JV
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Jacob Vargas

Actor, Producer
Born August 18, 1971 (53 years)
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.
Movies & Shows on Plex
  • Moonlight
  • The Wendell Baker Story
  • Last Resort
  • Princess of the Row
  • The Virgin of Juarez
  • Road Dogz
  • Huck and the King of Hearts
  • Water & Power
  • Journey of a Female Comic
Known For
  • Traffic
  • Devil
  • Death Race
  • The Hills Have Eyes 2
  • Flight of the Phoenix
  • Next Friday
  • Heaven Is for Real
  • Selena
  • The 33
  • Mr. Iglesias
  • Moonlight
  • Sleep Dealer
  • Beyond Skyline
  • The Wendell Baker Story
  • The Principal
  • Ernest Goes to Camp
  • Airborne
  • My Family/Mi familia
  • Cesar Chavez
  • My Crazy Life
  • Gas Food Lodging
  • Bobby Z
  • The Hi-Lo Country
  • The Public

Filmography

2022
National Treasure: Edge of History (TV Series) · as Rafael
2022
Satanic Hispanics · as El Jefe
2022
Lopez vs Lopez (TV Series) · as Javier
2022
Surfside Girls (TV Series) · as Bob
2022
Kimi · as Glasses Thug
2021
Plan B · as Pastor Pedro
2020
Game On! A Comedy Crossover Event (TV Series) · as Tony Ochoa
2020
Solar Opposites (TV Series) · as Cast
2019
Mr. Iglesias (TV Series) · as Tony Medina
2019
Peel · as Chuck
2019
2018
2018
Mayans M.C. (TV Series) · as Allesandro Montez
2018
Mosaic (TV Series) · as Horacio
2017
Tarantula (TV Series) · as Paja
2017
Beyond Skyline · as Garcia
2017
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (TV Series) · as Mario
2016
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life · as Animation Voice (voice)
2016
Marvel's Luke Cage (TV Series) · as Domingo Colon
2016
Crossing Point · as Jesus
2016
2016
Colony (TV Series) · as Carlos
2015
The 33 · as Edison 'elvis' Peña
2015
Complications (TV Series) · as Ramon
2014
Hand of God (TV Series) · as Julio Farkas (uncredited)
2014
2014
Heaven Is for Real · as Michael
2014
Cesar Chavez · as Richard Chavez
2014
Red Sky · as Jorge 'p-Dawg' Vasquez
2013
Go for Sisters · as Navajas
2013
2013
Kroll Show (TV Series) · as Cast
2012
Blue (TV Series) · as Roy
2010
Young Justice (TV Series) · as Sebastian Cardona / Cisco Ramon (voice)
2010
Devil · as Ramirez
2010
The Good Guys (2010) (TV Series) · as Tico
2009
Tom Cool · as Cast
2008
Sleep Dealer · as Rudy Ramirez
2008
The Mentalist (TV Series) · as Chief Rick Anaya
2008
Sons of Anarchy (TV Series) · as Allesandro Montez
2008
Death Race · as Gunner
2008
Love Lies Bleeding · as Detective Billy Jones
2007
Moonlight (TV Series) · as Guillermo
2007
Burn Notice (TV Series) · as Omar Hernandez
2007
Bobby Z · as Jorge Escobar
2007
Are We Done Yet? · as Mike The Plumber
2007
2006
Bobby · as Miguel
2006
TV: The Movie · as Tijuana Cop 2 / Announcer / Charlotte
2006
Psych (TV Series) · as Juan Lava
2006
The Virgin of Juarez · as Detective Lauro
2005
Jarhead · as Juan Cortez
2005
2005
Numb3rs (TV Series)
2005
Medium (TV Series) · as Eduardo Garcia
2004
2004
CSI: NY (TV Series) · as Luis Torres
2003
Cold Case (TV Series) · as Angelo Rivera (2009)
2003
Kingpin (TV Series)
2002
CSI: Miami (TV Series) · as Felix Medina
2002
Greetings From Tucson (TV Series) · as Ernesto Tiant
2002
RFK · as Cesar Chavez
2002
Road Dogz · as Danny Pacheco
2002
Watching Ellie (TV Series) · as Miguel
2002
Dragonfly · as Victor
2002
Turnaround · as Gonzalez
2001
The Proud Family (TV Series) · as Punch Alto (voice)
2001
Dr. Dolittle 2 · as Pepito (voice)
2001
Six Feet Under (TV Series) · as Manuel 'paco' Bolin
2001
2000
Traffic · as Manolo Sanchez
2000
The Brothers Garcia (TV Series) · as Chuy
2000
Max Steel (TV Series) · as Dr. Roberto Martinez (voice)
2000
Next Friday · as Joker
1998
The Hi-Lo Country · as Delfino Mondragon
1997
Santa Fe · as Jesus
1997
1997
Selena · as A. B. Quintanilla
1996
Clueless (TV Series)
1996
The Pretender (TV Series) · as Javi Padillo
1996
Malibu Shores (TV Series)
1995
Get Shorty · as Yayo Portillo
1995
JAG (TV Series) · as Corporal Cortez
1995
My Family/Mi familia · as Young Jose
1995
Crimson Tide · as Sonarman #2
1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (TV Series) · as Prince Luis (voice)
1994
ER (TV Series) · as Diablo
1994
1993
My Crazy Life · as Ernesto
1993
Fatal Instinct · as Flower Delivery Man
1993
Airborne · as Snake
1992
Hitz · as Hispanic Boy
1992
Gas Food Lodging · as Javier
1992
Steel Justice · as Arturo Gomez
1992
American Me · as Paulito - Age 15
1991
Nurses (TV Series) · as Luis
1991
Seeds of Tragedy · as Cholo #2
1991
Never Forget · as Student
1990
1990
The New Adam-12 (TV Series) · as Collins
1989
Crack House · as Danny
1989
Hard Time on Planet Earth (TV Series) · as Billy
1988
Little Nikita · as Miguel
1987
Full House (TV Series)
1987
The Principal · as Arturo Diego
1987
Ernest Goes to Camp · as Bubba Vargas
1987
The Tracey Ullman Show (TV Series) · as Taco Place Manager
1986
The New Gidget (TV Series) · as Enrique
1986
1986
1986
1984
Hunter (TV Series) · as Emilio Morales
1954
Disneyland (TV Series) · as Student #2

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