Pepe Serna

Pepe Serna

actor, producer, additional crew

Pepe Serna was born on Jul 23, 1944 in USA. Pepe Serna's big-screen debut came with The Student Nurses directed by Stephanie Rothman in 1970, strarring Luis. Pepe Serna is known for Flamin' Hot directed by Eva Longoria, Tony Shalhoub stars as Roger Enrico and Dennis Haysbert as . Pepe Serna has got 4 awards and 1 nominations so far. The most recent award Pepe Serna achieved is Poppy Jasper Film Festival. The upcoming new movie Pepe Serna plays is Flamin' Hot which will be released on Jun 09, 2023.

Durable Mexican-American actor Pepe Serna has appeared in more than 100 feature films and 300 television shows, but is most recognized for his gritty support performances in a variety of motion pictures, including Scarface (1983) as Al Pacino's ill-fated cocaine partner, as well as the western Silverado (1985) with Kevin Costner, the crime yarn La relève (1990) starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, and the drama Sans rémission (1992) starring Edward James Olmos. In a career surpassing five decades, Pepe's characters have played on both sides of the law -- from drug peddlers to sheriffs.He was born (and raised) in Corpus Christi, Texas on July 23, 1944, the son of a naval base interpreter for Latin American pilots and a hairdresser. His desires to become an actor happened early in life, moving to Hollywood in 1969 to finally pursue his dreams. He didn't have to wait long to find steady Latino work on film and TV.Making an inauspicious debut in the exploitation film The Student Nurses (1970), Pepe found more "A" quality work after being discovered by producer Hal B. Wallis for the coming-of-age film Tim Belcher starring Richard Thomas and Catherine Burns and the western Quand siffle la dernière balle (1971) starring Gregory Peck. Specializing in urban, streetwise roles, he went on to mix a number of popular films (Les flics ne dorment pas la nuit (1972), Le Jour du fléau (1975), Car Wash (1976), Force One (1979), Chicanos gang (1979), Show Bus (1980), Rendez-vous chez Max's (1980), Le coup du siècle (1983), L'Aube rouge (1984), Caddyshack II (1988)) with a slew of popular TV crime dramas such as "Mannix," "Police Story," "Adam-12," "The Rookies," "The Rockford Files," "Baretta," "Kojak," "CHiPs," "Barney Miller," "Scarecrow & Mrs. King," "T.J. Hooker," "Simon & Simon," "Hill Street Blues," "Miami Vice," "Cagney & Lacey" and "Diagnosis Murder." He also played the role of Jennifer Lopez's disapproving father in the one-season crime mystery series Mystères à Santa Rita (1993) and it's equally short-lived sequel Hotel Malibu (1994).In addition to support roles in such millennium films as Morceaux choisis (2000), Exposed (2003), Le dahlia noir (2006), Downsizing (2017), Road to Juarez (2013), Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone (2021), The Margarita Man (2018) and The Planters (2019), as well as the Asian-American movies of writer/director Dave Boyle including Big Dreams Little Tokyo (2006) and White on Rice (2009), Pepe, after a 45-year career, was handed a film lead by Boyle as a sheriff in Man from Reno (2014). He also was given leads in the movies Gino's Wife (2016) and Flavor of Life (2019). As a producer, Pepe's credits include Kill or Be Killed (2015), Aguruphobia (2015), From the Dead (2019) and Clean Sweep.Long married to wife Diane, Pepe is a noted keynote teacher and motivational speaker who tours colleges and universities. His strong sideline as a painter has been met with critical success, having been commissioned quite frequently. His vibrant paintings and one-man stage shows reflect a serious return to his Mexican roots and was the subject of the 2015 short documentary "Life Is Art."

  • Birthday

    Jul 23, 1944
  • Place of Birth

    Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
  • Also known

    -

Known For

Awards

4 wins & 1 nominations

Poppy Jasper Film Festival
2022
Best Documentary
Winner - Festival Prize
Pepe Serna: Life Is Art (2022)
San Diego Latino Film Festival
2022
Best Feature Documentary
Winner - Audience Award
Pepe Serna: Life Is Art (2022)
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Movies & TV Shows

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Movies
TV Shows