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Lou Diamond Phillips

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Lou Diamond Phillips
NameLou Diamond Phillips
CaptionPhillips in 2013
Birth nameLou Diamond Upchurch
Birth date17 February 1962
Birth placeSubic Bay Naval Base, Philippines
OccupationActor, director
Years active1984–present
SpouseJulie Cypher, (1987–1990), Kelly Phillips, (1994–2007), Yvonne Boismier Phillips, (2007–present)

Lou Diamond Phillips is an American actor and director of Filipino, Hawaiian, Spanish, Scottish, and Cherokee descent, best known for his breakthrough role as Ritchie Valens in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. His career spans film, television, and theater, earning him critical acclaim including a Tony Award nomination. Phillips has become a recognizable character actor in projects ranging from independent films to major network television series.

Early life and education

Born at the Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines, he is the son of a United States Navy sailor and a mother from the Philippines. After his parents' divorce, he moved to Texas and was raised in the Corpus Christi area by his mother and stepfather, for whom he later took the surname Phillips. He attended Flour Bluff High School before pursuing higher education at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he studied drama and graduated with a degree in Drama.

Career

His early career included roles in regional theater and a small part in the film Interface. His portrayal of rock and roll pioneer Ritchie Valens in Taylor Hackford's La Bamba launched him to stardom. He followed this with a starring role as José Chavez y Chavez in the acclaimed western Young Guns and its sequel Young Guns II. Other notable film roles from this period include Stand and Deliver, for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and The Dark Wind. He transitioned successfully to television, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in the CBS series Wolf Lake and later starring in the TNT drama The Nightmare Years. He has had recurring roles on series such as Numb3rs, Longmire, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and starred in the Hallmark Channel mystery series The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries. He made his directorial debut with the film Dangerous Touch and has directed episodes of television series including The Shield and Fear the Walking Dead.

Personal life

He has been married three times: first to filmmaker Julie Cypher, then to model Kelly Phillips, with whom he has three daughters, and since 2007 to Yvonne Boismier Phillips, with whom he has a son. An avid practitioner of Jeet Kune Do, he has trained under renowned instructors. He is also a supporter of various charitable organizations, including those focused on Native American causes and veterans' groups like the USO.

Filmography

A selected list of his film work includes La Bamba (1987), Stand and Deliver (1988), Young Guns (1988), Disorganized Crime (1989), The First Power (1990), Young Guns II (1990), A Show of Force (1990), Ambition (1991), The Dark Wind (1991), Shadow of the Wolf (1992), Dangerous Touch (1993, also director), Sioux City (1994), The Big Hit (1998), Brokedown Palace (1999), Supernova (2000), and Che (2008).

Stage work

His theater career is distinguished, particularly for his performance as the King of Siam in the 1996 Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He reprised the role in national tours and in London's West End. Other stage credits include productions at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C..

Awards and nominations

His accolades include a Tony Award nomination for The King and I, an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Stand and Deliver, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Wolf Lake. He has also won an ALMA Award and received recognition from the National Board of Review and the Imagen Awards for his contributions to the portrayal of Latino characters in media.

Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American stage actors Category:American male film actors Category:Tony Award nominees