Pepe Serna
Acting
Born: July 23, 1944 (age 82) · Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Highest Rated
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."
Known for
Scarface
1983
Downsizing
2017
Criminal Minds
2005
Knight Rider
1982
The Black Dahlia
2006
The A-Team
1983
Cake
2014
The Jerk
1979
Red Dawn
1984
Flamin' Hot
2023
Quantum Leap
1989
The Rookie
1990
Photos (1)
Movies (86)
Scarface
Angel
Downsizing
Señor Cárdenas
The Rookie
Lt. Ray Garcia
Flamin' Hot
Abuelito
Red Dawn
Aardvark's Father
The Black Dahlia
Tomas Dos Santos
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Reno Nevada
Cake
Nuncio
Postcards from the Edge
Raoul
American Me
Mundo
The Jerk
Punk #1
Fandango
Gas Station Mechanic
The Brave
Alessandro
Johnny Got His Gun
Jose (uncredited)
Lowriders
Pepe
Picking Up the Pieces
Florencio
Shoot Out
Pepe
Caddyshack II
Carlos
The Day of the Locust
Miguel
Deal of the Century
Vardis
Car Wash
Chuco
Bad Jim
Virgilio Segura
Inside Moves
Herrada
Out of Bounds
Murano
Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo
Migrant Worker (uncredited)
A Force of One
Orlando
Swashbuckler
Street Entertainer
Bread and Roses
Restaurateur
The New Centurions
Young Mexican Man
Conagher
1991
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
Romaldo Cortez
Exposed
Raoul
Vice Squad
Pete Mendez
The Deadly Tower
Mano
Jonny's Golden Quest
Agent Menendez (voice)
The Virgin of Juarez
Eduardo Morales
Man from Reno
Paul Del Moral
The Student Nurses
Luis
Only You
Dock Official
The Planters
Jesús
The Three Kings
Alex Sweetwood
Kill or Be Killed
Rudy Goebel
A Million to Juan
Mr. Ortiz
Luminarias
2000
Miracle on 34th Street
Y Leader
Latin Dragon
Hector Sanchez
Honeysuckle Rose
Rooster
Seguin
Manuel Flores
Superpowerless
Dr. George Holst
The Killer Inside Me
Johnny Lopez
The Last Angry Man
Charlie Parelli
Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone
Rancher
Daybreak
Herman Ortiz
Say a Little Prayer
2024
From the Dead
Rodrigo
Best Kept Secrets
Jim Ramos
City in Fear
Raymond Zavala
Group Marriage
Ramon
Walk Proud
Cesar
The Forgotten
Sgt. Pepe Gutierrez
The Streets of L.A.
Sgt. Castro
Streets of Justice
Det. Almos
Deadly Swarm
Commandante Alvarez
Monday Nights at Seven
Paul
The Margarita Man
Jose Martinez
Ana Maria in Novela Land
Father Miguel
In the Flesh
Harlan Ramirez
The Gun
Natcho
Restored Me
Manny
White on Rice
Professor Berk
Flavor of Life
2019
Under Water: Dive Deep
Lil' Big Me
Roots of Blood
Juan
Joe Dancer II: The Monkey Mission
Vito
Heartbreaker
Loco
Break of Dawn
Hector
The Desperate Miles
Ruiz
White Water Rebels
Harry Cutter
Road to Juarez
Fortunato
The Princess and the Barrio Boy
Bum
300 Miles for Stephanie
Bobby Hernandez
Along for the Ride
Dr. Sanchez
Human Error
1988
Big Dreams Little Tokyo
Mr. Gonzalez
Land of Milk & Honey
Danny
Moe
2023
TV Shows (49)
Criminal Minds
Ruben Garcia · 1 eps
Miami Vice
Oswaldo Guzman · 2 eps
Miami Vice
Zabado · 1 eps
The A-Team
Tómas Jefferson · 1 eps
Diagnosis: Murder
Capt. Collins · 1 eps
Quantum Leap
Manuel Vega · 1 eps
Knight Rider
Lupo · 1 eps
American Playhouse
Manuel Flores · 1 eps
American Playhouse
Romaldo Cortez · 1 eps
American Playhouse
Hector · 1 eps
American Playhouse
Marpo · 1 eps
Hill Street Blues
1 eps
Hill Street Blues
Raymond Cassiano · 1 eps
Simon & Simon
1 eps
The Rockford Files
Ray Ochoa · 1 eps
Mannix
1 eps
Adam-12
Roger · 1 eps
T. J. Hooker
Frank Fierro · 1 eps
Matlock
Walter Padilla · 2 eps
Cagney & Lacey
1 eps
Hunter
Roberto Sanchez · 1 eps
Sliders
Roberto · 1 eps
Cannon
2 eps
Barney Miller
Julio Rodriguez · 1 eps
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1 eps
Lou Grant
1 eps
Baretta
2 eps
Justice League
Shifflet (voice) · 2 eps
Kojak
Enorio Patias · 1 eps
Kojak
Rudy Diaz · 2 eps
Police Story
1 eps
The Rookies
1 eps
The Zeta Project
1 eps
The PJs
Sanchez (voice) · 43 eps
The Greatest American Hero
1 eps
With Love
Luis Delgado · 8 eps
CHiPs
1 eps
Jesse
Pappa Vasquez · 1 eps
The Paper Chase
1 eps
Bronk
1 eps
Dimension 404
Wally Nash · 1 eps
A Year in the Life
Carlos · 1 eps
Kingpin
2 eps
Hell Town
Enrique · 1 eps
The Fortunate Pilgrim
John Colucci · 2 eps
Second Chances
Salvador Lopez · 10 eps
Rafferty
1 eps
Dudley
Santana · 1 eps
Kung Fu
Los Vidrios · 1 eps