Pepe Serna
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."
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · Say a Little Prayer as
- 2023 · Moe as
- 2023 · Flamin' Hot as Abuelito
- 2022 · Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone as Rancher
- 2021 · With Love as Luis Delgado
- 2019 · The Planters as Jesús
- 2019 · The Margarita Man as Jose Martinez
- 2019 · From the Dead as Rodrigo
- 2019 · Flavor of Life as
- 2017 · Downsizing as Señor Cárdenas
- 2017 · Lowriders as Pepe
- 2017 · Dimension 404 as Wally Nash
- 2016 · Monday Nights at Seven as Paul
- 2016 · Under Water: Dive Deep as Lil' Big Me
- 2016 · Restored Me as Manny
- 2016 · Superpowerless as Dr. George Holst
- 2016 · Kill or Be Killed as Rudy Goebel
- 2015 · Road to Juarez as Fortunato
- 2014 · Cake as Nuncio
- 2014 · Man from Reno as Paul Del Moral
- 2006 · The Black Dahlia as Tomas Dos Santos
- 2006 · Big Dreams Little Tokyo as Mr. Gonzalez
- 2005 · Criminal Minds as Ruben Garcia
- 2004 · Latin Dragon as Hector Sanchez
- 2003 · Exposed as Raoul
- 2003 · Deadly Swarm as Commandante Alvarez
- 2003 · Kingpin as
- 2001 · Justice League as Shifflet (voice)
- 2001 · Along for the Ride as Dr. Sanchez
- 2001 · The Zeta Project as
- 2000 · Daybreak as Herman Ortiz
- 2000 · The Princess and the Barrio Boy as Bum
- 2000 · Bread and Roses as Restaurateur
- 2000 · Picking Up the Pieces as Florencio
- 1999 · The PJs as Mr. Sanchez
- 1998 · Jesse as Pappa Vasquez
- 1997 · The Brave as Alessandro
- 1995 · Sliders as Roberto
- 1995 · In the Flesh as Harlan Ramirez
- 1994 · Hotel Malibu as
- 1994 · A Million to Juan as Mr. Ortiz
- 1993 · Second Chances as Salvador Lopez
- 1993 · Diagnosis: Murder as Capt. Collins
- 1993 · Dudley as Santana
- 1993 · Jonny's Golden Quest as Agent Menendez
- 1992 · American Me as Mundo
- 1992 · Only You as Dock Official
- 1991 · Conagher as
- 1990 · The Rookie as Lt. Ray Garcia
- 1990 · Postcards from the Edge as Raoul
- 1990 · DEA as
- 1990 · Bad Jim as Virgilio Segura
- 1989 · The Forgotten as Sgt. Pepe Gutierrez
- 1989 · Quantum Leap as Manuel Vega
- 1988 · Break of Dawn as Hector
- 1988 · Caddyshack II as Carlos
- 1988 · The Fortunate Pilgrim as John Colucci
- 1988 · Human Error as
- 1987 · The Three Kings as Alex Sweetwood
- 1987 · A Year in the Life as Carlos
- 1986 · Out of Bounds as Murano
- 1985 · Streets of Justice as Det. Almos
- 1985 · Hell Town as Enrique
- 1985 · Fandango as Gas Station Mechanic
- 1984 · Hunter as Roberto Sanchez
- 1984 · Miami Vice as
- 1984 · Miami Vice as Zabado
- 1984 · Red Dawn as Aardvark's Father
- 1984 · The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension as Reno Nevada
- 1984 · Best Kept Secrets as Jim Ramos
- 1983 · Scarface as Angel
- 1983 · Deal of the Century as Vardis
- 1983 · Scarecrow and Mrs. King as
- 1983 · The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez as Romaldo Cortez
- 1983 · The A-Team as Tómas Jefferson
- 1983 · White Water Rebels as Harry Cutter
- 1982 · Knight Rider as Lupo
- 1982 · Cagney & Lacey as
- 1982 · T. J. Hooker as Frank Fierro
- 1982 · Seguin as Manuel Flores
- 1982 · Vice Squad as Pete Mendez
- 1981 · Simon & Simon as
- 1981 · Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission as Vito
- 1981 · The Greatest American Hero as
- 1981 · Hill Street Blues as
- 1981 · 300 Miles for Stephanie as Bobby Hernandez
- 1980 · Inside Moves as Herrada
- 1980 · Honeysuckle Rose as Rooster
- 1980 · City in Fear as Raymond Zavala
- 1979 · The Jerk as Punk #1
- 1979 · The Streets of L.A. as Sgt. Castro
- 1979 · Walk Proud as Cesar
- 1979 · A Force of One as Orlando
- 1979 · Roots of Blood as Juan
- 1978 · The Paper Chase as
- 1977 · Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo as Migrant Worker (uncredited)
- 1977 · Lou Grant as
- 1977 · CHiPs as
- 1977 · Rafferty as
- 1976 · Car Wash as Chuco
- 1976 · The Killer Inside Me as Johnny Lopez
- 1976 · Swashbuckler as Street Entertainer
- 1975 · The Deadly Tower as Mano
- 1975 · The Day of the Locust as Miguel
- 1975 · Bronk as
- 1975 · The Desperate Miles as Ruiz
- 1975 · Barney Miller as Julio Rodriguez
- 1975 · Baretta as
- 1974 · The Gun as Natcho
- 1974 · The Rockford Files as Ray Ochoa
- 1974 · The Last Angry Man as Charlie Parelli
- 1973 · Miracle on 34th Street as Y Leader
- 1973 · Kojak as Enorio Patias
- 1973 · Kojak as Rudy Diaz
- 1973 · Police Story as
- 1973 · Group Marriage as Ramon
- 1972 · Kung Fu as
- 1972 · The Rookies as
- 1972 · The New Centurions as Young Mexican Man
- 1971 · Cannon as
- 1971 · Shoot Out as Pepe
- 1970 · The Student Nurses as Luis
- 1968 · Adam-12 as Roger
- 1967 · Mannix as
- Future · Three Years Gone as