Yul Vazquez(born March 18, 1965) is a Cuban-American actor and musician. He has appeared inRunaway Bride(1999),Bad Boys II(2003),War of the Worlds(2005),American Gangster(2007),The A-Team(2010),Captain Phillips(2013),The Infiltrator(2016),Midnight, Texas(2017–2018),Russian Doll(2019),Severance(2022), andHotel Cocaine(2024). Vazquez used to be the leadguitaristfor melodic rock bandsUrgentandDiving for Pearls.
Yul Vazquez | |
|---|---|
 Vázquez atAmerican GangsterNYC premiere on October 19, 2007 | |
| Born | March 18, 1965 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Spouse | |
Early life
editVazquez was born inCubaon March 18, 1965[1]andcame to the United Stateswith his family in 1971.[2]He was named after Russian actorYul Brynner.[3]He grew up inMiamiin a studio apartment with his mother, grandmother and older sister, being the youngest as well as the only boy in the household. His mother encouraged him in the arts, often taking him to the theater where she worked, and she bought him his first drum set and camera.[2]
Acting career
editVazquez started his acting career with filler parts in his mother's plays, which led to discovery by an agent who encouraged him to go to acting school. In the 80s, he was lead guitarist for twoBillboard-charted rock bands. His musical skills led him to land the part of Flaco in the 1992 filmThe Mambo Kings.[2]
Vazquez went on to numerous film and television projects. With over 40 film credits, other highlights include roles in six time Oscar nomineeCaptain Phillips(2013),The A-Team(2010) withLiam Neeson,John Sayles'sAmigo,Steven Soderbergh’s two-part epicChe(2008),The Take(2008),American Gangster,Music Within(2007),War of the Worlds(2005),Bad Boys II(2003),TrafficandRunaway Bride(1999).[4]He has also been inKill the MessengerstarringJeremy Rennerand directed by Michael Cuesta;Anesthesia;andThe Cobbler,oppositeAdam Sandler,Dustin HoffmanandSteve Buscemi.
In television, he has had many guest and recurring roles. InLifetime's seriesThe Lotteryhe starred as President Thomas Westwood and as The Reverend Emilio Sheehan in the NBC seriesMidnight, Texas.He was a regular for both seasons of theStarzdramaMagic City,where he portrayed Victor Lazaro, general manager of the Miramar Playa. Additionally, he has recurred in other television series, as Pedro inFX'sLouie,as Christian inCBS'sThe Good Wifeand as Det. Anthony Nikolich on theHBOtelevision seriesTreme.In the streaming world, he has had recurring roles in several hit shows includingNetflix'sRussian Doll,andApple TV+'sSeverance.
Vazquez is a founding member of the LAByrinth Theater Company and served two terms as co-artistic director withStephen Adly GuirgisandMimi O'DonnellinNew York City.Vazquez starred onBroadwayin the Tony nominatedThe Motherfucker with the HatoppositeChris Rock.For his portrayal of the eccentric Cousin Julio, he received nominations for aDrama Desk Award,anOuter Critics Circle Awardand aTony AwardforBest Featured Actor in a Play.[5]Additional theater credits includeThe Last Days of Judas Iscariot(The Public Theater) oppositeSam Rockwell,directed byPhilip Seymour Hoffman,[6]Terrence McNally'sStendhal Syndrome,[7]Primary StageswithIsabella Rosselliniand Richard Thomas, andThe Floating Island Plays(Mark Taper Forum).
Music career
editPrior to starting his acting career, Vazquez was the lead guitar player forEast CoastAlbum-oriented rock(AOR) bandsUrgentandDiving For Pearls.[8]Urgent landed a minor hit with their single "Running Back" which reached #79 on theBillboard Hot 100.A second single from theirCast The First Stonedebut album, "Love Can Make You Cry", was re-recorded for theIron Eaglesoundtrack. Urgent broke up in 1987 after the lackluster success of their sophomore album,Thinking Out Loud.
