Luis Miguel Valdez (born June 26, 1940) is an American playwright, screenwriter, film director and actor. Regarded as the father of Chicano film and

playwriting A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwright" ...

, Valdez is best known for his play '' Zoot Suit'', his movie '' La Bamba'', and his creation of

El Teatro Campesino El Teatro Campesino (Spanish language, Spanish for "The Farmworker's Theater") is a Chicano theatre, theatre company in California. Performing in both English language, English and Spanish language, Spanish, El Teatro Campesino was founded in 1965 ...

. A pioneer in the

Chicano Movement The Chicano Movement, also referred to as El Movimiento (Spanish for "the Movement"), was a civil rights movements, social and political movement in the United States that worked to embrace a Chicano, Chicano identity and worldview that combated ...

, Valdez broadened the scope of theatre and arts of the Chicano community.

Biography

Early life

Valdez was born in

Delano, California Delano ( ) is a city in Kern County, California, United States. Delano is located about north-northwest of Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield at an elevation of . The population was 51,428 in 2020, down from 53,041 in 2010. It is Kern Count ...

, to migrant farm worker parents from Mexico, Armeda and Francisco Valdez. The second of 10 children in his family, Valdez began to work the fields at the age of 6. One of his brothers is actor Daniel Valdez. Throughout his childhood, the family moved from harvest to harvest around the central valleys of California. Due to this peripatetic existence, he attended many different schools before the family finally settled in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

Education

Valdez began school in Stratford, California. His interest in theatre began in the first grade. Throughout grammar school, Valdez organized plays at school and put on puppet shows in his garage, which, he recalls, were usually about fairy tales.Beth Bagby; Luis Valde

"El Teatro Campesino Interviews with Luis Valdez" In high school, Valdez was part of the Speech and Drama department and acted in several plays. He described himself as "a very serious student." Valdez graduated from James Lick High School in San Jose and went on to attend San José State University (SJSU) on a scholarship for

math Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

. During his second year of college, he switched his major to English. While in college, Valdez won a playwriting contest with his one-act play ''The Theft'' in 1961. Two years later, in 1963, Valdez's first full-length play, ''The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa,'' was produced by the drama department and debuted at SJSU.

Early career: El Teatro Campesino

After graduation, Valdez spent the next few months with The San Francisco Mime Troupe, where he was introduced to agitprop theatre,

guerrilla theatre Guerrilla theatre, generally rendered "guerrilla theater" in the US, is a form of guerrilla communication originated in 1965 by the San Francisco Mime Troupe, who, in spirit of the Che Guevara writings from which the term ''guerrilla'' is taken, en ...

, and Italian

commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...

. These two techniques greatly influenced Valdez's development of the basic structure of Chicano theatre: the one-act presentational ''acto'' (act). In 1965, Valdez returned to Delano, where he enlisted in

Cesar Chavez Cesario Estrada Chavez (; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), ...

's mission to organize farm workers into a comprehensive union. Valdez brought together farm workers and students to form ''

'', a farm worker's theater troupe. El Teatro was known for touring migrant camps with their actos, one-act plays, which were usually around fifteen minutes long. The plays were used to educate and inform not only the farm workers, but also the public. Valdez believed that humor was a major asset to his plays in El Teatro Campesino as it was a tool to lift the morale of strikers. Social and political commentary were intertwined within the humor to accomplish the goals of El Teatro Campesino. Original plays of El Teatro were based on the experiences of farm workers, but by 1967 their subject matter expanded to other aspects of Chicano culture; '' Los Vendidos'', for example, discusses various Chicano stereotypes. Although Valdez left El Teatro in 1967, his legacy lived on. Thanks in large part to Valdez and El Teatro Campesino, the 1970s saw an explosion of Chicano theater. Theater groups sprang up with surprising speed on college campuses and in communities throughout the United States. What began as a farm workers' theater in the migrant camps of Delano flooded into a national Chicano theater movement.

Later career

In 1967, Valdez established a Chicano cultural center in Del Rey, California. In 1969 he moved both theater and cultural center to

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, where they remained for two years. During this time, he made the short film '' I Am Joaquin'' based on the legendary poem by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzáles (it was later inducted into the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

in 2010 and preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2017). While in Fresno, Valdez taught at Fresno State University and created TENAZ, the national Chicano theater organization, which was composed of many with theatre groups throughout the Southwest. Valdez moved the theater a final time in 1971, to San Juan Bautista, south of San Francisco. Combined now with the cultural center, it was called El Centro Campesino Cultural, and it became a fully professional production company. In 1973, he published his poem '' Pensamiento Serpentino'', which drew on Mayan and

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

philosophical concepts and argued that Indigenous ways of knowing were essential to the spiritual and material liberation of Chicana/os. The poem was later used in the highly successful Mexican American Studies Department Programs at Tucson Unified School District. In 1989, Valdez and officials from the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences and Nosotros formed the Latino Writers Group to improve opportunities and pay for Latino writers in Hollywood. Luis Valdez is a founding faculty member and director () of the

California State University, Monterey Bay California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB or Cal State Monterey Bay) is a public university located in Monterey County, California, United States. The main campus is situated on the site of the former military base Fort Ord, spanning the ...

Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department. He is credited with assisting in the development of a university program that prepares students in the entertainment industry:

filmmaking Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

, writing, sound,

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

, and the like. His recent play ''Valley of the Heart'', debuted October 30, 2018, at the Mark Taper Forum in

Los Angeles 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, ...

. He resides in San Juan Bautista, CA. He was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

in 2015.

''Zoot Suit'' (play and film)

Valdez's first work that brought him attention to larger audiences was the play '' Zoot Suit'' which ran in 1978 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and played for forty-six weeks to more than 40,000 people. With ''Zoot Suit,'' Valdez became the first Chicano director to have a play presented on Broadway in 1979. In 1981, it was made into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. In ''Zoot Suit'', Valdez weaves a story involving the real-life events of the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial—when a group of young Mexican-Americans were wrongfully charged with murder—and the

Zoot Suit riots The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots that took place June 3–8, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, United States, involving United States Armed Forces, American servicemen stationed in Southern California and young Latino and Mexican ...

. In 2019, the film ''Zoot Suit'' was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

for preservation in the

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

''La Bamba''

The film that brought Valdez his "breakthrough into mainstream America" was '' La Bamba'' which debuted in 1987. The film, about

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), better known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens died i ...

, a popular Chicano 1950s

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

er, "was an overwhelming box office success" according to ''BookRags.'' It was inducted into the

in 2017. On August 26, 2024 it was announced Valdez will serve as an executive producer and writer José Rivera is attached to write the script on an updated ''La Bamba''. Although Valdez was opposed to the updated version initially, he noted new research into Valens' life, such as Corey Long's book ''Come On Baby, Just Rock, Rock, Rock! The Inspired Life and Enduring Legacy of Ritchie Valens'' featuring a foreword by Connie Valens, her research, the 2009 interview on

Coast to Coast AM ''Coast to Coast AM'' is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 198 ...

by Donna Ludwig, and research by The Big Bopper's grandchildren, has resulted in the commissioning of the updated film. C3 Entertainment, acting on behalf of the Valenses and the Big Bopper's daughter-in-law and grandchildren, officially licences both brands.

Filmography

* ''

Coco Coco or variants may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Coco'' (2009 film), a French comedy film * ''Coco'' (2017 film), an American animated fantasy film * '' Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'' (), a 2020 Japanese anime film ...

'' (2017), voice actor * '' Cruz Reynoso: Sowing the Seeds of Justice'' (2000), narrator * ''Ballad of a Soldier'' (2000), actor. * ''

The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Maga ...

'' (1994), writer and director. Valdez also had a small role as ''

Presidente Presidente is a brand of Pilsner beer that is owned and produced by Cervecería Nacional Dominicana (CND) at several breweries in the Dominican Republic. In addition to domestic consumption in the Dominican Republic, Presidente is exported to ...

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec peoples, Zapotec, he w ...

. * ''La Pastorela'' (1991 ''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...

''), writer and director. * ''Los mineros'' (1991), narrator. * ''Fort Figueroa'' (1988 ''

CBS Summer Playhouse ''CBS Summer Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that ran from June 12, 1987 to August 22, 1989 on CBS. It aired unsold television pilots during the summer season. Overview Tim Reid and Daphne Maxwell Reid acted as hosts during th ...

''), director. * ''Corridos: Tales of Passion & Revolution'' (1987), writer and director. * '' La Bamba'' (1987), writer and director. * '' Zoot Suit'' (1981), writer and director. * '' Bandido! (1981), documentary on the story of Tiburcio Vasquez (who resisted incursion of US-Americans into California in the 1840s to 1875), writer, director and narrator. Shown on PBS. * '' Which Way Is Up?'' (1977), actor. * ''El corrido: Ballad of a Farmworker'' (1976 ''Visions'' television series), writer, director, and actor. * ''Fighting for Our Lives'' (1975 documentary), writer. * '' Los Vendidos'' (1972), writer and staging * '' I Am Joaquin'' (1969), documentary short film

Honors and awards (not exhaustive)

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

nominations ''Zoot Suit'' ( Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy) and ''La Bamba'' ( Best Motion Picture – Drama * Cartagena Film Festival, Best Picture Award, ''Zoot Suit,'' 1982,

Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past role as a link in the route ...

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

for excellence in television in 1987, ''Corridos: Tales of Passion and Revolution'' for

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

* California Governor's Award, March 1990 * Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature, 1992. *

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

's ''Aguila Azteca'' Award, 1994 * 2007 USA (

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

) Rockefeller Fellow * Los Vendidos * No Saco Nada de la Escuela (1969) * No Saco Nada de la Escuela Loco (1970) * Honorary Degree from the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

* The National (U.S. Presidential) Medal of Arts (2015)Presidential Medal of Arts Official Website
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References

Further information

External links

*
Luís Valdez Papers
are held at the alifornia Ethnic and Multicultural Archivesin the UC Santa Barbara Library
Teatro Campesino Archives
are held at the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives in the UC Santa Barbara Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Valdez, Luis 1940 births Living people People from Delano, California American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American film directors of Mexican descent American writers of Mexican descent Male actors from San Jose, California San Jose State University alumni Hispanic and Latino American dramatists and playwrights California State University, Monterey Bay faculty Film directors from California Writers from San Jose, California People from San Juan Bautista, California American Book Award winners United States National Medal of Arts recipients American male actors of Mexican descent James Lick High School alumni