Danny Trejo is an American actor with several Hollywood movies to his credit. Probably because of his distinctive looks, he is known to play the role of antagonist, villain, or anti-hero. In reality, however, the actor is not like the villains he usually portrays in movies. According to his co-stars, he is one of the nicest people you can work with.
His movies include Heat (1995) alongside Robert De Niro and Al Paccino, Desperado (1995), Anaconda (1997), Con Air (1997), and many others. Trejo is probably best known for his portrayal of the character Machete in the series Spy Kids, originally developed by Robert Rodriguez. The character has also been developed into a number of other films, with Trejo retaining the role of Machete.
Danny Trejo’s Bio
Daniel Trejo was born on May 16, 1944, in Maywood Los Angeles, California, the son of Alice Rivera and Dan Trejo. His parents are originally from Mexico. Actually, he is the second cousin of the Mexican-American filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, but they only became aware of this fact while working on the western action film Desperado, which was made in 1995.
Trejo’s father worked as a construction worker, and before his acting career, the young Trejo also worked as a foreman. As Danny Trejo grew up, he got into big trouble, which brought him to prison several times. His physical appearance didn’t help either, because it got him into much more trouble.
During one of his prison terms, Trejo won the boxing divisions in the San Quentin State Prison, both light and welterweight. During his time in San Quentin, he also completed his diploma. Eventually, he was able to curb his drug addiction and then worked as a drug counselor for teenagers.
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Danny Trejo’s first acting appearance was as an extra in the thriller film Runaway Train in 1985. By chance, he was recognized by the film’s screenwriter, Edward Bunker, whom he had met during one of his stays in prison. Bunker, who remembered Trejos’s boxing talents, hired him as a boxing coach on the set for one of the stars of the film.
From 1985-1990 Trejo was featured in dozens of B-movies about criminals and convicts. Danny Trejo became known for playing the bad guy, either as a criminal or a shady guy, but he also has a few “good guy” roles in his account. Since then he has appeared in numerous roles on both the small and big screen with an average of 5 movies a year.
Among his most important films are the action thrillers Marked for Death (1990), Blood In Blood Out (1993), Desperado (1995), Anaconda (1997), Con Air (1997), The Replacement Killers (1998), Point Blank (1998) and Animal Factory (2000). Trejo also appeared in the 2001 comedy Bubble Boy.
Danny Trejo played the role of the machete in the adventure comedy film series Spy Kids, created by his frequent collaborator Robert Rodriguez. The Spy Kids franchise consists of the films Spy Kids (2001), Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002), Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003), and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011). The Machete character has been expanded into a number of films, including Machete (2010) and its sequel Machete Kills (2013), with Trejo retaining the title role of Machete.
Danny Trejo has appeared on television shows such as Breaking Bad, The X-Files, and Sons of Anarchy. Trejo also lent his voice to the character Rico in the 2009 animated comedy horror film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. He also appeared in Predators (2010), Bad Ass (2012), Reaper (2014), Preggoland (2014), and Range 15 (2016).
Family, Wife
Danny Trejo is currently unmarried. But the actor was married to actress and producer Debbie Shreve Trejo in the past. The duo already tied the knot on December 12, 1997, and worked together on films such as Vengeance (2006) and High Hopes (2006). Their marriage ended in divorce in 2009. Debbie Shreve Trejo currently works as a real estate consultant.
Danny Trejo has 3 children: two sons Danny Boy (born 1981) and Gilbert Trejo (born 1988) and a daughter named Danielle Trejo (born 1990).
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Danny Trejo Son
Of Danny Trejo’s three children, his second son Gilbert, who like his father is also an entertainer, is the most popular. Gilbert Brian Trejo was born on March 8, 1988, in Los Angeles, California. He is an actor and producer. His acting achievements include Machete (2010) and China Test Girls (2017), which also feature his famous father. For China Test Girls, Gilbert Trejo also played behind-the-scenes roles, acting as writer and producer.
Quick Facts About Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo’s rough, scarred face is the result of an attack of cystic acne and scars from a terribly fierce fight. He also has a large tattoo on his chest representing a woman wearing a sombrero.
Although he started out on a rough path, Trejo has changed his reality for the better. He’s been sober since 1969.
For the 1995 film Heat, Trejo was originally hired as an expert to make sure the robbery scenes looked real. He was eventually hired to star in the film as a member of Robert De Niro’s team.
Danny Trejo was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame on March 8, 2012, in Austin, Texas.
In addition to his long acting career, Trejo is also an entrepreneur. He owns a restaurant chain in Los Angeles and his own brand of coffee, beer, and other goods.
He was featured in the hip-hop fighting video game Def Jam: Fight for NY (2004), in which he gave his voice and likeness to the game’s main villain. Other video games in which he has appeared include Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002), Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006), Fallout: New Vegas (2010), The Fight: Lights Off (2010), and Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010).
Height
5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