Following the demise of Urgent, Vazquez joinedDiving for Pearls,whose eponymous debut album was issued by Epic/Sony Music in 1989. The group was dropped by the label before a second album could be completed due to the musical climate changing in the early 1990s as melodic hard rock fell out of favor in the U.S.[4]
In 2009, Vazquez played acoustic guitar withIan AstburyofThe Cultunder the name The Soft Revolt appearing at the Bowery Electric inNew York Cityon the opening night of John Patrick Shanley's playSavage in Limbo,which Astbury was producing. They performed songs by The Cult and Astbury solo material as well as covers by the Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Radiohead, among others.[9]
In the 2022 showSeverance,Vazquez sings and plays a cover ofMetallica's "Enter Sandman"in the fourth episode.[2]
Personal life
editVazquez has been married to actressLinda Larkin,the voice ofPrincess Jasminein the 1992 filmAladdin,since May 18, 2002.[10][11]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Mambo Kings | Flaco | |
| Friday Night Saturday Morning | Albie | Short | |
| Fly by Night | Sam | ||
| 1993 | Night Owl | Tomas | |
| 1994 | Fresh | Chillie | |
| Somebody to Love | Waiter | ||
| 1995 | Nick of Time | Gustino | |
| 1996 | The Last Big Thing | 1st Interviewer | |
| 1998 | A Day Without a Mexican | Restaurateur | Short |
| 1999 | Man of the Century | Brooding Artist | |
| Runaway Bride | Dead Head Gill Chavez | ||
| 2000 | Drowning Mona | French Instructor | |
| Traffic | Tigrillo/Obregon Assassin | ||
| 2002 | Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra | Edifis (voice) | |
| Running Time | The Hunter | Short | |
| The Adventures of Tom Thumb & Thumbelina | Gibson Mouse (voice) | Video | |
| 2003 | Bad Boys II | Detective Mateo Reyes | |
| 2004 | The Stendhal Syndrome | Leo | Video |
| 2005 | The F Word | Luis | |
| War of the Worlds | Julio | ||
| 2006 | Things That Hang from Trees | Juan Lopez | |
| The Ex | Paco | ||
| 2007 | Music Within | Mike Stoltz | |
| Southern Gothic | Hazel Fortune | ||
| The Take | Marco Ruiz | ||
| Jesus Cooks Me Breakfast | Young Man Jesus | Short | |
| Anamorph | Jorge "George" Ruiz | ||
| The Box | Finn Williams | ||
| American Gangster | Det. Alfonso Abruzzo | ||
| 2008 | The Marconi Brothers | Sonny Venice | |
| Che: Part One | Alejandro Ramirez | ||
| Che: Part Two | Alejandro Ramirez | ||
| 2009 | The Missing Person | Don Edgar | |
| 2010 | Beware the Gonzo | Charlie Ronald | |
| F—K | Yul | Short | |
| The A-Team | General Javier Tuco | ||
| Amigo | Padre Hidalgo | ||
| Little Fockers | Junior | ||
| 2011 | Salvation Boulevard | Jorge Guzman De Vaca | |
| 2012 | Father/Son | Father | Short |
| 2013 | Blood Ties | Fabio DeSoto | |
| Runner, Runner | Delegate Herrera | ||
| Captain Phillips | CaptainFrank Castellano | ||
| 2014 | Take Care | Dr. Gotham Leonard | |
| Rob the Mob | Vinny Gorgeous | ||
| Glass Chin | Roberto Flash | ||
| Time Out of Mind | Raoul | ||
| The Cobbler | Marsha | ||
| Kill the Messenger | Danilo Blandón | ||
| Fugly! | Ray | ||
| 2015 | Anesthesia | Dr. Edward Barnes | |
| 2016 | The Phenom | Coach Eddie Soler | |
| The Infiltrator | Javier Ospina | ||
| Beast or Raven | Man | Short | |
| True Memoirs of an International Assassin | General Javier Ruiz | ||
| 2017 | Crown Heights | Commissioner Rafello | |
| 1 Mile to You | Mr. Sickle | ||
| Last Flag Flying | Col. Willits | ||
| The Super | Julio | ||
| 2018 | Gringo | Angel Valverde | |
| O.G. | Baxter | ||
| Some Bad News | Dr. Richard Cranium | Short | |
| 2020 | Books of Blood | Bennett | |
| TBA | The Lost Bus | Post-production |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Danny Darwin | Episode: "On a Deadman's Chest" |
| ScreenPlay | Luis Salinas | Episode: "Bitter Harvest" | |
| Law & Order | Eddie Vasquez | Episode: "Skin Deep" | |
| 1993 | The Untouchables | - | Episode: "Cuba: Part 1 & 2" |
| Strapped | Latisha's Attorney | TV movie | |
| 1994 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Emilio Durazo | Episode: "On Deadly Ground" |
| Coach | Alberto Roca | Episode: "Head Like a Wheel" | |
| 1995 | The Watcher | - | Episode: "Reversal of Fortune" |
| The Price of Love | Rafael | TV movie | |
| 1995–98 | Seinfeld | Bob | Recurring cast (season 7), guest (season 9) |
| 1996 | Jake's Women | Luigi | TV movie |
| High Tide | - | Episode: "Code Name: Scorpion" | |
| Touched by an Angel | Tony Portino | Episode: "Groundrush" | |
