Emilio Rivera (born February 24, 1961) is an American film and television actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known for his portrayal of Marcus Álvarez in ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

'' and its spin-off, '' Mayans M.C.'' He is also known for his depiction of criminals and law enforcement officers.

Early life

Rivera is of Mexican descent. He is the oldest sibling in his family, with four younger brothers and three younger sisters. He was raised in Elysian Valley also known as Frogtown, a neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Rivera suffered from

stuttering Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized externally by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses called blocks in which the person who ...

as a youth. In the third grade, he was cast as the titular character in a school theatre production of

Rumpelstiltskin "Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child. Plot I ...

. Rivera noticed he did not stutter once during his performance on stage. Shortly after, he confessed to his father he wanted to be an actor, to which his father replied that acting was only for "rich white people." At 18 years old in 1979, Rivera enlisted in the U.S. Army.

Career

Rivera's first feature role was in the TV series '' Renegade'' with

Lorenzo Lamas Lorenzo Fernando Lamas (born January 20, 1958) is an American actor and producer. He is widely known for his role of Lance Cumson, the irresponsible grandson of Angela Channing—played by Jane Wyman—in the soap opera ''Falcon Crest'' (1981� ...

. He also had a role in the feature film ''

Con Air ''Con Air'' is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich in the lead roles. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a pr ...

'', co-starring

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

. Emilio has appeared in several commercials, television programs and feature films including Training Day, Fun with Dick and Jane, ''

Traffic Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

'', '' The Cable Guy'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'', ''

Beverly Hills 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...

'', '' Walker Texas Ranger'', ''Titus'', '' Hitman: Agent 47'', '' JAG'', '' ER'', '' A Man Apart'' with Vin Diesel,

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

's film ''Never Get Outta the Boat'', '' Ali G Indahouse'', '' Rush'', Howard Stern's '' Son of the Beach'', '' Law and Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' Z Nation'', and

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...

's new series ''Metro''. He also played Marcus Álvarez in ''

'' for seven seasons and played Álvarez in '' Mayans M.C.'' for 5 seasons.

Personal life

Emilio has three children from a previous marriage and his oldest child from another woman.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

External links

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Emilio Rivera
at Hollywood.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Emilio 1961 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male actors of Mexican descent American male film actors American male television actors American stand-up comedians Hispanic and Latino American male actors Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from San Antonio Comedians from Los Angeles Comedians from San Antonio 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Hispanic and Latino American male comedians American male comedians Hispanic and Latino American stand-up comedians