network but it didn't last the season. He didn't lack for work, however, with roles in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), Dreamer(2005), The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009), School for Scoundrels (2006) and Arthur (2011). He also spent a year on the television series How to Make it in America as well as working on the films Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) and The Last Stand (2013).

Guzmàn lives with his wife and children in Vermont.

Filmography:

Turbo (2013)
The Last Stand (2013)
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Rise of the Diamond (2011)
The Caller (2011)
Arthur (2011)
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
Fighting (2009)
Nothing Like the Holidays (2008)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) (voice)
Cleaner (2007)
War (2007)
School for Scoundrels (2006)
Fast Food Nation (2006)
Disappearances (2006)
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005)
Waiting... (2005)
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Runaway Jury (2003)
When Harry Met Lloyd: Dumb and Dumberer (2003)
Anger Management (2003)
Confidence (2003)
Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
The Salton Sea (2002)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Home Invaders (2001)
Double Whammy (2001)
Sam the Man (2000)
Table One (2000)
Traffic (2000)
Luckytown (2000)
Magnolia (1999)
The Bone Collector (1999)
The Limey (1999)
Snake Eyes (1998)
One Tough Cop (1998)
Out of Sight (1998)
Boogie Nights (1997)
The Brave (1997)
The Substitute (1996)
Lotto Land (1995)
Stonewall (1995)
Hand Gun (1994)
The Cowboy Way (1994)
Carlito’s Way (1993)
Mr. Wonderful (1993)
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Naked in New York (1993)
Innocent Blood (1992)
Jumpin’ at the Boneyard (1992)
McBain (1991)
The Hard Way (1991)
Q & A (1990)
Family Business (1989)
Black Rain (1989)
Rooftops (1989)
True Believer (1989)
Crocodile Dundee 2 (1988)
* batteries not included 1987)
No Picnic (1987)
Variety (1983)
Short Eyes (1977)