| 1997 | Temporarily Yours | Luis | Episode: "The Voice of Reason" |
| 1998 | Trinity | Mr. Cupideros | Episode: "In Loco Parentis" |
| 1999 | Mondo Picasso | Mondo | Regular cast |
| 2000–02 | Courage the Cowardly Dog | Additional Voices (voice) | Main cast (season 2-3) |
| 2001 | Law & Order | Attorney from DA's Office | Episode: "Sunday in the Park with Jorge" |
| Big Apple | Officer Cruz | Recurring cast | |
| Sex and the City | Phil | Episode: "The Agony and the Ex-tacy" | |
| 2002 | The Sopranos | Reuben 'The Cuban' | Episode: "Christopher" |
| 2003 | Keen Eddie | Jonah Rosenthal | Episode: "Pilot: Eddie" |
| 2008 | Fringe | George Morales | Episode: "The Dreamscape" |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Daniel Hardy | Episode: "Confidential" |
| Lies in Plain Sight | Rafael Reyes | TV movie | |
| 2011–12 | Louie | Pedro | Guest cast (season 1-2) |
| 2012–13 | The Good Wife | Cristian Romano | Recurring cast (season 4) |
| Magic City | Victor Lazaro | Recurring cast | |
| Treme | Detective Anthony Nikolich | Recurring cast (season 3), guest (season 4) | |
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Luis Montero | Episode: "Poisoned Motive" |
| 2014 | Person of Interest | Cyrus Wells | Episode: "Root Path" |
| The Lottery | President Thomas Westwood | Main cast | |
| 2016 | Elementary | Arthur Tetch | Episode: "Turn It Upside Down" |
| 2016–17 | Bloodline | White Shirt Man | Recurring cast (season 2-3) |
| 2016–18 | Divorce | Craig Anders | Recurring cast (season 1-2) |
| 2017 | Madam Secretary | Ted Fitzgerald | Episode: "Off the Record" |
| 2017–18 | Midnight, Texas | Reverend Emilio Sheehan | Main cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
| 2018 | The Looming Tower | Jason Sanchez | Recurring Cast |
| FBI | Bryce Miller | Episode: "Doomsday" | |
| Narcos: Mexico | John Gavin | Recurring cast (season 1) | |
| SEAL Team | Andres Doza | Recurring cast (season 2) | |
| 2019 | Russian Doll | John Reyes | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| I Am the Night | Billis | Recurring cast | |
| 2020 | The Outsider | Yunis Sablo | Main cast |
| 2021 | Succession | Rick Salgado | Episode: "What It Takes" |
| 2022 | Severance | Peter "Petey" Kilmer | Recurring cast |
| Promised Land | Father Ramos | Recurring cast | |
| 2023 | Godfather of Harlem | José Miguel Battle Sr. | Recurring cast (season 3) |
| White House Plumbers | Bernard Barker | Main cast | |
| 2024 | Parish | Hector | Episode: "A Good Man" |
| Hotel Cocaine | Nestor Cabal | Main cast |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories | Armando Mendez |
| 2009 | Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony | The People of Liberty City |
Audio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | White House Plumbers Podcast | Himself | Episode 3 |
Discography
edit- Urgent –Cast the First Stone(EMI-Manhattan, 1985)
- Various –Iron Eagle OST(Capitol, 1986)
- Urgent –Thinking Out Loud(EMI-Manhattan, 1987)
- Diving For Pearls –Diving for Pearls(Epic/Sony, 1989)
- Diving For Pearls –Texas(2006)
References
edit- ^"Yul Vázquez".AllMovie.RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
- ^abcdZorrilla, Mónica Marie (April 11, 2022)."'Severance' Star Yul Vázquez Is Hollywood's Go-To Cuban Character Actor ".Variety.RetrievedApril 15,2022.
- ^"Cuba-born, Miami-raised actor speaks Tagalog in 'Amigo' role".RetrievedJanuary 8,2024.
- ^abEdward Douglas (September 11, 2006)."Exclusive: Spotlight on Yul Vázquez".RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
- ^Erasmo Guerra (June 8, 2011)."Hats off to Yul Vazquez's Broadway debut".NY Daily News.RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
- ^Beth Herstein (March 23, 2005)."Interview with LAByrinth Theater Company's Yul Vázquez and Stephen McKinley Henderson".Talkin' Broadway.RetrievedNovember 6,2019.
- ^Charles Isherwood (February 16, 2004)."The Stendhal Syndrome".Variety.
- ^Randolph Michaels (2005).'Flashbacks to Happiness: Eighties Music Revisited'; Interview #43 Yul Vazquez, Guitarist for Urgent and Diving For Pearls.iUniverse, Inc. p. 477.ISBN978-0-595-37007-8.
- ^"Ian Astbury's The Soft Revolt: NYC Footage Available".Blabbermouth.net.June 8, 2011.RetrievedNovember 6,2019.
- ^Heller, Corinne (November 25, 2017)."Aladdin's 25th Anniversary Celebrated by Past and Present Cast".E!.RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
- ^"Linda Larkin".RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
External links
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