Pepe Serna
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
(Angel)
Fandango
(Gas Station Mechanic)
The Day of the Locust
(Miguel)
A Force of One
(Orlando)
The Jerk
(Punk #1)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
(Reno Nevada)
The Forgotten
(Sgt. Pepe Gutierrez)
The Brave
(Alessandro)
The Black Dahlia
(Tomas Dos Santos)
Exposed
(Raoul)
The Killer Inside Me
(Johnny Lopez)
Car Wash
(Chuco)
Vice Squad
(Pete Mendez)
Caddyshack II
(Carlos)
Big Dreams Little Tokyo
(Mr. Gonzalez)
Latin Dragon
(Hector Sanchez)
Only You
(Dock Official)
The Deadly Tower
(Mano)
Walk Proud
(Cesar)
Bad Jim
(Virgilio Segura)
Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone
(Rancher)
Moe
Jonny's Golden Quest
(Agent Menendez)
Bread and Roses
(Restaurateur)
The Desperate Miles
(Ruiz)
Shoot Out
(Pepe)
Postcards from the Edge
(Raoul)
Along for the Ride
(Dr. Sanchez)
The Streets of L.A.
(Sgt. Castro)
Man from Reno
(Paul Del Moral)
The New Centurions
(Young Mexican Man)
The Gun
(Natcho)
Road to Juarez
(Fortunato)
Seguin
(Manuel Flores)
Miracle on 34th Street
(Y Leader)
Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo
(Migrant Worker (uncredited))
Daybreak
(Herman Ortiz)
Out of Bounds
(Murano)
Picking Up the Pieces
(Florencio)
Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission
(Vito)
Flamin' Hot
(Abuelito)
Deal of the Century
(Vardis)
Lowriders
(Pepe)
Kill or Be Killed
(Rudy Goebel)
Group Marriage
(Ramon)
In the Flesh
(Harlan Ramirez)
Superpowerless
(Dr. George Holst)
Conagher
Downsizing
(Señor Cárdenas)
Red Dawn
(Aardvark's Father)
Roots of Blood
(Juan)
Cake
(Nuncio)
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
(Bum)
Deadly Swarm
(Commandante Alvarez)
Inside Moves
(Herrada)
Swashbuckler
(Street Entertainer)
Best Kept Secrets
(Jim Ramos)
The Rookie
(Lt. Ray Garcia)
Honeysuckle Rose
(Rooster)
City in Fear
(Raymond Zavala)
Break of Dawn
(Hector)
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
(Romaldo Cortez)
300 Miles for Stephanie
(Bobby Hernandez)
Under Water: Dive Deep
(Lil' Big Me)
Flavor of Life
The Planters
(Jesús)
Human Error
Restored Me
(Manny)
American Me
(Mundo)
Monday Nights at Seven
(Paul)
The Margarita Man
(Jose Martinez)
The Student Nurses
(Luis)
The Three Kings
(Alex Sweetwood)
White Water Rebels
(Harry Cutter)
Streets of Justice
(Det. Almos)
A Million to Juan
(Mr. Ortiz)
From the Dead
(Rodrigo)
The Last Angry Man
(Charlie Parelli)
Say a Little Prayer
Three Years Gone
Ana Maria in Novela Land
(Father Miguel)
Lou Grant
CHiPs
The Rookies
Kung Fu
T. J. Hooker
(Frank Fierro)
The A-Team
(Tómas Jefferson)
Sliders
(Roberto)
Miami Vice
Simon & Simon
The Greatest American Hero
Knight Rider
(Lupo)
Baretta
Hill Street Blues
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Mannix
Quantum Leap
(Manuel Vega)
Kojak
(Enorio Patias)
Criminal Minds
(Ruben Garcia)
Cagney & Lacey
The Zeta Project
Jesse
(Pappa Vasquez)
Cannon
Kingpin
Hunter
(Roberto Sanchez)
The PJs
(Sanchez (voice))
Diagnosis: Murder
(Capt. Collins)
Hotel Malibu
Second Chances
(Salvador Lopez)
Police Story
The Paper Chase
DEA
Rafferty
Bronk
Justice League
(Shifflet (voice))
With Love
(Luis Delgado)
Adam-12
(Roger)
Kojak
(Rudy Diaz)
Dudley
(Santana)
A Year in the Life
(Carlos)
The Rockford Files
(Ray Ochoa)
The Fortunate Pilgrim
(John Colucci)
Barney Miller
(Julio Rodriguez)
Hell Town
(Enrique)
Miami Vice
(Zabado)
Dimension 404
(Wally Nash)