Danny Trejo might work more than any actor in Hollywood. Granted, a lot of that work is in ridiculously bad movies that can only be found in the darkest depths of Netflix, but hey, it’s work.
How Trejo broke into film is actually pretty remarkable. His youth was filled with drug addiction and a string of robberies that led to a stint in prison. It was only while working as a drug counselor after his release, and visiting a friend on a movie set that he stumbled into show business.
“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.”
That film was 1985’s Runaway Train and since then he’s racked up an additional 281 acting credits, far more than Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, or Jack Nicholson. Danny Trejo turns 70 today, and to celebrate I was going to get a replica senorita chest tattoo, but I’m not much for pain. So instead, here’s Danny Trejo’s timeline from B-film character actor to Robert Rodriguez’s go-to badass, Machete.
1. Runaway Train, Boxer — 1985
2. Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, Art Sanella — 1987
3. Bulletproof, Sharky — 1988
4. Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects, Inmate — 1989
5. Maniac Cop 2, Prisoner — 1990
6. W.B. Blue And The Bean, Mean — 1990
7. Baywatch, Chulo and Carlos — 1991-1992
“Masquerade” and “Point of Attack”
8. Against The Wall, Luis — 1994
9. Desperado, Navajas — 1995
10. Heat, Trejo — 1995
11. From Dusk Till Dawn, Razor Charlie — 1996
12. Nash Bridges, Sid Benedict — 1996
“Internal Affairs”
13. Anaconda, Poacher — 1997
14. Con Air, Johnny 23 — 1997
15. Dilemma, Rudy Salazar — 1997
16. Point Blank, Wallace — 1998
17. Desert Heat, Johnny Six Toes — 1999
18. Reindeer Games, Jumpy — 2000
19. Spy Kids, Machete — 2001
20. xXx, El Jefe — 2002
21. Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Cucuy — 2003
22. King Of The Hill, Enrique — 2003-2010
various episodes
23. Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, Bartender — 2004
24. The Devil’s Rejects, Rondo — 2005
25. Hood Of Horror, Derelict — 2006
26. Smiley Face, Albert — 2007
27. The Young And The Restless, Bartender — 2008
28. Saint John Of Las Vegas, Bismark — 2009
29. Breaking Bad, Tortuga — 2009-2010
“I.F.T.” and “Negro Y Azul”
30. Machete, Machete — 2010
I’ll leave you with the bullet-riddled masterpiece that is the Danny Trejo death reel.