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Michael Peña

Michael Peña (/ˈpnjə/; Spanish: [ˈpeɲa]; born January 13, 1976)[1] is an American actor. He has starred in many films, including Crash (2004), World Trade Center (2006), Shooter (2007), Observe and Report (2009), Tower Heist (2011), Battle: Los Angeles (2011), End of Watch (2012), and Gangster Squad (2013). He has also acted in films such as American Hustle (2013), The Martian (2015), Ant-Man (2015) and its sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Extinction (2018). Peña had the title role in Cesar Chavez (2014), played DEA agent Kiki Camarena in season one of the Netflix series Narcos: Mexico (2018), and CIA agent Domingo Chavez in season 4 of the Prime Video series Jack Ryan (2023).

Michael Peña

(1976-01-13) January 13, 1976

Actor

1994–present

Brie Shaffer
(m. 2006)

1

He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in End of Watch.

Early life[edit]

Peña was born on January 13, 1976, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Nicolasa, a social worker, and Eleuterio Peña, a factory worker.[2][3] Peña's parents were originally farmers, and emigrated from Mexico; his father was from Villa Purificación, Jalisco, and his mother was from Charcas, San Luis Potosí.[4][5][6] He grew up in the North Lawndale area and attended Marist High School, and graduated from Hubbard High School where he participated and was a state qualifier in wrestling and track.[7] He attended St. Nicholas of Tolentine Elementary.

Career[edit]

Film[edit]

Though Peña has been a regular in independent productions since 1994, his breakthrough performances came in two Best Picture Oscar-winning Paul Haggis-penned films, Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Crash (2004). The former was directed by Clint Eastwood, and the latter was directed by Haggis. Though both films are critically acclaimed, Peña received attention for his particularly emotional performance in Crash. The following year, he appeared on the Golden Globe-winning series The Shield. He starred in Oliver Stone's film based on the September 11, 2001 attacks, World Trade Center. He also had a small role in Alejandro González Iñárritu's film Babel. This gives him the rare distinction of having appeared in three consecutive films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

Personal life[edit]

Peña has been a member of Scientology since 2000.[16]


In 2006, he married Brie Shaffer. They have one son, named Roman, born in 2008.[17]

at IMDb

Michael Peña

Q&A Sessions: Michael Peña

Lions for Lambs interview