Jacob Vargas

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

89

Gender

Male

Birthday

1971-08-18 (52 years old)

Place of Birth

Michoacan, Mexico

Jacob Vargas

Biography

Jacob Vargas (born August 18, 1971) is a Mexican-American actor. He began his acting career when he was discovered breakdancing in a schoolyard at age 12. His introduction to acting came with a bit part as a breakdancer on the hit TV show Diff'rent Strokes (1978).

His first movie role was in the TV movie The Children of Times Square (1986). He started to appear in more films including Last Resort (1986), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), The Principal (1987), Little Nikita (1988), American Me (1992), and Gas Food Lodging (1992). In 1995, he won the very first ALMA Award (for Emerging Artist of the Year) for his work in both Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca (1993) and Gregory Nava's My Family (1995).

He next starred in films including Crimson Tide (1995), Get Shorty (1995), Selena (1997), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), and the cult favorite Next Friday (2000) as Ice Cube's nemesis, Joker.

His next role was Tijuana cop Manolo, 'Benicio del Toro"s partner in Steven Soderbergh's Academy Award- winning film Traffic (2000), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award and another ALMA Award.

In 2001, he executive produced and starred in the independent film Road Dogz (2002). He wrote, directed and acted in EDNY (2003). He also co-produced and starred in the stage play "Latinologues", which ran on Broadway in 2005 and is available on DVD.

He voiced for Pepito in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). Next, he played Sammi the chef in John Moore's Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Marine sniper Juan Cortez in Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes' war drama Jarhead (2005), a straight-arrow DEA agent in the action drama The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2006), a politically charged busboy Miguel in Emilio Estevez's historical drama Bobby (2006), and a psychologically tortured drone pilot Rudy Ramirez in Alex Rivera's sci-fi political love story Sleep Dealer (2008).

He had roles in The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007), Are We Done Yet? (2007), Death Race (2008), Cesar Chavez (2014, Heaven is For Real (2014), The Tell-Tale Heart (2016), Plan B, (2021), and Kimi (2022).

His major TV roles are as Bob on Surfside Girls, Tony Medina on Mr. Iglesias, Horacio on Mosaic, Domingo Colon on Marvel's Luke Cage, Allesandro Montez on Sons of Anarchy and later on Mayans M.C., Guillermo on Moonlight, Ernesto Tiant on Greetings from Tucson, and Dr. Roberto Martinez on Max Steel. He had recurring roles on Colony, Blue, and Six Feet Under.

He has also guest starred on a number of shows including National Treasure: Edge of History, The Mentalist, Burn Notice, Psych, Numb3rs, Medium, CSI: NY, Cold Case, The Pretender, JAG, ER, Full House, and Hunter.

He has voiced for characters on animated series including Solar Opposites, Young Justice, and a recurring role on Tarantula.

Known For

Death Race
6.3%

Death Race

Aug 22, 2008

The Mentalist
8.4%

The Mentalist

Sep 23, 2008

Jarhead
6.6%

Jarhead

Nov 4, 2005

Devil
6.1%

Devil

Sep 16, 2010

Sons of Anarchy
8.4%

Sons of Anarchy

Sep 3, 2008

Traffic
7.0%

Traffic

Dec 27, 2000

Marvel's Luke Cage
6.9%

Marvel's Luke Cage

Sep 30, 2016

Crimson Tide
7.2%

Crimson Tide

May 12, 1995

Dr. Dolittle 2
5.3%

Dr. Dolittle 2

Jun 22, 2001

The Hills Have Eyes 2
5.5%

The Hills Have Eyes 2

Mar 22, 2007

Selena
7.7%

Selena

Mar 21, 1997

Young Justice
8.4%

Young Justice

Nov 26, 2010

    • View by:
    • Media type:
    • Department:

