Perry Lopez (born Julios Caesar Lopez; July 22, 1929 – February 14, 2008)[1][2][3] was an American film and television actor. His acting career spanned 40 years.
Perry Lopez | |
|---|---|
| Born | Julios Caesar Lopez July 22, 1929 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | February 14, 2008 (aged 78) Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, United States |
| Years active | 1954–1994 |
| Spouse | Claire Kelly (1960–1961) (divorced) |
Lopez was born in New York City[3] of Puerto Rican descent.[1] Lopez began his acting career in theater, based in New York.[3] He was signed to a contract at Warner Bros. Studios in 1954, his first appearance being Bogus Charlie in Drum Beat. Lopez appeared as Spanish Joe in Battle Cry (1955), as Rodrigues in Mister Roberts in 1955, then had the leading role in The Steel Jungle (1956) and appeared as Toro in Cry Tough in 1959. He also played in a number of B-movies and Westerns early on in his career, including the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), The Young Guns (1956) and The Lone Ranger.[3]
Although he was part of the supporting cast in Mister Roberts, his role was prominent – he played opposite Henry Fonda and James Cagney, who were both established stars at the time. However, he was perhaps best known as Lieutenant Lou Escobar in the 1974 film Chinatown, which he starred in opposite Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.[3] He reprised the role sixteen years later (with Escobar promoted to Captain) in The Two Jakes in 1990.[2] Also right before this time he starred opposite Charles Bronson playing drug gang leader Ed Zacharias in 1987's Death Wish 4: The Crackdown.
Among his many television appearances, one of his more well-known roles is that of Esteban Rodriguez in the Star Trek episode "Shore Leave". Lopez also appeared in an episode of Bonanza, as the cold-blooded outlaw Duke Miller, who kills a man over being first in line to get a haircut. He was Joaquín Castañeda, a mestizo that fought to free his people, on Zorro, starring Guy Williams. Lopez also appeared in episode 14, "Night Of The Long Knives" originally airing December 16, 1966 of The Time Tunnel television series; the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episode "Savage Jungle"; McLintock! (1963) as Davey Elk; the Juan Moreno's Body[4] as a migrant Mexican fruit picker accused of murdering the son of the owner of the orchard; and Kelly's Heroes (1970) as Pvt. Petuko.
Lopez died of lung cancer at The Rehabilitation Centre of Beverly Hills in Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, at age 78.[2][3] He was survived by several nieces and nephews.[3] His ashes were interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. [citation needed]
Filmography
- Jubilee Trail (1954) as Silva's Son (uncredited)
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) as Tomas (uncredited)
- Drum Beat (1954) as Bogus Charlie
- Battle Cry (1955) as Pvt. Joe Gomez - aka Spanish Joe
- Mister Roberts (1955) as Rodrigues
- The McConnell Story (1955) as Red (uncredited)
- I Died a Thousand Times (1955) as Louis Mendoza
- Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) as Mario Amato
- The Lone Ranger (1956) as Pete Ramirez
- The Steel Jungle (1956) as Ed Novak
- The Young Guns (1956) as San Antone
- Omar Khayyam (1957) as Prince Ahmud
- The Deep Six (1958) as Al Mendoza
- Violent Road (1958) as Manuelo
- Cry Tough (1959) as Toro
- Flaming Star (1960) as Two Moons
- Man-Trap (1961) as Puerco
- Taras Bulba (1962) as Ostap Bulba
- McLintock! (1963) as Davey Elk
- The Rare Breed (1966) as Juan
- Sol Madrid (1968) as Hood
- Daring Game (1968) as Reuben
- Bandolero! (1968) as Frisco
- Che! (1969) as Rolando
- Kelly's Heroes (1970) as Petuko
- Lady Ice (1973) as Carlos
- Chinatown (1974) as Lieutenant Lou Escobar
- Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987) as Ed Zacharias
- Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989) as Eddie Rios
- The Two Jakes (1990) as Captain Escobar
- Confessions of a Hitman (1994) as Priest (final film role)
References
- ^ a b Rivera, Miluka (2010). Legado Puertorriqueno en Hollywood: Famosos y Olvidados (in Spanish). Lulu. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-578-06993-7.
- ^ a b c "Perry Lopez; veteran actor in iconic films and TV shows; 78". Associated Press. U-T San Diego. 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Actor Perry Lopez dies at 78". Variety. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ Timeless Video Group DVD collection - "Checkmate"
External links
- Perry Lopez at IMDb
- Perry Lopez at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
- Perry Lopez Obit at Variety