Acting
Nov 7, 1954
Mexico
Sal Lopez
Acting
Biography
Sal Lopez (also Sal López) is a Mexican-American actor and producer, born on November 8, 1954, in Mexico. He grew up in a bilingual home in South Central Los Angeles, the second of eight boys born to immigrant parents. He is a founding member of The Latino Theater Company, where he has co-created theater for over 38 years, and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is married to Urbanie Lucero and has two children, residing in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Lopez started his career after landing a key role in the hit play Zoot Suit (1982), which led to an open call by Stanley Kubrick for Full Metal Jacket (1987), in which he played T.H.E. Rock. Other notable film credits include American Me (1992, as Edward James Olmos's father), Selena (1997), Silver City (2004, directed by John Sayles), The Astronaut Farmer (2007, with Billy Bob Thornton), Logan (2017), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and F1 (2025). His television credits span Nip/Tuck, CSI, ER, NYPD Blue, Melrose Place, The Shield, Westworld, and Queen of the South. On stage, Lopez has performed in numerous productions with The Latino Theater Company, including one-man shows like This Is A Man's World, Premeditation, and August 29th, and the lead in La Virgen Dios Inantzin, performed annually at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. He has received an ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance and a DramaLogue Award, and produced and starred in the independent film Luminarias (1999).
Feature Films (70)
A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.
Full Metal Jacket
Welcome to Luminarias-where hot spicy dish gets served up with a Latin twist by four successful friends from East LA...with very discriminating taste in men! When separated divorce attorney Andrea finds herself guilty of falling for her white and Jewish opposing council, her three single friends choose sides in the ongoing and often hilarious debate over race and sex. As they discover just how much negative stereotypes color their relationships with men-and even with each other-it becomes clear that the search for Mr. Right is not exactly black and white! Written by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
Luminarias
Part fact and part fiction, Zoot Suit is the film version of Luis Valdez's critically acclaimed play, based on the actual Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the zoot suit riots of 1940s Los Angeles. Henry Reyna is the leader of a group of Mexican-Americans being sent to San Quentin without substantial evidence for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon. As part of the defense committee, Alice Bloomfield and George Shearer fight the blatant miscarriage of justice for the freedom of Henry and his friends.
Zoot Suit
Al Mackey and Marty are homicide cops in Hollywood and hot on the trail of the murderer of a movie mogul that was moonlighting by making child porno pictures. Willie is one of several suspects with motive, opportunity and the evil means to carry out this act. A medal should be in order instead of being arrested
The Glitter Dome
Ellissia adopts a white stallion to train in the art of Mexican horse dancing. As she starts teaching the handsome but previously abused Centurion, Ellissia falls critically ill, which keeps her from competing in a celebrated equestrian event. Under the watchful eyes of her father, new ranch hand Danny steps in as trainer, hoping to win the competition — and, perhaps, Ellissia's heart.
Centurion: The Dancing Stallion
Television & Series (40)
Dolly is a television variety show that ran on ABC during the 1987-1988 season featuring Dolly Parton.
Dolly
Lighthearted look at the adventures of two Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles. The main characters are Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello, two motorcycle officers always on the street to save lives.
CHiPs
The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.
The Shield
Sergeant Thomas Jefferson Hooker is a tough-as-nails veteran police officer with the LCPD who turns his back on a gold badge and goes back to patrolling the streets and training recruits. Along with his young partners in blue, Hooker take on Lake City's toughest criminals.
T. J. Hooker
The show follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI franchise, except that the Miami CSIs are cops first, scientists second.