Acting

2023
Satanic Hispanics as El Jefe
2022
National Treasure: Edge of History as Rafael
2022
Surfside Girls as Bob
2022
Kimi as Glasses Thug
2021
Plan B as Pastor Pedro
2021
Billy D and the Hall of Feathered Serpents featuring Money Shot by Puscifer as Bartesian
2020
Princess of the Row as Donald
2020
GAME ON: A Comedy Crossover Event as Tony Ochoa
2019
Mr. Iglesias as Tony Medina
2019
The Public
2019
Peel as Chuck
2018
Mayans M.C. as Allesandro Montez
2018
Mosaic as Horacio
2017
Beyond Skyline as Garcia
2017
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams as Mario
2016
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life as Animation Voice (voice)
2016
Marvel's Luke Cage as Domingo Colon
2016
Crossing Point as Jesus
2016
The Tell-Tale Heart as Adams
2016
Colony as Carlos
2015
The 33 as Edison 'Elvis' Peña
2015
Complications as Ramon
2014
Journey of a Female Comic
2014
Heaven Is for Real as Michael
2014
Cesar Chavez as Richard Chavez
2014
Red Sky as Jorge 'P-Dawg' Vasquez
2013
Go for Sisters as Navajas
2012
Blue as Roy
2010
Young Justice as Sebastian Cardona / Cisco Ramon (voice)
2010
Devil as Ramirez
2010
The Odds as Sergio Vargas
2008
Sleep Dealer as Rudy Ramirez
2008
The Mentalist as Chief Rick Anaya
2008
Sons of Anarchy as Allesandro Montez
2008
Death Race as Gunner
2008
Love Lies Bleeding as Detective Billy Jones
2007
Moonlight as Guillermo
2007
Burn Notice as Omar Hernandez
2007
Are We Done Yet? as Mike the Plumber
2007
The Hills Have Eyes 2 as Crank
2006
Bobby as Miguel
2006
National Lampoon's TV: The Movie as Tijuana Cop 2 / Announcer / Charlotte
2006
Psych as Juan Lava
2005
Jarhead as Juan Cortez
2005
The Wendell Baker Story as Reyes Morales
2005
Numb3rs
2005
Medium as Eduardo Garcia
2004
Flight of the Phoenix as Sammi
2004
CSI: NY as Luis Torres
2004
Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother as Vincent Enano
2003
Cold Case as Angelo Rivera (2009)
2003
Kingpin
2003
EDNY
2002
Greetings From Tucson as Ernesto Tiant
2002
Road Dogz as Danny Pacheco
2002
Dragonfly as Victor
2002
Truth Be Told as Gonzalez
2001
The Proud Family as Punch Alto (voice)
2001
Dr. Dolittle 2 as Pepito (voice)
2001
Six Feet Under as Manuel 'Paco' Bolin
2000
Traffic as Manolo Sanchez
2000
Max Steel as Dr. Roberto Martinez (voice)
2000
Next Friday as Joker
1998
The Hi-Lo Country as Delfino Mondragon
1997
Santa Fe as Jesus
1997
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion as Ramon
1997
Selena as A. B. Quintanilla
1996
Clueless
1996
The Pretender as Javi Padillo
1996
Malibu Shores
1995
Get Shorty as Yayo Portillo
1995
JAG as Corporal Cortez
1995
Crimson Tide as Sonarman #2
1995
My Family as Young Jose
1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child as Prince Luis (voice)
1994
ER as Diablo
1994
Mi Vida Loca as Ernesto
1993
Airborne as Snake
1992
Gas Food Lodging as Javier
1992
American Me as Paulito - Age 15
1991
Seeds of Tragedy as Cholo #2
1990
The Great Los Angeles Earthquake as Miguel
1988
Little Nikita as Miguel
1987
Full House
1987
The Principal as Arturo Diego
1987
Ernest Goes to Camp as Bubba Vargas
1986
Last Resort as Carlos
1986
Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story as Enrique Mendoza
1984
Hunter as Emilio Morales

Directing

2003
EDNY as Director

Production

2006
National Lampoon's TV: The Movie as Co-Producer
2002
Road Dogz as Executive Producer

Writing

2003
EDNY as Writer
Movies
TV Shows
People
Search