Perry Lopez (born Julio César Lopez; July 22, 1929 – February 14, 2008) was an American

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 ...

and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. His acting career spanned 40 years.

Biography

Lopez was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

of Puerto Rican descent. Lopez began his acting career in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, based in New York. He was signed to a contract at

Warner Bros. Studios Warner Bros. Studios may refer to: * Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios located in Burbank, California * Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, Warner Bros. Studios located in Leavesden, England * Old Warner Brothers Studio, now known as ...

in 1954, his first credited appearance being Bogus Charlie in ''

Drum Beat A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes ...

''. Lopez appeared as Spanish Joe in ''

Battle Cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religio ...

'' (1955), as Rodrigues in '' Mister Roberts'' in 1955, then had the leading role in ''

The Steel Jungle ''The Steel Jungle'' is a 1956 American film noir crime drama directed by Walter Doniger and starring Perry Lopez, Beverly Garland, and Walter Abel. The film was directed and written by Walter Doniger. Produced independently, the film was d ...

'' (1956) and appeared as Toro in '' Cry Tough'' in 1959. He also played in a number of

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s and

Westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

early on in his career, including the ''

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

'' (1954), '' The Young Guns'' (1956) and ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

''. Although he was part of the supporting cast in '' Mister Roberts'', his role was prominent – he played opposite Henry Fonda and James Cagney, who were both established stars at the time. However, he was perhaps best known as Lieutenant Lou Escobar in the 1974 film ''

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

'', which he appeared opposite

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

and

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Faye Dunaway, many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, ...

. He reprised the role sixteen years later (with Escobar promoted to Captain) in ''

The Two Jakes ''The Two Jakes'' is a 1990 American neo-noir mystery film and the sequel to the 1974 film ''Chinatown''. Directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, who reprises his role of J.J. “Jake” Gittes from the first film, the cast also features Harvey ...

'' in 1990. Also right before this time he starred opposite

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...

playing drug gang leader Ed Zacharias in 1987's '' Death Wish 4: The Crackdown''. Among his many television appearances, one of his more well-known roles is that of Esteban Rodriguez in the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' episode "

Shore Leave Shore leave is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land. It is also known as "liberty" within the United States Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps. During the Age of Sail, shore leave was often abused by the members of the ...

". Lopez also appeared in an episode of ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'' as the cold-blooded outlaw Duke Miller, who kills a man over being first in line to get a haircut. He was Joaquín Castenada, a peon who fought to free his people, in four episodes of ''

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

'', starring Guy Williams. Lopez also appeared in episode 14, "Night Of The Long Knives" originally airing December 16, 1966, of ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science-fiction television series written around a theme of time travel adventure; it starred James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction televisi ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

; in the ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' episode "Savage Jungle"; ''

McLintock! :''See also McClintock (disambiguation)'' ''McLintock!'' is a 1963 American Western comedy film, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The film co-stars Wayne's son Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kr ...

'' (1963) as Davey Elk; in ''Juan Moreno's Body'' as a migrant Mexican fruit picker accused of murdering the son of the owner of the orchard; and in ''

Kelly's Heroes ''Kelly's Heroes'' is a 1970 war comedy drama film directed by Brian G. Hutton. Set during World War II, the film tells the story of a motley crew of American GIs who go AWOL to rob a French bank, located behind German lines, of its stored Na ...

'' (1970) as Private Petuko.

Death

Lopez died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at The Rehabilitation Centre of Beverly Hills in

Beverly Grove, Los Angeles Beverly Grove is a neighborhood within the Mid-City West region of Los Angeles, California, adjacent to Beverly Hills. The median household income in 2024 dollars was $119,223, among the highest for Los Angeles and the county. Geography City o ...

, at age 78. He was survived by several nieces and nephews. His ashes were interred at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

Filmography

* 1954 ''

Jubilee Trail ''Jubilee Trail'' is an American novel written by Gwen Bristow, published in 1950. It follows the adventures of two strong women in the mid-19th century as they travel across the United States to the then-Mexico, Mexican territory of California. ...

'' as Silva's Son (uncredited) * 1954 ''

'' as Tomas (uncredited) * 1954 ''

'' as Charlie "Bogus Charlie" * 1955 ''

'' as Private Joe "Spanish Joe" Gomez * 1955 '' Mister Roberts'' as Rodrigues * 1955 '' The McConnell Story'' as "Red" (uncredited) * 1955 ''

I Died a Thousand Times ''I Died a Thousand Times'' is a 1955 American CinemaScope Warnercolor film noir directed by Stuart Heisler. The drama features Jack Palance as paroled bank robber Roy Earle, with Shelley Winters, Lee Marvin, Earl Holliman, Perry Lopez, Pedro Go ...

'' as Louis Mendoza * 1956 '' Hell on Frisco Bay'' as Mario Amato * 1956 ''

'' as Pete Ramirez * 1956 ''

'' as Ed Novak * 1956 '' The Young Guns'' as San Antone * 1957 ''

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīshābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131) (Persian language, Persian: غیاث الدین ابوالفتح عمر بن ابراهیم خیام نیشابورﻯ), commonly known as Omar ...

'' as Prince Ahmud * 1958 ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (Season 3 Episode 27: "Disappearing Trick") as Julio * 1958 ''

The Deep Six ''The Deep Six'' is a 1958 American World War II drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, loosely based on a novel of the same name by Martin Dibner. The film stars Alan Ladd, who co-produced it, William Bendix, Dianne Foster, Keenan Wynn, Jam ...

'' as Al Mendoza * 1958 '' Violent Road'' as Manuelo * 1959 '' Cry Tough'' as Toro * 1960 ''

Flaming Star ''Flaming Star'' is a 1960 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden, and Steve Forrest, based on the book ''Flaming Lance'' (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his better acting performances as ...

'' as Two Moons * 1961 ''

Man-Trap ''Man-Trap'' is a 1961 American neo-noir film about a Korean War veteran who becomes involved in a scheme to steal $3.5 million from a Central American dictator. The film was directed by Edmond O'Brien and stars Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen an ...

'' as Puerco * 1962 ''

Taras Bulba ''Taras Bulba'' (; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons Andriy and Ostap. The sons study at th ...

'' as Ostap Bulba * 1962 ''

'' (

Season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album ...

Episode 19: "The Last Haircut") as Duke Miller * 1963 ''

'' as Davey Elk * 1966 '' The Rare Breed'' as Juan * 1966 '' Star Trek (Season 1; Episode 15, "Shore Leave")'' as Lieutenant Rodriguez * 1968 '' Sol Madrid'' as Hood * 1968 '' Daring Game'' as Reuben * 1968 '' Bandolero!'' as Frisco * 1969 '' Che!'' as Rolando * 1970 ''

'' as Petuko * 1973 '' Lady Ice'' as Carlos * 1974 ''

'' as Lieutenant Lou Escobar * 1987 '' Death Wish 4: The Crackdown'' as Ed Zacharias * 1989 '' Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects'' as Detective Eddie Rios * 1990 ''

'' as Captain Lou Escobar * 1994 ''Confessions of a Hitman'' as Priest (final film role)

References

External links

*
Perry Lopez
at

Memory Alpha Memory Alpha is a wiki encyclopedia for topics related to the ''Star Trek'' fictional universe. Created by Harry Doddema and Dan Carlson, it uses the wiki model and is hosted by Fandom on the MediaWiki software. , Memory Alpha contains over 56 ...

, a Star Trek wiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Perry 1929 births 2008 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American actors of Puerto Rican descent Deaths from lung cancer in California Male actors from New York City Warner Bros. contract players 20th-century American male actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery