Oh yeah, him!
Danny Trejo (born May 16, 1944) is an American actor that everyone can recognize, but not as many can name. When you see him, you tend to think, "
Hey, It's That Guy!" He's been working in Hollywood since 1985 and has played dozens of supporting roles, usually as some kind of Mexican tough guy,
henchman or thug. Trejo has also been in a number of
Robert Rodriguez films, usually with slightly larger roles than he normally plays, including
Desperado and the
Spy Kids trilogy, finally culminating in his first leading role: the
badass Knife Nut known as
Machete. As an
Ink Suit Actor, he was Dale's "Man Friday," Octavio on
King of the Hill.
He had criminal problems during his youth and spent time in jail, but the accounts of everybody he works with in the movies (
Everyone)
is that he is one of the best people in the industry. The
cameo heavy and varied cast of Machete stems from all the people he worked with in the past wanting to contribute something to his first starring role.
Danny Trejo has appeared in:
Danny Trejo embodies the following tropes:
- The Atoner: Has spent the last few decades helping people avoid going into the criminal lifestyle like he did.
- Badass
- Being Evil Sucks: Trejo confessed that he often chooses to play bad guys to teach younger audiences that bad guys often die or go to prison, and that one should try to live a decent life.
- Chronically Killed Actor: By virtue of playing expendable thugs.
- Cool Old Guy: One of the coolest around.
- Dashing Hispanic
- Face of a Thug
- Heel Face Turn: A rare example of a real-life reformed criminal.
- In Sons of Anarchy his character was portrayed as the most vicious drug lord in history. Turns out he's CIA and orchestrates a drug deal through the Sons to shut down other dealers.
- Heroic Build
- Knife Nut: Many of Trejo's characters in Robert Rodriguez movies have been named after knives or sharp instruments: Machete in Spy Kids and, well, Machete, Razor Eddie in From Dusk Till Dawn, Navajas (Spanish for blades) in Desperado, and Cuchillo (Spanish for knife) in Predators.
- Mean Character Nice Actor: Plays rough and cruel characters, but is widely reputed as one of the friendliest actors in Hollywood and a blast to work with. The Animal Planet documentary Pitbulls And Parolees also reveals that he helps out at the Villalobos Pitbull Shelter, since he lives down the street, and they even named a dog after him.
- Real-Life Relative: He's actually Robert Rodriguez's second cousin. No nepotism is involved, however; they didn't even know that they were related until Desperado had wrapped.
- South of the Border
- Tattooed Crook
- Type Casting: As a Knife Nut Mexican thug. Nobody does it better.