Puerto Rican actor (born 1956)
Luis Guzmán
Guzmán in 2022
Born (1956-10-23 ) October 23, 1956 (age 69) Education City College of New York Occupation Actor Years active 1977–present Spouse Angelita Galarza (m. 1985; div. 2010) Children 6
Luis Guzmán (born October 23, 1956)[ 1] is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared inPaul Thomas Anderson 's filmsBoogie Nights (1997),Magnolia (1999) andPunch-Drunk Love (2002), andSteven Soderbergh 's filmsOut of Sight (1998),The Limey (1999) andTraffic (2000). His other film credits includeQ & A (1990),The Hard Way (1991),Carlito's Way (1993),Snake Eyes (1998) andKeanu (2016). For his role inThe Limey , he received a nomination for theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male .
On television, he starred as Raoul Hernandez on theHBO prison dramaOz (1998–2000),José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha onNarcos (2015), Jesse "Mama" Salander on theCBS medical drama Code Black (2015–2018), Hector Contreras onPerpetual Grace, LTD (2019), andGomez Addams onWednesday (2022–present).
Guzmán was born inCayey, Puerto Rico , and was raised in New York City'sRiverdale and the surroundingBronx neighborhood. He went toSeward Park High School [ 2] on the Lower East Side. His mother, Rosa, was a hospital worker, and his stepfather, Benjamin Cardona, was a TV repairman.[ 3] . He shortly after began his career as asocial worker , working as a youth counselor at theHenry Street Settlement . He moonlighted as an actor, eventually becoming heavily involved instreet theatre andindependent films .[ 4] [ 5]
Guzmán at the 2009 premiere ofWhatever Works Guzmán speaks at the 2012 premiere ofJourney 2: The Mysterious Island Guzman's numerous movie credits includeCarlito's Way ,Carlito's Way: Rise to Power ,Punch-Drunk Love ,Welcome to Collinwood ,Stonewall ,Waiting... ,The Salton Sea , andLemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events .[ 6] [ 7] He has also appeared on the TV showsHomicide: Life on the Street ,Frasier ,Community (as himself) andOz and voiced Ricardo Diaz in the video gameGrand Theft Auto: Vice City and its prequelGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories . Guzmán starred in the short-lived 2003 television comedyLuis , and is a commentator onVH1 'sI Love the '80s , as well asI Love Toys and its sequels, includingI Love the '70s andI Love the '90s . He co-starred on the 2007HBO seriesJohn from Cincinnati , which lasted one season.
In early 2008, Guzmán starred in "Naturally Aged Cheddar Hunks" TV ads forCabot Creamery .[ 8] He also appeared in the music video "Yes We Can." In 2010, he starred in HBO'sHow to Make It in America and appeared in a comical series ofSnickers commercials that played during that year'sSuper Bowl .[ 9] [ 10]
Guzmán married Angelita Galarza in 1985.[ 11] Their first son had died during childbirth, and that, alongside his frustration at social work, persuaded Guzmán to act full-time.[ 12] This also made them adopt their next three children, Cemí, Clara, and Margarita, starting from 1991. Later, one biological daughter was born, Luna. Their youngest daughter, Yamaya, is asocial media influencer .[ 11]
Guzmán resides inCabot, Vermont .[ 13]
Guzmán endorsed SenatorBernie Sanders forPresident in the2016 U.S. presidential election .[ 14]
In 2018, Guzmán, along withNew York Yankees all-starBernie Williams , appeared in a season six episode of Jon Taffer'sBar Rescue , offering assistance not only to the El Krajo Tavern in Loiza, but the town's community centre, after it was devastated fromHurricane Maria .
DuringTelegramgate , Guzmán was interviewed byMSNBC 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 problem that he hoped would be solved.[ 15]
In an interview withThe Rich Eisen Show , Guzmán claims to be frequently mistaken by the public as the actor who played the killer "Willie Lopez", played byRick Aviles in the filmGhost (1990), due to the physical resemblance and the same nationality as the two.[ 16]
Awards and nominations [ edit ] ^ "Luis Guzmán Biography" .Turner Classic Movies .^ "Yesterday" .^ "Luis Guzman Biography (1957?-)" . Filmreference.com. RetrievedMay 15, 2013 .^ "Biography" .Luisguzman.com . Archived fromthe original on July 13, 2003.^ "Luis Guzmán" .The Kennedy Center . RetrievedNovember 9, 2024 .^ "Actor Luis Guzmán had a very different job before Hollywood. He drew on it for 'Hold On.' " .NBC News . December 6, 2019.^ BWW News Desk."Based On A True Story, Independent Film HOLD ON Opens 12/06" .BroadwayWorld.com . ^ Swansburg, John"Cheese Puff" Slate.com (January 18, 2008). Retrieved on May 1, 2008. ^ "Snickers Ad Starring Luis Guzmán from Super Bowl 2020 Ads" .E! News .^ "Snickers TV Commercial, '#SnickersFixedTheWorld: Online Date' Featuring Luis Guzman" .iSpot.tv .^a b Heuck, Johanna (November 22, 2024)."Luis Guzmán: Wer ist die Frau des "Wednesday"-Schauspielers?" .desired.de (in German). RetrievedSeptember 13, 2025 . ^ Fernandez, Rosa (November 5, 2019)."Luis, Luis" .backstage.com . RetrievedSeptember 13, 2025 . ^ "Actor Luis Guzmán Donates 'Wheel of Fortune' Winnings to a Cabot Nonprofit" . Seven Days. December 6, 2023. RetrievedDecember 8, 2023 .^ "Bernie Sanders campaign taps Rosario Dawson, Luis Guzman to woo Latino voters in LA" .Los Angeles Daily News . May 26, 2016.^ "Luis Guzman on Ricardo Rossello and protests in San Juan" .MSNBC.com . July 21, 2019. RetrievedAugust 18, 2019 .^ Romano, Nick (November 29, 2011)."Luis Guzmán wants to remind you he's not in Ghost" .EW . RetrievedFebruary 22, 2023 . ^ "Actor Luis Guzmán had a very different job before Hollywood. He drew on it for 'Hold On.' " .NBC News . December 6, 2019.^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 26, 2025)." 'Coyote Vs. Acme': Will Forte Says Looney Tunes Movie Getting Late Summer 2026 Global Release – Comic-Con" .Deadline Hollywood . RetrievedJuly 26, 2025 . ^ "Netflix's Addams Family Spin-off Wednesday Adds Comedian Luis Guzman" .Gizmodo . August 7, 2021. RetrievedAugust 8, 2021 .
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