Pepe Serna

Cast

Pepe Serna

Acting

Known for

Acting

Born

1944-07-23

From

Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Biography

Durable Mexican-American actor Pepe Serna has appeared in more than 100 feature films and 300 television shows, but is most recognized for his gritty support performances in a variety of motion pictures, including Scarface (1983) as Al Pacino's ill-fated cocaine partner, as well as the western Silverado (1985) with Kevin Costner, the crime yarn The Rookie (1990) starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, and the drama American Me (1992) starring Edward James Olmos. In a career surpassing five decades, Pepe's characters have played on both sides of the law -- from drug peddlers to sheriffs. He was born (and raised) in Corpus Christi, Texas on July 23, 1944, the son of a naval base interpreter for Latin American pilots and a hairdresser. His desires to become an actor happened early in life, moving to Hollywood in 1969 to finally pursue his dreams. He didn't have to wait long to find steady Latino work on film and TV. Making an inauspicious debut in the exploitation film The Student Nurses (1970), Pepe found more "A" quality work after being discovered by producer Hal B. Wallis for the coming-of-age film Tim Belcher starring Richard Thomas and Catherine Burns and the western Shoot Out (1971) starring Gregory Peck. Specializing in urban, streetwise roles, he went on to mix a number of popular films (The New Centurions (1972), The Day of the Locust (1975), Car Wash (1976), A Force of One (1979), Walk Proud (1979), Honeysuckle Rose (1980), Inside Moves (1980), Deal of the Century (1983), Red Dawn (1984), Caddyshack II (1988)) with a slew of popular TV crime dramas such as "Mannix," "Police Story," "Adam-12," "The Rookies," "The Rockford Files," "Baretta," "Kojak," "CHiPs," "Barney Miller," "Scarecrow & Mrs. King," "T.J. Hooker," "Simon & Simon," "Hill Street Blues," "Miami Vice," "Cagney & Lacey" and "Diagnosis Murder." Long married to wife Diane, Pepe is a noted keynote teacher and motivational speaker who tours colleges and universities. His strong sideline as a painter has been met with critical success, having been commissioned quite frequently. His vibrant paintings and one-man stage shows reflect a serious return to his Mexican roots and was the subject of the 2015 short documentary "Life Is Art."

Scarface
8.2
MOVIE1983

Scarface

as Angel

Downsizing
5.4
MOVIE2017

Downsizing

as Señor Cárdenas

Red Dawn
6.3
MOVIE1984

Red Dawn

as Aardvark's Father

Flamin' Hot
7.9
MOVIE2023

Flamin' Hot

as Abuelito

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
6.0
MOVIE1984

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

as Reno Nevada

The Jerk
6.9
MOVIE1979

The Jerk

as Punk #1

American Me
7.4
MOVIE1992

American Me

as Mundo

The Black Dahlia
5.6
MOVIE2006

The Black Dahlia

as Tomas Dos Santos

The Rookie
5.9
MOVIE1990

The Rookie

as Lt. Ray Garcia

Cake
6.3
MOVIE2014

Cake

as Nuncio

Fandango
6.7
MOVIE1985

Fandango

as Gas Station Mechanic

Car Wash
6.0
MOVIE1976

Car Wash

as Chuco

Shoot Out
6.4
MOVIE1971

Shoot Out

as Pepe

Johnny Got His Gun
7.5
MOVIE1971

Johnny Got His Gun

as Jose (uncredited)

