Michael Peña
Michael Peña | |
|---|---|
 Peña at the premiere of The Martian at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | Michael Anthony Peña January 13, 1976 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1994–present |
Michael Anthony Peña (born January 13, 1976) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in many films, such as Crash (2004), World Trade Center (2006), Shooter (2007), Observe and Report (2009), Tower Heist (2011), End of Watch (2012), Gangster Squad (2013), American Hustle (2013), Fury (2014), Ant-Man (2015) and The Martian (2015).
Personal life
Peña was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Nicolasa, a social worker, and Eleuterio Peña, factory worker.[1][2] Peña's parents were originally farmers, and emigrated from Mexico; his father was from Villa Purificación, Jalisco, and his mother was from Charcas, San Luis Potosí.[3][4][5]
Peña is a Scientologist.[6]
Career
Though Peña has been a regular in independent productions since 1994, his breakthrough performances came in two Best Picture Oscar-winning Paul Haggis-penned films, Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Crash (2005). The former was helmed by Clint Eastwood, and the latter was directed by Haggis. Though both films are critically acclaimed, Peña received attention for his particularly emotional performance in Crash. The following year, he appeared on the Golden Globe winning series, The Shield. In 2006, he starred in Oliver Stone's film based on the September 11, 2001 attacks, World Trade Center. He also had a small role in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe-winning film Babel. This gives him the rare distinction of having appeared in three consecutive Oscar nominated films. He also starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in Shooter (2007) as novice FBI agent Nick Memphis.
In 2006, Peña starred in the HBO film Walkout as Sal Castro, a Mexican-American high school teacher who inspires a group of East L.A. high school students to fight for Chicano rights. In 2009, he played a mall security guard alongside Seth Rogen in Jody Hill's Observe and Report.
In 2012, he co-starred with Jake Gyllenhaal as a Los Angeles police officer, in End of Watch. The same year, he began filming César Chávez, a biopic about the life of American labor leader César Chávez, who founded the United Farm Workers. Peña stars as Chávez.[7] He appeared alongside Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, and Jon Bernthal in the World War II-set action film Fury (2014),[8] and portrayed Luis in Ant-Man (2015).[9]
Peña also voiced the character Ricky in the FX animated comedy Chozen. He also formed the Los Angeles rock band Nico Vega in 2005, which is named after his mother Nicolasa. He left the band in 2007 to concentrate on his acting career but co-wrote the track, "Beast" which reached #26 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs Chart.
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Pacific Blue | Rabbit | Episode: "Bangers" |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Reynaldo Estes | Episode: "At Risk" |
| 1998 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Luis Carrenza | 2 episodes Credited as Michael Anthony Pena |
| 1998 | The Sentinel | Johnny | Episode: "Night Shift" Credited as Michael A. Pena |
| 1998 | 7th Heaven | Roger | Episode: "Let's Talk About Sex" Credited as Michael A. Pena |
| 1999 | Moesha | Alejandro | Episode: "Life Imitating Art" |
| 1999 | Profiler | Alex Lopez | Episode: "Spree of Love" Credited as Michael Anthony Peña |
| 1999–2000 | Felicity | Brian Burke | 5 episodes |
| 2000 | The District | Sante | Episode: "The Real Terrorist" |
| 2001 | Roswell | Fly | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Men, Women & Dogs | Miguel | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | American Family | 2 episodes | |
| 2002 | Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Patrick | Episode: "Wedding" |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Noah | Episode: "Sunrise" Credited as Michael A. Peña |
| 2003 | ER | Police Officer | 3 episodes |
| 1997, 2004 | NYPD Blue | Ferd Wilmer Lopez |
2 episodes |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Juanito Concha | Episode: "Snakes" |
| 2005 | The Shield | Detective Armando Renta | 10 episodes |
| 2006 | Walkout | Sal Castro | Movie Black Reel Award for Network/Cable - Best Supporting Actor Imagen Award for Best Actor - Television Nominated – ALMA Award for Outstanding Actor - Television Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie |
| 2008 | My Name Is Earl | Circus | Episode: "No Heads and a Duffle Bag" |
| 2010 | Eastbound & Down | Sebastián Cisneros | 5 episodes |
| 2011, 2013 | American Dad! | Marguerite (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Chozen | Ricky (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2014 | Gracepoint | Mark Solano | 10 episodes |
Video game
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Lego Marvel's Avengers | Luis | Ant-Man downloadable pack |
References
- ^ Rusoff, Jane Wollman (2005-05-07). "Michael Pena stands out in 'Crash'". Tribune. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
- ^ "Michael Peña: "Nunca pensé en hacer telenovelas"". People. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
- ^ "MIKE PEÑA, nació en Chicago de padres mexicanos. Su madre, de Charcas". 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
- ^ Pearlman, Cindy. "Michael Peña has luck on his side". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ Daunt, Tina (2006-10-01). "He's all about survivor roles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
- ^ Template:Cite article
- ^ McNary, Dave. "Participant Marches With 'Chavez'." Variety. June 5, 2012.
- ^ The Hollywood Reporter (May 14, 2013). "Michael Pena Boards David Ayer's Fury". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ Dread Central (May 14, 2013). "The First Trailer for Marvel's "Ant-Man" Is Here". Dread Central. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 16, 2016). "'My Little Pony' Movie Adds Liev Schreiber, Taye Diggs (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
External links
- 1976 births
- Male actors from Chicago
- American male actors of Mexican descent
- American male film actors
- American Scientologists
- American male television actors
- Hispanic and Latino American male actors
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners