Paul Calderon
He was born in Puerto Rico 1959. Calderon moved to New York with his family at the age of six, where he grew up on the streets of the Lower East Side and Spanish Harlem. Following some time in college, he enlisted in the United States Army and served overseas as an infantryman. Returning to the States, Calderon set his sights on an acting career. Starting out on the New York stage, he won an Obie Award for his performance in Blade to the Heat at the Public Theatre. His most notable Broadway role was opposite Robert De Niro in Cuba and His Teddy Bear. Calderon also appeared off-Broadway in such plays as Requiem For A Heavyweight and Divine Horsemen, and played Achilles in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s production of Troilus and Cressida in Central Park. He is a founding member of the Touchstone Theatre, the American Folk Theatre and the Labyrinth Theatre Company.
Calderon was originally slated to portray the role of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction; Samuel L. Jackson was subsequently given the role.
Correction Samuel Jackson told Tarantino he had messed up by not casting him in Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino agreed and told him he was writing a script and had a character that he had written specifically with Jackson in mind. Calderon had a better initial reading than Jackson and Tarantino gave serious consideration to casting him as Jules Winnfield.
Calderon portrays Paul the bartender in dialogue scene between Butch Coolidge and Marsellus Wallace.
Calderon also co-wrote Abel Ferrara's 1992 crime drama Bad Lieutenant, starring Harvey Keitel.
Calderon acted in The Last Castle and the critically acclaimed independent feature Girlfight. His more than three dozen film credits also include Out of Sight, Cop Land, Four Rooms, Pulp Fiction, Bad Lieutenant, The Firm, The Addiction, Q & A, Sea of Love, Clockers and King of New York. In addition, he has made numerous guest appearances on television series, including recurring roles on Dream Street, Law & Order and Miami Vice.
In 2010, Calderon is set to star as The Businessman in Sanzhar Sultanov's crime drama - The Story.
Photos
Films (55)
Prick
2025 · President
Staging Anna
2024 · Director
Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend
2021 · Self (archive footage)
The Strike
2016 · Walt Whitman
West End
2014 · Robert Mackey
Welcome to New York
2014 · Pierre
Biodegradable
2013 · Profesor Lopez
Bolaetrapo
2013 · Cuenta
Why Stop Now?
2012 · Eduardo
Burning Daylight
2010 · Hughie Luke
Gun
2010 · Detective Jenkins
Down This Road
2010 · Father
La Soga
2009 · Rafa
A Kiss of Chaos
2009 · Oscar Perez
The Hungry Ghosts
2009 · Carl
Pistol Whipped
2008 · Blue
The Sentinel
2006 · Deputy Director Cortes
21 Grams
2003 · Brown
Kill the Poor
2003 · Carlos DeJesus
Le Dernier Château
2001 · Dellwo
Taxis pour cible
2001 · Ralph
The Atlantis Conspiracy
2001 · Guy
Once in the Life
2000 · Manny Rivera
Girlfight
2000 · Sandro Guzman
Piégé
2000 · Cop (uncredited)
Oxygen
1999 · Jesse
One Tough Cop
1998 · Sgt. Diaz
Out of Sight
1998 · Raymond Cruz
All Revved Up
1998 · Carl
Montana
1998 · Boulez
Cop Land
1997 · Hector - Medic
Dark Angel
1996 · Vance Pickett
Four Rooms
1995 · Norman
Condition Red
1995 · Angel Delgado
The Addiction
1995 · Professor
Clockers
1995 · Jesus at Hambones
Sweet Nothing
1995 · Ray
Lotto Land
1995 · Reinaldo
Hand Gun
1994 · Landwick
Pulp Fiction
1994 · Paul
The Firm
1993 · Thomas Richie
Bad Lieutenant
1992 · Cop #1
CrissCross
1992 · Blacky
The Keys
1992 · Garcia
King of New York
1990 · Joey Dalesio
Q & A
1990 · Roger Montalvo
The Old Man and the Sea
1990 · Anderez
Penn & Teller Get Killed
1989 · Juan
Sea of Love
1989 · Serafino
The Chair
1988 · Pizza
Sticky Fingers
1988 · Speed
Band of the Hand
1986 · Tito
Doubletake
1985 · Bitong
Tenement
1985 · Hector
Community Plot
1984
Séries (29)
Cape Fear - Les Nerfs à vif
2026 · The Padrino
Ironheart
2025 · CEO of Artworks, Arthur Robbins
Slade The Serie
2025 · Ryan
Justified: Ciudad salvaje
2023 · Raymond Cruz
East New York: Una Nueva Ley
2022 · Father Frank Suarez
Bosch : Legacy
2022 · Det. Santiago 'Jimmy' Robertson
F.B.I.
2018 · Fernando Perez
This Is Us
2016 · Older Risto Rivas
Blindspot
2015 · Drill Instructor
Fear the Walking Dead
2015 · Alejandro Núñez
Bosch
2015 · Santiago 'Jimmy' Robertson
Madam Secretary
2014 · Foreign Minister Albert Rojas
The Blacklist
2013 · Manuel Esteban
Elementary
2012 · Zuniga
Blue Bloods
2010 · Lieutenant Perez
Boardwalk Empire
2010 · Arquimedes
Lie to Me
2009 · Manny Trillo
The Black Donnellys
2007 · Detective at Prison
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
2005 · Detective
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001 · Marcus Feingold, Jojo Rios
The Education of Max Bickford
2001 · Danny Martinez
Third Watch
1999 · Bobby's father
New York Unité Spéciale
1999 · Eric Molina
Dellaventura
1997 · Detective Rosario
New York Undercover
1994 · Emilio Vasquez
The Hat Squad
1992 · Miguel Cortez
New York Police Judiciaire
1990 · Father Torres, Rodriguez, Jesse Castillo, Defense Attorney Palmieri, Kenneth Silva
The Equalizer
1985 · Rat Heart, Chacon
Miami Vice
1984 · Nicky, Don Gallego, Gabriel