Jacob Vargas
Jacob Vargas (born August 18, 1971) is a Mexican-American actor. He began his acting career when he was discovered breakdancing in a schoolyard at age 12. His introduction to acting came with a bit part as a breakdancer on the hit TV show Diff'rent Strokes (1978).
His first movie role was in the TV movie The Children of Times Square (1986). He started to appear in more films including Last Resort (1986), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), The Principal (1987), Little Nikita (1988), American Me (1992), and Gas Food Lodging (1992). In 1995, he won the very first ALMA Award (for Emerging Artist of the Year) for his work in both Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca (1993) and Gregory Nava's My Family (1995).
He next starred in films including Crimson Tide (1995), Get Shorty (1995), Selena (1997), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), and the cult favorite Next Friday (2000) as Ice Cube's nemesis, Joker.
His next role was Tijuana cop Manolo, 'Benicio del Toro"s partner in Steven Soderbergh's Academy Award- winning film Traffic (2000), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award and another ALMA Award.
In 2001, he executive produced and starred in the independent film Road Dogz (2002). He wrote, directed and acted in EDNY (2003). He also co-produced and starred in the stage play "Latinologues", which ran on Broadway in 2005 and is available on DVD.
He voiced for Pepito in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). Next, he played Sammi the chef in John Moore's Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Marine sniper Juan Cortez in Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes' war drama Jarhead (2005), a straight-arrow DEA agent in the action drama The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2006), a politically charged busboy Miguel in Emilio Estevez's historical drama Bobby (2006), and a psychologically tortured drone pilot Rudy Ramirez in Alex Rivera's sci-fi political love story Sleep Dealer (2008).
He had roles in The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007), Are We Done Yet? (2007), Death Race (2008), Cesar Chavez (2014, Heaven is For Real (2014), The Tell-Tale Heart (2016), Plan B, (2021), and Kimi (2022).
His major TV roles are as Bob on Surfside Girls, Tony Medina on Mr. Iglesias, Horacio on Mosaic, Domingo Colon on Marvel's Luke Cage, Allesandro Montez on Sons of Anarchy and later on Mayans M.C., Guillermo on Moonlight, Ernesto Tiant on Greetings from Tucson, and Dr. Roberto Martinez on Max Steel. He had recurring roles on Colony, Blue, and Six Feet Under.
He has also guest starred on a number of shows including National Treasure: Edge of History, The Mentalist, Burn Notice, Psych, Numb3rs, Medium, CSI: NY, Cold Case, The Pretender, JAG, ER, Full House, and Hunter.
He has voiced for characters on animated series including Solar Opposites, Young Justice, and a recurring role on Tarantula.
Photos
Movies (64)
Historias Satánicas
2022 · El Jefe
Kimi: Alguien está escuchando
2022 · Glasses Thug
Plan B
2021 · Pastor Pedro
Billy D and the Hall of Feathered Serpents featuring Money Shot by Puscifer
2021 · Bartesian
Princess of the Row
2020 · Donald
The Public
2019 · Ernesto Ramirez
La vida de Peel
2019 · Chuck
Endgame
2018 · Alberto
Beyond Skyline
2017 · Garcia
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
2016 · Animation Voice (voice)
Crossing Point
2016 · Jesus
The Tell-Tale Heart
2016 · Adams
The 33
2015 · Edison 'Elvis' Peña
The Journey of a Female Comic
2014
Water & Power
2014 · Asuncion Garcia
Heaven Is for Real
2014 · Michael
Cesar Chavez
2014 · Richard Chavez
Red Sky
2014 · Jorge 'P-Dawg' Vasquez
Go for Sisters
2013 · Navajas
Devil
2010 · Ramirez
The Odds
2010 · Sergio Vargas
Sleep Dealer
2008 · Rudy Ramirez
Death Race
2008 · Gunner
Love Lies Bleeding
2008 · Detective Billy Jones
The Death and Life of Bobby Z
2007 · Jorge Escobar
Are We Done Yet?
2007 · Mike the Plumber
The Hills Have Eyes 2
2007 · Crank
Bobby
2006 · Miguel
National Lampoon's TV: The Movie
2006 · Tijuana Cop 2 / Announcer / Charlotte, Co-Producer
The Virgin of Juarez
2006 · Detective Lauro
"Jarhead" Diaries
2006 · Self
Jarhead
2005 · Juan Cortez
The Wendell Baker Story
2005 · Reyes Morales
Flight of the Phoenix
2004 · Sammi
Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother
2004 · Vincent Enano
E.D.N.Y.
2003 · Director, Writer
Road Dogz
2002 · Danny Pacheco, Executive Producer
Dragonfly
2002 · Victor
Truth Be Told
2002 · Gonzalez
Dr. Dolittle 2
2001 · Pepito (voice)
Come and Take It Day
2001 · Miguel
Tráfico
2000 · Manolo Sanchez
El próximo viernes
2000 · Joker
The Hi-Lo Country
1998 · Delfino Mondragon
Santa Fe
1997 · Jesus
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
1997 · Ramon
Selena
1997 · A. B. Quintanilla
Get Shorty
1995 · Yayo Portillo
Crimson Tide
1995 · Sonarman #2
My Family
1995 · Young Jose
Mi Vida Loca
1994 · Ernesto
Huck and the King of Hearts
1994 · Pedro
Fatal Instinct
1993 · Flower Delivery Man
Airborne
1993 · Snake
Gas Food Lodging
1992 · Javier
American Me
1992 · Paulito - Age 15
Seeds of Tragedy
1991 · Cholo #2
The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
1990 · Miguel
Little Nikita
1988 · Miguel
The Principal
1987 · Arturo Diego
Ernest Goes to Camp
1987 · Bubba Vargas
Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story
1986 · Enrique Mendoza
Last Resort
1986 · Carlos
Bad Influence
TV shows (39)
La Leyenda del Tesoro Perdido: al Filo de la Historia
2022 · Rafael
Las chicas de Surfside
2022 · Bob
GAME ON: A Comedy Crossover Event
2020 · Tony Ochoa
Solar Opposites
2020
Sr. Iglesias
2019 · Tony Medina
Mayans M.C.
2018 · Allesandro Montez
Mosaic
2018 · Horacio
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams
2017 · Mario
Marvel's Luke Cage
2016 · Domingo Colon
Colony
2016 · Carlos
Complications
2015 · Ramon
Hand of God
2014 · Julio Farkas (uncredited)
Blue
2012 · Roy
Young Justice
2010 · Sebastian Cardona / Cisco Ramon (voice)
The Good Guys
2010 · Tico
El mentalista
2008 · Chief Rick Anaya
Sons of Anarchy
2008 · Allesandro Montez
Moonlight
2007 · Guillermo
Burn Notice
2007 · Omar Hernandez
Psych
2006 · Juan Lava
Numb3rs
2005 · Victor Borrego
Medium
2005 · Eduardo Garcia
CSI: NY
2004 · Luis Torres
Cold Case
2003 · Angelo Rivera (2009)
Kingpin
2003
CSI: Miami
2002 · Felix Medina
Greetings from Tucson
2002 · Ernesto Tiant
Watching Ellie
2002 · Miguel
The Proud Family
2001 · Punch Alto (voice)
Six Feet Under
2001 · Manuel 'Paco' Bolin
Max Steel
2000 · Dr. Roberto Martinez (voice)
Clueless
1996
The Pretender
1996 · Javi Padillo
Malibu Shores
1996 · Benny
JAG
1995 · Corporal Cortez
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995 · Prince Luis (voice)
ER
1994 · Diablo
Full House
1987 · Enrique
Hunter
1984 · Emilio Morales