| Michael Peña | |
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Michael Peña in 2011 |
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| Born | Michael Anthony Peña January 13, 1976 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1994–present |
Michael Anthony Peña (born January 13, 1976) is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist. He also appeared in the Nickelback music video for their song Savin' Me.
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Peña, a Mexican-American,[1] was born in Chicago, Illinois, where his father worked at a button factory and his mother was an assistant to a social worker.[2] Both of Peña's parents were originally farmers.[1] Peña attended Hubbard High School in Chicago. He has been associated with Scientology.[3] Peña and his wife Brie Shaffer welcomed their first child in September 2008, a boy named Roman.[4]
Though Peña has been a regular in independent productions since 1994, his breakthrough performances came in 2004 in two Best Picture Oscar-winning Paul Haggis penned films, Million Dollar Baby and Crash. The latter was also directed by Haggis, while the former was helmed by Clint Eastwood. Though both films are critically acclaimed, Peña received attention for his particularly emotional performance in Crash. The following year, he appeared on the Golden Globe winning series, The Shield. In 2006, he starred in Oliver Stone's film based on the September 11, 2001 attacks, World Trade Center. He also had a small role in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe-winning film Babel. This gives him the rare distinction of having appeared in three consecutive Oscar nominated films. He also starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in Shooter as novice FBI agent Nick Memphis.
In 2006, Peña performed in the HBO film Walkout playing the part of Sal Castro, a Mexican-American high school teacher who inspires a group of East L.A. high school students to fight for Chicano rights.
In 2009, Peña played a mall security guard alongside Seth Rogen's character in Jody Hill's Observe and Report.[5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Running Free | Bunk | |
| 1996 | My Fellow Americans | Ernesto | |
| 1997 | Star Maps | Star Map Boy | |
| 1998 | Boogie Boy | Drug Dealer | |
| La Cucaracha | Orderly | ||
| 1999 | Bellyfruit | Oscar | |
| Paradise Cove | Dan Running Horse | ||
| 2000 | Gone in 60 Seconds | Ignacio | Credited as Michael A. Pena |
| 2001 | Semper Fi | Douglas Cepeda | Television film |
| Buffalo Soldiers | Garcia | ||
| 2003 | The United States of Leland | Guillermo | |
| Love Object | Ramirez | ||
| 2004 | The Calcium Kid | Jose Mendez | |
| Crash | Daniel | ||
| Million Dollar Baby | Omar | ||
| 2005 | Untitled David Diamond/David Weissman Project | Scott | Television film |
| Little Athens | Carlos | ||
| Sueño | Jimmy | ||
| 2006 | Walkout | Sal Castro | Television film |
| Fifty Pills | Eduardo | ||
| Babel | John | ||
| World Trade Center | Will Jimeno | ||
| 2007 | Shooter | Nick Memphis | |
| Lions for Lambs | Ernest | ||
| 2008 | The Lucky Ones | T.K. Poole | |
| 2009 | Observe and Report | Dennis | |
| My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? | Detective Vargas | ||
| 2010 | Everything Must Go | Frank Garcia | |
| 2011 | The Good Doctor | Jimmy | |
| Battle: Los Angeles | Joe Rincon | ||
| The Lincoln Lawyer | Jesus Martinez | ||
| 30 Minutes or Less | Chongo | ||
| Tower Heist | Enrique Dev'reaux | ||
| 2013 | The Gangster Squad | Navidad Ramirez | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Pacific Blue | Rabbit | Season 2: Episode 4: "Bangers" |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Reynaldo Estes | Season 3: Episode 26: "At Risk" |
| 1998 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Luis Carrenza | Season 6: Episode 12: "Something Sacred: Part 1" Season 6: Episode 13: "Something Sacred: Part 2" Credited as Michael Anthony Pena |
| The Sentinel | Johnny | Season 3: Episode 22: "Night Shift" Credited as Michael A. Pena |
|
| 7th Heaven | Roger | Season 3: Episode 9: "Let's Talk About Sex" Credited as Michael A. Pena |
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| 1999 | Moesha | Alejandro | Season 4: Episode 12: "Life Imitating Art" |
| Profiler | Alex Lopez | Season 3: Episode 15: "Spree of Love" Credited as Michael Anthony Peña |
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| 1999–2000 | Felicity | Brian Burke | Season 2: Episode 1–3 Season 2: Episode 8: "Family Affairs" Season 2: Episode 16: "Revolutions" |
| 2001 | Roswell | Fly | Season 3: Episode 2: "Michael, the Guys, and the Great Snapple Caper" Season 3: Episode 3: "Significant Others" |
| Men, Women & Dogs | Miguel | Season 1: Episode 1: "Pilot" Season 1: Episode 6: "Kibbles & Grits" |
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| 2002 | American Family | Season 1: Episode 7: "Crash Boom Love: Part 1" Season 1: Episode 8: "Crash Boom Love: Part 2" |
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| Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Patrick | Season 1: Episode 6: "Wedding" | |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Noah | Season 1: Episode 43: "Sunrise" Credited as Michael A. Peña |
| ER | Season 9: Episode 16: "A Thousand Cranes" Season 9: Episode 21: "When Night Meets Day" Season 10: Episode 9: "Missing" |
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| 1997–2004 | NYPD Blue | Ferd/Wilmer Lopez | Season 4: Episode 16: "What a Dump!" Season 11: Episode 14: "Colonel Knowledge" |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Juanito Concha | Season 5: Episode 12: "Snakes" |
| The Shield | Detective Armando Renta | Season 4: Episode 2–11 | |
| 2008 | My Name is Earl | Circus | Season 3: Episode 17: "No Heads and a Duffle Bag" |
| 2010 | Eastbound & Down | Mr. Cisneros | Season 2: Episode 2–4 Season 2: Episode 6: "Chapter 12" Season 2: Episode 7: "Chapter 13" |
| 2011 | American Dad | Maguerite | Season 7: Episode 1: "Little Shop of Hot Tubs" |