Jonny's Golden Quest
7.7
MOVIE1993

Jonny's Golden Quest

as Agent Menendez

Postcards from the Edge
6.6
MOVIE1990

Postcards from the Edge

as Raoul

Lowriders
6.7
MOVIE2017

Lowriders

as Pepe

Exposed
6.5
MOVIE2003

Exposed

as Raoul

The Forgotten
5.8
MOVIE1989

The Forgotten

as Sgt. Pepe Gutierrez

Conagher
6.8
MOVIE1991

Conagher

Daybreak
4.9
MOVIE2000

Daybreak

as Herman Ortiz

Swashbuckler
6.1
MOVIE1976

Swashbuckler

as Street Entertainer

Caddyshack II
4.2
MOVIE1988

Caddyshack II

as Carlos

The New Centurions
6.6
MOVIE1972

The New Centurions

as Young Mexican Man

Inside Moves
6.4
MOVIE1980

Inside Moves

as Herrada

Bread and Roses
6.3
MOVIE2000

Bread and Roses

as Restaurateur

A Force of One
4.9
MOVIE1979

A Force of One

as Orlando

Deal of the Century
4.7
MOVIE1983

Deal of the Century

as Vardis

The Day of the Locust
6.4
MOVIE1975

The Day of the Locust

as Miguel

The Brave
6.0
MOVIE1997

The Brave

as Alessandro

Seguin
MOVIE1982

Seguin

as Manuel Flores

The Student Nurses
5.0
MOVIE1970

The Student Nurses

as Luis

Ana Maria in Novela Land
5.1
MOVIE2015

Ana Maria in Novela Land

as Father Miguel

Vice Squad
6.2
MOVIE1982

Vice Squad

as Pete Mendez

Honeysuckle Rose
5.3
MOVIE1980

Honeysuckle Rose

as Rooster

The Killer Inside Me
4.6
MOVIE1976

The Killer Inside Me

as Johnny Lopez

Out of Bounds
5.4
MOVIE1986

Out of Bounds

as Murano

Man from Reno
6.4
MOVIE2014

Man from Reno

as Paul Del Moral

Only You
5.5
MOVIE1992

Only You

as Dock Official

Deadly Swarm
3.5
MOVIE2003

Deadly Swarm

as Commandante Alvarez

Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone
4.6
MOVIE2022

Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone

as Rancher

A Million to Juan
5.7
MOVIE1994

A Million to Juan

as Mr. Ortiz

The Deadly Tower
6.7
MOVIE1975

The Deadly Tower

as Mano

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
7.0
MOVIE1983

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

as Romaldo Cortez

Group Marriage
5.5
MOVIE1973

Group Marriage

as Ramon

The Three Kings
4.0
MOVIE1987

The Three Kings

as Alex Sweetwood

Walk Proud
5.4
MOVIE1979

Walk Proud

as Cesar

The Planters
6.2
MOVIE2019

The Planters

as Jesús

Picking Up the Pieces
4.3
MOVIE2000

Picking Up the Pieces

as Florencio

Miracle on 34th Street
7.0
MOVIE1973

Miracle on 34th Street

as Y Leader

Say a Little Prayer
MOVIE2024

Say a Little Prayer

Bad Jim
7.5
MOVIE1990

Bad Jim

as Virgilio Segura

Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo
5.0
MOVIE1977

Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo

as Migrant Worker (uncredited)

Kill or Be Killed
4.2
MOVIE2016

Kill or Be Killed

as Rudy Goebel

White on Rice
5.6
MOVIE2009

White on Rice

as Professor Berk

300 Miles for Stephanie
7.5
MOVIE1981

300 Miles for Stephanie

as Bobby Hernandez

Moe
7.0
MOVIE2023

Moe

The Margarita Man
2.3
MOVIE2019

The Margarita Man

as Jose Martinez

Streets of Justice
7.0
MOVIE1985

Streets of Justice

as Det. Almos

The Last Angry Man
7.0
MOVIE1974

The Last Angry Man

as Charlie Parelli

Luminarias
4.3
MOVIE2000

Luminarias

Best Kept Secrets
7.3
MOVIE1984

Best Kept Secrets

as Jim Ramos

Restored Me
10.0
MOVIE2016

Restored Me

as Manny

City in Fear
5.7
MOVIE1980

City in Fear

as Raymond Zavala

Heartbreaker
4.2
MOVIE1983

Heartbreaker

as Loco

The Virgin of Juarez
6.9
MOVIE2006

The Virgin of Juarez

as Eduardo Morales

The Gun
8.7
MOVIE1974

The Gun

as Natcho

Latin Dragon
4.9
MOVIE2004

Latin Dragon

as Hector Sanchez

In the Flesh
9.0
MOVIE1995

In the Flesh

as Harlan Ramirez

Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission
6.7
MOVIE1981

Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission

as Vito

The Princess and the Barrio Boy
6.0
MOVIE2000

The Princess and the Barrio Boy

as Bum

White Water Rebels
9.0
MOVIE1983

White Water Rebels

as Harry Cutter

Human Error
7.0
MOVIE1988

Human Error

Roots of Blood
6.9
MOVIE1979

Roots of Blood

as Juan

Superpowerless
MOVIE2016

Superpowerless

as Dr. George Holst

Land of Milk & Honey
5.0
MOVIE1995

Land of Milk & Honey

as Danny

Monday Nights at Seven
MOVIE2016

Monday Nights at Seven

as Paul

The Desperate Miles
7.0
MOVIE1975

The Desperate Miles

as Ruiz

Flavor of Life
MOVIE2019

Flavor of Life

The Streets of L.A.
7.0
MOVIE1979

The Streets of L.A.

as Sgt. Castro

Road to Juarez
3.5
MOVIE2015

Road to Juarez

as Fortunato

Three Years Gone
MOVIETBA

Three Years Gone

Under Water: Dive Deep
MOVIE2016

Under Water: Dive Deep

as Lil' Big Me

Big Dreams Little Tokyo
6.5
MOVIE2006

Big Dreams Little Tokyo

as Mr. Gonzalez

From the Dead
4.6
MOVIE2019

From the Dead

as Rodrigo

Break of Dawn
6.3
MOVIE1988

Break of Dawn

as Hector

Along for the Ride
8.0
MOVIE2001

Along for the Ride

as Dr. Sanchez

Disco Beats
MOVIE2025

Disco Beats

as Lou

Aguruphobia
MOVIETBA

Aguruphobia

as Nanak

Pepe Serna - Biography, Movies & TV Shows | streamboxd