Pepe Serna

Pepe Serna

Birth : 1944-07-23, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

History

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."

Profile

Pepe Serna

Movies

Flamin' Hot
Abuelito
The inspiring true story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.
Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone
Rancher
In a Texas border town, car salesman Charlie moonlights as a masked Lucha libre wrestler going by the name “Green Ghost.” When unknown assailants arrive seeking an otherworldly emerald, Charlie discovers that he has super powers. As he learns to fight from the unconventional Master Gin, Charlie is told that he’s part of a secret warrior “triad of light” with his childhood friend Marco and Marco’s sister Karina led by La Nana. Together, they’ve been chosen to protect humanity from Drake, the embodiment of the Mayan apocalypse.
The Planters
Jesús
Awkward telemarketer Martha Plant is down and out — sucking at her job and grieving her recently deceased parents. When she finds unlikely friendship in Sadie Mayflower, a bubbly vagrant with multiple personalities, Martha discovers having three friends in one may be more than she bargained for.
The Margarita Man
Jose Martinez
A young latino man, who fears he will grow up to be like his working class father, goes to college where his love for the party gets him cut off financially and forces him to sell margaritas in order to stay in school.
From the Dead
Associate Producer
After Janie accidentally murders her husband during disputed infidelity over a stripper, her husband's brother introduces her to an Aztec spell that resurrects him from the dead; Unfortunately, he returns to take revenge.
From the Dead
Rodrigo
After Janie accidentally murders her husband during disputed infidelity over a stripper, her husband's brother introduces her to an Aztec spell that resurrects him from the dead; Unfortunately, he returns to take revenge.
Flavor of Life
A weary Latino chef and his estranged grandson must reconcile in order to save their beloved Mexican restaurant.
Downsizing
Señor Cárdenas
A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.
Monday Nights at Seven
Paul
Monday Nights At Seven is a love story about a single father, Lazo Saroby, who is struggling unsuccessfully to let go of his past. Then he meets Isabel, a young woman who is also facing the consequences of her own life choices. As feelings for Isabel expose the lie Lazo is living, he is forced to get real with himself, as painful as it might be. Facing the truth is Lazo's ultimate battle, but it's the only way he stands a chance of ever being free.
Under Water: Dive Deep
Lil' Big Me
Did you ever loose someone you love the most? Under Water: A surreal drama that chronicles Sii's journey to accept her son's untimely death at sea.
Restored Me
Manny
A troubled ex-con joins the colorful crew of an old movie theater and begins to rebuild his life, only to find his faith in God tested when he learns the theater he has grown to love is not what it seems.
Superpowerless
Dr. George Holst
A superhero loses his powers shortly after turning forty and must adjust to his new life.
Kill or Be Killed
Associate Producer
In the autumn of 1900, outlaw Claude Barbee puts his 'retirement plan' in action, attempting to lead his train-robbing gang across Texas to recover a cash stash hidden after a botched railroad heist.
Kill or Be Killed
Rudy Goebel
In the autumn of 1900, outlaw Claude Barbee puts his 'retirement plan' in action, attempting to lead his train-robbing gang across Texas to recover a cash stash hidden after a botched railroad heist.
Road to Juarez
Fortunato
An American ex-con with Mexican underworld ties ensnares a pair of young misfits into a dangerous heist in Mexico. Inspired by true events.
Man from Reno
Paul Del Moral
A mystery outside of San Francisco brings together small-town sheriff, Paul Del Moral, Japanese author, Aki Akahori and a traveler from Reno who soon disappears, leaving behind his suitcase and a trail of questions.
Cake
Nuncio
After having visions of a member of her support group who killed herself, a woman who also suffers with chronic pain seeks out the widower of the suicide.
The Black Dahlia
Tomas Dos Santos
In 1940s Los Angeles, two former boxers-turned-cops must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer of an aspiring young actress.
Big Dreams Little Tokyo
Mr. Gonzalez
Big Dreams Little Tokyo is the story of Boyd, an American with an uncanny ability to speak Japanese. Boyd aspires to succeed in the world of Japanese business but finds himself mostly on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, his roommate Jerome, is a Japanese American who has always felt too American to be Japanese but too Japanese to be American. He aspires to be a sumo wrestler but finds his weight and blood pressure are thwarting his dreams. Together they struggle to find their place in a world where cultural identity is seldom what it seems.
Latin Dragon
Hector Sanchez
