Nuestro Cine: Danny Trejo

Danny Trejo may not be a household name but he is a versatile Latino actor who has appeared in over 180 film and television roles. He is a particular favorite of director/cousin Robert Rodriguez and after years of supporting roles Trejo will lead an all-star cast in Rodriguez' upcoming movie "Machete." In an The Onion A.V. Club interview with Trejo, the convict-turned-counselor explained how he landed his first film role as an extra in 1985's "Runaway Train":

This guy asked me if I wanted to be in a movie, and I said, “What do I gotta do?” And he said, “Do you want to be an extra?” And I said, “An extra what?” And he said, “Can you act like a convict?” I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever heard. I’d been in every penitentiary in the state. I looked at him and I said, “Well, I’ll give it a shot.” He gave me a blue shirt, and I took off my shirt, and I have that big tattoo on my chest. He said “Leave your shirt off.”

The following is the trailer of a documentary on Trejo entitled "Champion", which gives a taste of the difficulties he overcame in order to be such a well-respected and celebrated actor:

Online Sources- Onion A.V. Club, imdb.com, Wikipedia, YouTube