Louie Olivos, Jr., eldest son t

Dona Phoebe Gamez Cisneros Olivos
is an actor, promoter, producer, director and playwright from

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...

. He studied film at

Santa Ana College Santa Ana College is a public community college in Santa Ana, California. History In 1915, Santa Ana Junior College opened its doors to 25 students as a department of Santa Ana High School. It was the second community college founded in Orange ...

the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

and under Stella Adler and is a

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

(SAG) member. He and his family once owned th
PrincessWest Coast Theater
and

Yost Theater The Yost Theater is a concert and events venue in Santa Ana, California. It is a National Register of Historic Places-listed building located in Santa Ana's Downtown Historic District. Under the ownership of the Olivos Family it became a mov ...

in Historic Downtown Santa Ana and showcased Classical Mexican Cinema there for nearly a half of a century throughout Orange County. As an entertainment producer and promoter, he brought

Antonio Aguilar José Pascual Antonio Aguilar Márquez Barraza (17 May 191919 June 2007), known as Antonio Aguilar, was a Mexican singer and actor. He recorded over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and acted in more than 120 films. He was given t ...

Cantinflas Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas (), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely accomplished Mexican comedian and is well ...

Vicente Fernández Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican mariachi singer, actor and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México" (Th ...

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; 7 January 1950 – 28 August 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer-songwriter and actor. Colloquially Honorific nicknames in popular music, nicknamed Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, ...

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera singer and actor whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and raised in nearby Guamúchil. He died on 15 Apri ...

; as a rock and roll promoter he brought

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of spouses Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as rhythm and blues, R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. ...

Wolfman Jack Robert Weston Smith (January 21, 1938July 1, 1995), known as Wolfman Jack, was an American disc jockey active for over three decades. He was famous for his gravelly voice, and credited it with his success, saying, "It's kept meat and potatoes on ...

and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

among many other celebrities to Santa Ana. Through his promotion company called Estrellas de Mexico, he showcased and booked

Yolanda Del Rio Yolanda or Yolonda may refer to: * Yolanda (name), a given name derived from the Greek ''Iolanthe'' Places * Yolanda, California * Yolanda Shrine, monument located at Barangay Anibong, Tacloban, Leyte Film * ''Yolanda'' (film), a 1924 fil ...

Yuri Yuri may refer to: People Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), feminine Japanese given names, including a list o ...

Pedro Armendáriz Pedro Gregorio Armendáriz Hastings (May 9, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was a Mexican-American film actor who made films in both Mexico and the United States. With Dolores del Río and María Félix, he was one of the best-known Latin American mo ...

Los Tigres del Norte Los Tigres del Norte (English: ''The Tigers of the North'') are a norteño band from San Jose, California. Originally founded in the small town Rosa Morada in the municipality of Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico, with sales of 32 million albums, the ...

. In 1971, he founded ''Teatro Los Actores de Santa Ana'' and has been active with his troupe around Los Angeles theater houses, including the

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG ( ; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became widely known for performances ...

Theater and

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. A member of Yiddish Theater's Adler dynasty, Adler began acting at a young age. She shifted to producing, directing, and teaching, founding the ...

Theater in Hollywood; this troupe is the oldest Latino actor's group in Orange County.

Contributions to Latino Cinema

Since 1939, the Olivos family were pioneers in the exhibition of Latino films, an enterprise taking them to Spain and Mexico, where they collaborated with the actors, directors and producers of the

Golden Age of Mexican Cinema The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema (Spanish: la Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano), spanning the 1930s to 1950s, was a prolific era during which Mexico emerged as the leading film producer in Latin America. Filmmakers during this period tackled themes ...

. Through the family business, Olivos was able to attend key film festivals, like the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

and the Show West Convention in Las Vegas, where he facilitated the distribution of Latino classics into new markets, including non-Latino ones. Louie Olivos, Jr. is an Original Member of Nosotros, Ricardo Montalbán's prestigious group since the 1970s.

Awards and honors

*January 3 is Louie Olivos, Jr. Day in the City of Santa Ana, as granted by Mayor Miguel A. Pulido, when Louie won the Mayor's Exceptional Citizen Award in 1998. *In 1999, Olivos was selected to teach children's theater by the city of Santa Ana in its Empowerment Zone. *In 2004, Olivos was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Nosotros American Latino Film Festival for best Comedy shor
El del los Guantes
and full featured fil
Robbing Peter
. *In 2005, Olivos was nominated for Best Debut Performance for The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards for his fil
Robbing Peter
*In 2006, Olivos was inducted into the Santa Ana College Hall of Fame and had a chair in the Theater Department dedicated to him. *In 2006 Olivos was invited to take part in ''Mexico's 75 Years of Motion Pictures'' in Mexico City, Mexico. *Since 2006, Olivos has been invited to portray

Benito Juarez Benito may refer to: Places * Benito, Kentucky, United States * Benito, Manitoba, Canada * Benito River, a river in Equatorial Guinea Other uses * Benito (name) ** Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1 ...

in the famous Fiestas Patrias Parade on September 16 in downtown Santa Ana. *In 2007, Olivos was selected as one of Orange County's 100 Influential Latinos. * In 2010, Olivos was awarded for being selected in the shor
"The Colonel"
in th
San Diego Film Festival

Academic affiliations

*Mentor, Puente Program, Santa Ana High School and Cypress College *University of Southern California *Stella Adler Studio *Santa Ana College

Family life

Olivos has been married to Macaria Calderon Olivos, a New Mexican actress, for over 50 years, and has had four children, Gay Denise Olivos-Lincoln, Christina Kay Olivos, Lewis Raphael Olivos III. (BJ) an
Roman Olivos
He is a third generation Mexican American.

Trips down ''La Alfombra Roja''

*
El de los Guantes
',

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

, 2004 *
Robbing Peter
',

, 2005 *''Afterglow'',

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

, 2006

Stageplays

Olivos has written over 20 bilingual plays, including: *''El Pachuco 1943'' *''Los tres Grandes y María Félix'' (debuted on historic

Olvera Street Olvera Street, commonly known by its Spanish language, Spanish name Calle Olvera, is a historic pedestrian street in El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, the historic center of Los Angeles. The street is loc ...

, Los Angeles) *''El Corrido de Juan Charrasqueado'' ( played at Stella Adler Theater, Hollywood) *''Watch the Border'' *''An Altar for Emiliano Zapata'' *''The Mecha Mural'' *''Pancho Villa''

Grants and commissions

*''The Mecha Mural'', 1995, Santa Ana College *''The Three Little Bears...Ten Years Later'' and *''Prop 187 y Que!'', Federal Block grants, 1995 and 1996 *''Dia de los Muertos'', 1996
The Bowers Museum
Santa Ana

Film credits

''Nomination for Best Actor''''Tormenta's Ear''''Rivals''''God's Army''''America 101''''Robbing Peter''''Él de los Guantes''''Secretos 2004-Present''''Afterglow''''The Colonel: Based on the Poem by Carolyn Forche''''Delusions of Grandeur''

Music videos

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

, Pieces of Me

References

External links

Official Website
*
El Cine Yost and the Power of Place for Mexican Migrants in Orange County, California, 1930-1990
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olivos, Louis Year of birth missing (living people) Male actors from Santa Ana, California Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Hispanic and Latino American dramatists and playwrights American film directors of Mexican descent American male actors of Mexican descent Santa Ana College alumni