In the grand tradition of the lone hero who mysteriously appears in a town desperate for help (think "Shane, "Billy Jack", "James Bond" and "Chinese Connection"), having survived a war and now serving the government as an undercover agent, Danny Silva takes on his biggest foe yet: the street gangs that have taken over his neighborhood. Unwilling to play by the rules set down by the criminals, Silva forgoes the use of guns and decides to battle the thugs with the strength of his fists, spirit and willpower, turning himself into a real-life, modern-day superhero. Packed with pulse pounding, adrenaline-filled action; "Latin Dragon" gives us our first mainstream Latino martial arts action hero.
Deadly Swarm
Commandante Alvarez
Seeking out a cure for his wife's serious illness, scientist Dr. Schroeder (McCormack) heads deep into a forbidden jungle in Guatemala, trapping thousands of killer wasps. Working with secret military backing, it is Schroeder's contention that the venom from the wasp's stingers can be of great medicinal benefit. But when they try to illegally smuggle the wasps into the US, the truck they are on crashes and the wasps are set free to wreak havoc, making a direct path to a small unsuspecting town. It is up to an American entomologist Daniel Lang and a nosey writer Sandra Kern to stop these deadly wasps - as they lay eggs in their victims to hatch thousands more wasps - before it's too late.
Along for the Ride
Dr. Sanchez
Two estranged brothers are forced to take a surreal and heartfelt journey to understanding, when they pick up the body of their deceased father in Mexico. A father they haven't seen in over 20 years.
Daybreak
Herman Ortiz
Dillan Johansen is a disorganized transit authority supervisor suffering from a serious personal tragedy. Dillan's bravery is put to the test the day a major earthquake hits Los Angeles and traps Dillan in an underground tunnel with a handful of subway riders. Dillan works underground to save the panicked citizens from raging fire, rushing water, and a secret cache of toxic chemicals.
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
Bum
A teenager who dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer has a romance with a boy from the wrong side of town.
The Brave
Alessandro
A down-on-his-luck American Indian recently released from jail is offered the chance to "star" as the victim of a snuff film, the resulting pay of which could greatly help his poverty stricken family.
A Million to Juan
Mr. Ortiz
Romantic comedy about an honest Mexican immigrant who struggles without a green card by selling oranges on a street corner. One day a limousine pulls up and he is handed a check for $1,000,000 with instructions that he is to give the check back in 30 days. Initially he uses the check to convince people to extend credit to him. In the meantime he also attracts a woman who is in a dead end relationship with a bossy businessman. At the end of the 30 days, he finds his life in turmoil, the things he got on credit are repossessed, and he is being evicted from his dwelling and being sent back to Mexico.
Jonny's Golden Quest
Agent Menendez
In the first feature-length animated movie based on the Hanna-Barbera series, Jonny Quest fans get to meet the women behind the adventurous men. Joining scientist Benton Quest, his plucky son Jonny, bodyguard Race Bannon and Jonny's young pal Hadji are Benton's biologist wife Rachel, Race's ex-wife Jade and young 12-year-old Jessie, who harbors a big secret. Throughout, Team Quest battles the evil schemes of modern-day alchemist Dr. Zin, who has cloned himself and created an army of mutant reptiles in the Peruvian rain forest. The clash there results in a tragedy that changes Jonny's life forever - and later leads to a worldwide pursuit of Zin that includes examining rare Leonardo da Vinci documents in Paris, exploring the Roman catacombs and a final confrontation in the Australian outback.
American Me
Mundo
During his 18 years in Folsom Prison, street-gang leader Santana rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits.
Only You
Dock Official
Dumped by his fiancée, Clifford Godfrey goes on vacation anyway where he ends up torn between a sober party girl and his travel agent.
Postcards from the Edge
Raoul
Substance-addicted Hollywood actress, Suzanne Vale is on the skids. After a spell at a detox centre her film company insists as a condition of continuing to employ her that she live with her mother, herself once a star and now a champion drinker. Such a set-up is bad news for Suzanne who has struggled for years to get out of her mother's shadow, and who still treats her like a child. Despite these and other problems, Suzanne begins to see the funny side of her situation, and also realises that not only do daughters have mothers—mothers do too.
Bad Jim
Virgilio Segura
A cowpoke buys Billy the Kid's horse and, upon riding it, becomes an incorrigible outlaw himself.
The Forgotten
Sgt. Pepe Gutierrez
Based on a story by Vietnam veteran Paul Staples, the film concerns six American Green Berets, held for 17 years in a Vietnamese POW camp. They are finally released in secret, during a delicate trade-talk session between Vietnam and the United States. Captain Tom Watkins, the ex-prisoners' CO, begins to suspect that government-man Adam Roth, who is in charge of the debriefing, may be pursuing a hidden agenda that will result in the early deaths of Watkins and the five men under his command.
Break of Dawn
Hector
The true story of the first Spanish-language radio announcer and political activist, Pedro J Gonzalez
Human Error
Jack Farley and his family are asked to attend an experiment about social behavior for a planned space station. Therefore they move into an underground dome for three months. But then it turns out that a secret military department replaced the NASA scientists and conducts an experiment on its own...
The Three Kings
Alex Sweetwood
The made-for-TV film stars Jack Warden, Lou Diamond Phillips and Stan Shaw as three patients in a Los Angeles-area mental institution. Dressed as the Three Wise Men for a Christmas pageant, the trio is suddenly struck with the delusion that they are really their Biblical counterparts on a quest to find the Baby Jesus. As TV cameras grind away, the three ersatz Kings surreptitiously ride out of the gates of the asylum—on camels—and into the mean streets of LA. As the story draws to its conclusion, the three escapees find themselves providing a Christmas miracle (but not in the form of rap) for a group of homeless people on the outskirts of the city.
Out of Bounds
Murano
Farm boy Daryl Cage's parents ship him off to the big city to live with his brother, hoping he will have a better life there. After a baggage mixup at the airport, Daryl finds himself in possession of a drug cache, which a ruthless drug dealer wants back. The dealer murders Daryl's brother and the small town boy ends up all alone in the big city, being pursued by both the drug dealer and the police, who suspect him of the murder.
Streets of Justice
Det. Almos
After bikers kill the wife and son of an auto worker (John Laughlin) and then get off with a light sentence in the court system, he decides to seek his revenge as a clandestine vigilante.
Fandango
Gas Station Mechanic
Five college buddies from the University of Texas circa 1971 embark on a final road trip odyssey across the Mexican border before facing up to uncertain futures, in Vietnam and otherwise.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Reno Nevada
Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.
Red Dawn
Mr. Mondragón
It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town—and their country—from invading Soviet forces.
Best Kept Secrets
Jim Ramos
Blaise Dietz (Patty Duke Astin) plays the wife of police officer Blaise Dietz (Frederic Forrest), who wants to join a special investigative unit. Forrest is denied this position on the basis of information concerning his wife. The information, which reveals a dicey extramarital affair, was culled from a department surveillance file that was supposed to have been destroyed by court order. Blaise battles through legal channels to expose the police force's illegal actions, even as she and her husband suffer the innuendoes and cold shoulders from his fellow officers.
Scarface
Angel
After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
Romaldo Cortez
Forced to run from the Texas Rangers after a heated misunderstanding leads to the death of a lawman, Mexican American farmer Gregorio Cortez sets off in desperate flight, evading a massive manhunt on horseback for days.
White Water Rebels
Harry Cutter
James Brolin plays a renegade canoeist who illegally runs a river to protest its exploitation by a greedy corporation.
Vice Squad
Pete Mendez
An unlikely Hollywood hooker helps a detective set a trap for a mutilator pimp.
Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission
Vito
Robert Blake's second (of three) "Joe Dancer" movies has the hard-boiled private investigator teaming up with a chimp named Gregor, his trainer (who also happens to be an expert thief), and an electronics genius of questionable repute to steal back a priceless vase looted from a family collection during World War II.
300 Miles for Stephanie
Bobby Hernandez
A San Antonio cop, as an act of faith, vows to run more than 300 miles in five days, hoping his critically ill five-year-old daughter will survive to greet him at the finish.
Inside Moves
Herrada
After a failed suicide attempt leaves him partially crippled, Rory begins spending a lot of time at a neighborhood bar full of interesting misfits. When Jerry the bartender suddenly finds himself playing basketball for the Golden State Warriors, Rory and the rest of the bar regulars hope his success will provide a lift to their sagging spirits. Will Jerry forget his friends? What about his junkie hooker girlfriend and her pimp?
Honeysuckle Rose
Rooster
Buck Bonham is a country singer on the road caught in a romantic triangle with Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving, the daughter of one of his longtime musical sidekick.
City in Fear
Raymond Zavala
A psycho-on-the-loose story, about a burned-out newspaper columnist and his circulation-hungry publisher who wants him to turn the killer into Page One news.
The Jerk
Punk #1
After discovering he's not really black like the rest of his family, likable dimwit Navin Johnson runs off on a hilarious misadventure in this comedy classic that takes him from rags to riches and back to rags again. The slaphappy jerk strikes it rich, but life in the fast lane isn't all it's cracked up to be and, in the end, all that really matters to Johnson is his true love.
The Streets of L.A.
Sgt. Castro
A woman embarks on a lone pursuit of three teenaged hoods in the Los Angeles barrio after becoming incensed at their malicious tire-slashing on parked cars including hers.
Walk Proud
Cesar
A young Chicano gang member in Los Angeles comes to realize that the gang life is not what he really wants but doesn't know how to get out.
A Force of One
Orlando
Karate champion Matt Logan is enlisted by the police to train officers in self-defense after narcotics agents are killed by an assailant using the martial arts.
Roots of Blood
Juan
Drama - Hailed as the first film to portray the Chicano experience -- and the first Chicano film to be financed by the Mexican government -- Raíces de Sangre tells the story of immigrant workers exploited on both sides of the border. Facing unsafe conditions, a group of young Chicano workers tries to organize for better conditions but are thwarted by their own co-workers who've accepted bribes from the Americans in turn for stymieing the effort. - Richard Yniguez, León Singer, Enrique Muñoz
Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo
Migrant Worker (uncredited)
An airplane carring coffee beans from South America has some unpleasant stowaways: a hoard of tarantulas which overcome the pilots as the airplane is flying over an orange-producing town in California. The airplane crashes, and the unlucky inhabitants of the town release the poisonous spiders into their midst. Once the town's officials discover that the tarantulas are responsible for several deaths, the tarantulas have already descended upon the town's only orange-processing factory. The town's citizens risk their lives to remove the tarantulas from the factory while the poisonous pests are rendered motionless by the transmitted sound of buzzing bees
Car Wash
Chuco
This day-in-the-life cult comedy focuses on a group of friends working at Sully Boyar's Car Wash in the Los Angeles ghetto. The team meets dozens of eccentric customers -- including a smooth-talking preacher, a wacky cab driver and an ex-convict -- while cracking politically incorrect jokes to a constant soundtrack of disco and funk. Some of the workers find romance as the day moves along, but most are just happy to get through another shift.
The Killer Inside Me
Johnny Lopez
Haunted by visions from his abusive childhood, Montana deputy sheriff Lou Ford gradually exhibits the signs of a homicidal schizophrenic.
Swashbuckler
Street Entertainer
A pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.
The Deadly Tower
Mano
The real-life story of Charles Whitman's deadly shooting spree at the University of Texas is retold. In August 1966, after killing his wife and mother, Whitman climbed to the top of the school's tower and opened fire on passers-by, killing 13 and wounding many others.
The Day of the Locust
Miguel
Hollywood, 1930s. Tod Hackett, a young painter who tries to make his way as an art director in the lurid world of film industry, gets infatuated with his neighbor Faye Greener, an aspiring actress who prefers the life that Homer Simpson, a lone accountant, can offer her.
The Desperate Miles
Ruiz
A disabled Vietnam vet sets out to prove that disabled people don't have to be helpless by starting a 180-mile trip in a wheelchair. On the way he finds his life is endangered by a deranged truck driver.
The Gun
Natcho
The odyssey of an American handgun and the dramatic way it reshapes the lives of its various owners.
The Last Angry Man
Charlie Parelli
In the midst of the Depression, a crotchety doctor, whose practice is in the Brooklyn slums, takes an interest in a local teenager, whose hostility and erratic behavior the doctor believes is due to more than just his environment.
Miracle on 34th Street
Y Leader
A department store Santa tries to convince a little girl who doesn't believe in Santa Claus that he is Santa Claus, and winds up going on trial to prove who he is.
Group Marriage
Ramon
Chris is not getting along with boyfriend Sandor and has an affair with parole officer Dennis. Dennis invites the couple to dinner with his ex-girlfriend Jan. At a picnic on the beach, Jan meets lifeguard Phil, who later sleeps with Chris and moves in with the other five. Phil brings in a person, lawyer Elaine. The "group marriage" of the six of them attracts media attention, which brings trouble and prejudice.
The New Centurions
Young Mexican Man
An idealistic rookie cop joins the LAPD to make ends meet while finishing law school, and is indoctrinated by a seasoned veteran. As time goes on, he loses his ambitions and family as police work becomes his entire life.
Shoot Out
Pepe
Clay Lomax, a bank robber, gets out of jail after an 7 year sentence. He is looking after Sam Foley, the man who betrayed him. Knowing that, Foley hires three men to pay attention of Clay's steps. The things get complicated when Lomax, waiting to receive some money from his ex-lover, gets only the notice of her death and an 7 year old girl, sometimes very annoying, presumed to be his daughter.
The Student Nurses
Luis
Follows the lives of a group of young nurses in Los Angeles, including a nurse who joins a band of revolutionaries, and one who finds herself succumbing to drugs.