Clifton Collins Jr.
Clifton Collins Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Collins Jr. in 2013 | |
| Born | Clifton Craig Collins Jr. June 16, 1970 |
| Other names | Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Clifton Craig Collins Jr. (born June 16, 1970) is an American actor.[1] He has appeared in films such as Traffic, Capote, Star Trek, Pacific Rim and Triple 9. He has also appeared in a variety of television shows, such as The Event, Westworld and Thief, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination in 2006.
Early life
Collins was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the grandson of actor Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez. He has sometimes been credited as Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez to honor his grandfather. He is of German and Mexican descent.[2]
Career
He first broke through the mainstream in 1997 with a performance as gang thug César Sánchez in the film One Eight Seven. In 1998, he was in Ray Bradbury's cult film The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. He next portrayed a gay hitman named Francisco "Frankie Flowers" Flores for the Mexican drug cartels in Steven Soderbergh's 2000 ensemble drama Traffic.[3] For his portrayal of a USMC prisoner in the 2001 film The Last Castle Collins was nominated for the 2002 American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for Best Supporting Actor in a motion picture. In 2002, he played the role of Buddy in the film Confessions of an American Girl. In 2005, Collins won rave reviews for his subtle portrayal of killer Perry Smith in the fact-based film Capote, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006. He starred in the 2005 film Dirty alongside Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. Collins starred on FX Networks' series Thief and received an Emmy nomination.[4] Collins also played a supporting role on FX Networks' series The Shield, as undercover ICE agent Hernan. He also has a small role in 2006's Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
In 2007, Collins took the lead role in the indie feature The Perfect Game, playing former baseball player Cesar Faz, who coaches a local Mexican youth league team, leading them all the way to the Little League World Series.[5]
In 2008, Collins directed two music videos for the country music group, Zac Brown Band: "Chicken Fried" and "Whatever It Is".
Collins starred in the comedy Sunshine Cleaning with Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin. He played Winston, the owner of a cleaning supply shop who builds meticulously detailed model airplanes with only one arm. Collins played the part with one arm thrust tied behind his back.[6] In 2009's Star Trek, Collins plays Ayel, a Romulan, second in command to the villain Nero.
In 2009, Clifton joined Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker and Elijah Wood in the psychological thriller "The Experiment".[7]
Collins starred in Extract, a 2009 film by director Mike Judge. Collins Jr. co-produced the film National Lampoon's TV: The Movie in which he played Officer Sanchez alongside Jacob Vargas in TJ COPS. He also voiced the fictional video game character Cesar Vialpando in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2009, he played Romeo in the film The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.[8]
In 2010, Collins joined the cast of NBC's drama The Event as Thomas.[9]
In 2015, HBO's science fiction drama Westworld added Collins as Lawrence, a charming but lethal outlaw, with a knack for maneuvering and negotiating the various criminal elements.[10]
Writing
He wrote his first book, Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars with Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez in 2015.[11]
Filmography
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Freddy's Nightmares | Mickey | Episode: "Interior Loft" |
| 1990 | The Flash | Javier O'Hara | Episode 5: "Double Vision", credited as Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez |
| 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Roberto | Episode: "Street of Dreams" |
| 1995 | Madman of the People | Jorge | Episode: "Notes from the Underground" |
| 1996 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Fito | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Crisis Center | Nando Taylor | 6 episodes |
| ER | Mr. Brown | Episode: "Tribes" | |
| NYPD Blue | Jimmy Cortez | Episode: "I Love Lucy" | |
| 2000–2001 | Resurrection Blvd. | James Garcia | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | The Twilight Zone | Andy Perez | Episode: "Last Lap" |
| 2003 | Alias | Javiar Parez | 3 episodes |
| 2006 | Thief | Jack "Bump" Hill | 6 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 2007 | The Shield | Hernan | 2 episodes |
| Masters of Science Fiction | Frendon Blythe | Episode: "Little Brother" | |
| 2008 | Fear Itself | Richard 'Family Man' Brautigan | Episode: "Family Man" |
| 2010 | Southland | Detective Ray Suarez | Episode: "The Runner" |
| 2010–2011 | The Event | Thomas | 13 episodes |
| 2011 | CSI: NY | Raymond Harris | 2 episodes |
| Pound Puppies | Scar / Weasel | Voice Episode: "Rebel Without a Collar" | |
| 2013 | Red Widow | James Ramos | 8 episodes |
| The Blacklist | Hector Lorca | Episode: "The Stewmaker" | |
| 2015 | Ballers | Maximo Gomez | 3 episodes |
| 2016–present | Westworld | Lawrence | 10 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Cesar Vialpando |
References
- ^ "Clifton Collins Jr. Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ Beale, Lewis (April 13, 2010). "Clifton Collins Jr. feels safe at home with his Mexican heritage in 'The Perfect Game'". Daily News Latino. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
- ^ Roger Ebert (January 1, 2001). "Traffic Movie Review".
- ^ "And the nominees are ..." July 7, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ Lyford, Kathy (June 4, 2007). "Clifton Collins Jr. to star in 'Game'". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Wolcott, Gary (April 16, 2009). "Q & A with Clifton Collins Jr. of 'Sunshine Cleaning'". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (July 5, 2009). "Clifton Collins Jr". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Debruge, Peter (October 29, 2009). "Review: 'The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Clifton Collins Jr. Joins The Event". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "Westworld".
- ^ "Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars".
External links
- Official website
- Clifton Collins Jr. at IMDb
- Clifton Collins Jr. at the TCM Movie Database
- Clifton Collins Jr. at AllMovie
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1970 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American film producers
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American people of German descent
- American people of Spanish descent
- American male actors of Mexican descent
- Film producers from California
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners