Pepe Serna

Biography

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."

Known For

Angel

Scarface

Gas Station Mechanic

Fandango

Miguel

The Day of the Locust

Orlando

A Force of One

Punk #1

The Jerk

Reno Nevada

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

Sgt. Pepe Gutierrez

The Forgotten

Alessandro

The Brave

Tomas Dos Santos

The Black Dahlia

Raoul

Exposed

Johnny Lopez

The Killer Inside Me

Chuco

Car Wash

Pete Mendez

Vice Squad

Carlos

Caddyshack II

Mr. Gonzalez

Big Dreams Little Tokyo

Hector Sanchez

Latin Dragon

Dock Official

Only You

Mano

The Deadly Tower

Cesar

Walk Proud

Virgilio Segura

Bad Jim

Rancher

Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone

Moe

Agent Menendez

Jonny's Golden Quest

Restaurateur

Bread and Roses

Ruiz

The Desperate Miles

Pepe

Shoot Out

Raoul

Postcards from the Edge

Dr. Sanchez

Along for the Ride

Sgt. Castro

The Streets of L.A.

Paul Del Moral

Man from Reno

Young Mexican Man

The New Centurions

Natcho

The Gun

Fortunato

Road to Juarez

Manuel Flores

Seguin

Y Leader

Miracle on 34th Street

Migrant Worker (uncredited)

Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo

Herman Ortiz

Daybreak

Murano

Out of Bounds

Florencio

Picking Up the Pieces

Vito

Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission

Abuelito

Flamin' Hot

Vardis

Deal of the Century

Pepe

Lowriders

Rudy Goebel

Kill or Be Killed

Ramon

Group Marriage

Harlan Ramirez

Im Sog des Bösen

Dr. George Holst

Superpowerless

Conagher

Señor Cárdenas

Downsizing

Aardvark's Father

Red Dawn

Juan

Raíces de sangre

Nuncio

Cake

Bum

The Princess and the Barrio Boy

Commandante Alvarez

Deadly Swarm

Herrada

Inside Moves

Street Entertainer

Swashbuckler

Jim Ramos

Best Kept Secrets

Lt. Ray Garcia

The Rookie

Rooster

Honeysuckle Rose

Raymond Zavala

City in Fear

Hector

Break of Dawn

Romaldo Cortez

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

Bobby Hernandez

300 Miles for Stephanie

Lil' Big Me

Under Water: Dive Deep

Flavor of Life

Jesús

The Planters

Human Error

Manny

Restored Me

Mundo

American Me

Paul

Monday Nights at Seven

Jose Martinez

The Margarita Man

Luis

The Student Nurses

Alex Sweetwood

The Three Kings

Harry Cutter

White Water Rebels

Det. Almos

Streets of Justice

Mr. Ortiz

A Million to Juan

Rodrigo

From the Dead

Charlie Parelli

The Last Angry Man

Say a Little Prayer

Three Years Gone

Father Miguel

Ana Maria in Novela Land

Danny

Land of Milk & Honey

Loco

Heartbreaker

Luminarias

Professor Berk

White on Rice

Jose (uncredited)

Johnny Got His Gun