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 The Rookie (1990) starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, and the drama American Me (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.
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 The Rookie (1990) starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, and the drama American Me (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 Shoot Out (1971) starring Gregory Peck. Specializing in urban, streetwise roles, he went on to mix a number of popular films (The New Centurions (1972), The Day of the Locust (1975), Car Wash (1976), A Force of One (1979), Walk Proud (1979), Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Inside Moves (1980), Deal of the Century (1983), Red Dawn (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."
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."
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0785277
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6173042
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Filmography (Movies)
Say a Little Prayer
Character:
Release Date:21/11/2024
Moe
Character:
Release Date:04/06/2023
Flamin' Hot
Character:Abuelito
Release Date:11/03/2023
Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone
Character:Rancher
Release Date:29/04/2022
The Planters
Character:Jesús
Release Date:23/09/2019
The Margarita Man
Character:Jose Martinez
Release Date:31/07/2019
From the Dead
Character:Rodrigo
Release Date:12/07/2019
Flavor of Life
Character:
Release Date:01/01/2019
Downsizing
Character:Señor Cárdenas
Release Date:22/12/2017
Lowriders
Character:Pepe
Release Date:28/04/2017
Monday Nights at Seven
Character:Paul
Release Date:08/10/2016
Under Water: Dive Deep
Character:Lil' Big Me
Release Date:30/09/2016
Restored Me
Character:Manny
Release Date:11/09/2016
Superpowerless
Character:Dr. George Holst
Release Date:24/07/2016
Kill or Be Killed
Character:Rudy Goebel
Release Date:01/03/2016
Road to Juarez
Character:Fortunato
Release Date:24/04/2015
Ana Maria in Novela Land
Character:Father Miguel
Release Date:27/02/2015
Cake
Character:Nuncio
Release Date:07/09/2014
Man from Reno
Character:Paul Del Moral
Release Date:15/06/2014
White on Rice
Character:Professor Berk
Release Date:31/05/2009
The Black Dahlia
Character:Tomas Dos Santos
Release Date:15/09/2006
The Virgin of Juarez
Character:Eduardo Morales
Release Date:13/03/2006
Big Dreams Little Tokyo
Character:Mr. Gonzalez
Release Date:01/01/2006
Latin Dragon
Character:Hector Sanchez
Release Date:07/09/2004
Exposed
Character:Raoul
Release Date:17/10/2003
Deadly Swarm
Character:Commandante Alvarez
Release Date:20/09/2003
Along for the Ride
Character:Dr. Sanchez
Release Date:17/02/2001
Daybreak
Character:Herman Ortiz
Release Date:19/12/2000
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
Character:Bum
Release Date:08/12/2000
Bread and Roses
Character:Restaurateur
Release Date:14/09/2000
Picking Up the Pieces
Character:Florencio
Release Date:26/05/2000
Luminarias
Character:
Release Date:05/05/2000
The Brave
Character:Alessandro
Release Date:30/07/1997
Land of Milk & Honey
Character:Danny
Release Date:04/11/1995
In the Flesh
Character:Harlan Ramirez
Release Date:01/01/1995
A Million to Juan
Character:Mr. Ortiz
Release Date:15/05/1994
Jonny's Golden Quest
Character:Agent Menendez
Release Date:04/04/1993
American Me
Character:Mundo
Release Date:13/03/1992
Only You
Character:Dock Official
Release Date:01/01/1992
Conagher
Character:
Release Date:01/07/1991
The Rookie
Character:Lt. Ray Garcia
Release Date:07/12/1990
Postcards from the Edge
Character:Raoul
Release Date:14/09/1990
Bad Jim
Character:Virgilio Segura
Release Date:25/04/1990
The Forgotten
Character:Sgt. Pepe Gutierrez
Release Date:26/04/1989
Break of Dawn
Character:Hector
Release Date:01/12/1988
Caddyshack II
Character:Carlos
Release Date:22/07/1988
Human Error
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1988
The Three Kings
Character:Alex Sweetwood
Release Date:17/12/1987
Out of Bounds
Character:Murano
Release Date:25/07/1986
Streets of Justice
Character:Det. Almos
Release Date:10/11/1985
Fandango
Character:Gas Station Mechanic
Release Date:25/01/1985
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Character:Reno Nevada
Release Date:10/08/1984
Red Dawn
Character:Aardvark's Father
Release Date:10/08/1984
Best Kept Secrets
Character:Jim Ramos
Release Date:26/03/1984
Scarface
Character:Angel
Release Date:09/12/1983
Deal of the Century
Character:Vardis
Release Date:04/11/1983
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
Character:Romaldo Cortez
Release Date:19/08/1983
Heartbreaker
Character:Loco
Release Date:03/05/1983
White Water Rebels
Character:Harry Cutter
Release Date:08/01/1983
Seguin
Character:Manuel Flores
Release Date:26/01/1982
Vice Squad
Character:Pete Mendez
Release Date:22/01/1982
Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo
Character:Migrant Worker (uncredited)
Release Date:17/11/1981
Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission
Character:Vito
Release Date:23/03/1981
300 Miles for Stephanie
Character:Bobby Hernandez
Release Date:12/01/1981
Inside Moves
Character:Herrada
Release Date:19/12/1980
Honeysuckle Rose
Character:Rooster
Release Date:18/07/1980
City in Fear
Character:Raymond Zavala
Release Date:30/03/1980
The Jerk
Character:Punk #1
Release Date:14/12/1979
The Streets of L.A.
