Pepe Serna

Pepe Serna

Birthday: 1944-07-23

Place of birth: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Also known as:

imdb_id: nm0785277

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."

Played in movies:

Restored Me

Score: 10.0

Scarface

Score: 8.2

The Gun

Score: 8.0

Flamin' Hot

Score: 8.0

Jonny's Golden Quest

Score: 7.5

Johnny Got His Gun

Score: 7.5

Best Kept Secrets

Score: 7.5

American Me

Score: 7.4

Bad Jim

Score: 7.3

Moe

Score: 7.0

The Jerk

Score: 6.9

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

Score: 6.9

Lowriders

Score: 6.8

Miracle on 34th Street

Score: 6.8

Fandango

Score: 6.7

The New Centurions

Score: 6.7

Conagher

Score: 6.6

Postcards from the Edge

Score: 6.6

The Deadly Tower

Score: 6.6

Roots of Blood

Score: 6.5

Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission

Score: 6.5

The Day of the Locust

Score: 6.5

Inside Moves

Score: 6.4

Shoot Out

Score: 6.4

Man from Reno

Score: 6.3

Bread and Roses

Score: 6.3

Red Dawn

Score: 6.3

Vice Squad

Score: 6.3

Cake

Score: 6.3

The Planters

Score: 6.2

Swashbuckler

Score: 6.2

Human Error

Score: 6.0

Break of Dawn

Score: 6.0

Along for the Ride

Score: 6.0

Car Wash

Score: 6.0

The Brave

Score: 6.0

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

Score: 6.0

The Rookie

Score: 5.9

Walk Proud

Score: 5.8

Big Dreams Little Tokyo

Score: 5.8

White on Rice

Score: 5.6

The Black Dahlia

Score: 5.6

Only You

Score: 5.4

A Million to Juan

Score: 5.4

Honeysuckle Rose

Score: 5.4

The Forgotten

Score: 5.4

Downsizing

Score: 5.4

Out of Bounds

Score: 5.3

From the Dead

Score: 5.1

City in Fear

Score: 5.1

Ana Maria in Novela Land

Score: 5.0

Streets of Justice

Score: 5.0

The Student Nurses

Score: 5.0

The Princess and the Barrio Boy

Score: 5.0

The Streets of L.A.

Score: 5.0

Exposed

Score: 5.0

Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo

Score: 4.9

A Force of One

Score: 4.8

Group Marriage

Score: 4.8

Daybreak

Score: 4.8

Latin Dragon

Score: 4.8

Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone

Score: 4.7

Deal of the Century

Score: 4.6

The Killer Inside Me

Score: 4.5

Picking Up the Pieces

Score: 4.3

Caddyshack II

Score: 4.2

Kill or Be Killed

Score: 4.0

Heartbreaker

Score: 3.8

Road to Juarez

Score: 3.5

Deadly Swarm

Score: 3.1

Luminarias

Score: 3.0

Land of Milk & Honey

Score: 3.0

The Three Kings

Score: 2.8

The Margarita Man

Score: 2.3

Three Years Gone

Score: 0.0

Say a Little Prayer

Score: 0.0

The Last Angry Man

Score: 0.0

White Water Rebels

Score: 0.0

Monday Nights at Seven

Score: 0.0

Flavor of Life

Score: 0.0

Under Water: Dive Deep

Score: 0.0

300 Miles for Stephanie

Score: 0.0

Superpowerless

Score: 0.0

In the Flesh

Score: 0.0

Seguin

Score: 0.0

The Desperate Miles

Score: 0.0

Played in tv shows:

Criminal Minds

Score: 8.3

Justice League

Score: 8.2

Quantum Leap

Score: 8.0

Kung Fu

Score: 7.7

The Zeta Project

Score: 7.6

Hill Street Blues

Score: 7.6

Sliders

Score: 7.6

The Rockford Files

Score: 7.6

The Paper Chase

Score: 7.6

Knight Rider

Score: 7.5

The A-Team

Score: 7.5

Miami Vice

Score: 7.5

Miami Vice

Score: 7.5

Barney Miller

Score: 7.4

Lou Grant

Score: 7.3

Hunter

Score: 7.2

The Greatest American Hero

Score: 7.2

Diagnosis: Murder

Score: 7.1

Kojak

Score: 7.0

Kojak

Score: 7.0

Cagney & Lacey

Score: 7.0

Adam-12

Score: 6.9

Police Story

Score: 6.9

CHiPs

Score: 6.8

A Year in the Life

Score: 6.8

The Rookies

Score: 6.8

The PJs

Score: 6.8

Mannix

Score: 6.7

Simon & Simon

Score: 6.7

Cannon

Score: 6.5

Baretta

Score: 6.4

T. J. Hooker

Score: 6.4

Dimension 404

Score: 6.4

With Love

Score: 6.4

Kingpin

Score: 6.3

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

Score: 6.3

Bronk

Score: 6.2

Jesse

Score: 6.1

Dudley

Score: 6.0

DEA

Score: 6.0

Hell Town

Score: 5.0

The Fortunate Pilgrim

Score: 5.0

Rafferty

Score: 5.0

McNaughton's Daughter

Score: 4.5

Second Chances

Score: 4.3

Hotel Malibu

Score: 4.0