Character:Sgt. Castro
Release Date:13/11/1979
Walk Proud
Character:Cesar
Release Date:15/06/1979
A Force of One
Character:Orlando
Release Date:01/06/1979
Roots of Blood
Character:Juan
Release Date:30/05/1979
Car Wash
Character:Chuco
Release Date:22/10/1976
The Killer Inside Me
Character:Johnny Lopez
Release Date:01/10/1976
Swashbuckler
Character:Street Entertainer
Release Date:29/07/1976
The Deadly Tower
Character:Mano
Release Date:18/10/1975
The Day of the Locust
Character:Miguel
Release Date:07/05/1975
The Desperate Miles
Character:Ruiz
Release Date:05/03/1975
The Gun
Character:Natcho
Release Date:13/11/1974
The Last Angry Man
Character:Charlie Parelli
Release Date:16/04/1974
Miracle on 34th Street
Character:Y Leader
Release Date:14/12/1973
Group Marriage
Character:Ramon
Release Date:01/03/1973
The New Centurions
Character:Young Mexican Man
Release Date:03/08/1972
Johnny Got His Gun
Character:Jose (uncredited)
Release Date:04/08/1971
Shoot Out
Character:Pepe
Release Date:02/07/1971
The Student Nurses
Character:Luis
Release Date:02/12/1970
Television Appearances
With Love
Character:Luis Delgado
Dimension 404
Character:Wally Nash
Criminal Minds
Character:Ruben Garcia
Kingpin
Character:
Justice League
Character:Shifflet (voice)
The Zeta Project
Character:
The PJs
Character:Sanchez (voice)
Jesse
Character:Pappa Vasquez
Sliders
Character:Roberto
Hotel Malibu
Character:
Second Chances
Character:Salvador Lopez
Diagnosis: Murder
Character:Capt. Collins
Dudley
Character:Santana
DEA
Character:
Quantum Leap
Character:Manuel Vega
The Fortunate Pilgrim
Character:John Colucci
A Year in the Life
Character:Carlos
Matlock
Character:Walter Padilla
Hell Town
Character:Enrique
Hunter
Character:Roberto Sanchez
Miami Vice
Character:Oswaldo Guzman
Miami Vice
Character:Zabado
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Character:
The A-Team
Character:Tómas Jefferson
Knight Rider
Character:Lupo
Cagney & Lacey
Character:
T. J. Hooker
Character:Frank Fierro
Simon & Simon
Character:
The Greatest American Hero
Character:
Hill Street Blues
Character:
Hill Street Blues
Character:Raymond Cassiano
The Paper Chase
Character:
Lou Grant
Character:
CHiPs
Character:
Rafferty
Character:
McNaughton's Daughter
Character:Ruiz
Bronk
Character:
Barney Miller
Character:Julio Rodriguez
Baretta
Character:
The Rockford Files
Character:Ray Ochoa
Kojak
Character:Enorio Patias
Kojak
Character:Rudy Diaz
Police Story
Character:
Kung Fu
Character:Los Vidrios
The Rookies
Character:
Cannon
Character:
Adam-12
Character:Roger
Mannix
Character:
Images
