MICHAEL PENA
Date of Birth: January 13, 1976
Born and raised in Chicago, Michael Peña began his acting career in the low budget film
Running Free (1994), which never made it to theaters. His first big break came when he beat out hundreds of others in an open call for a role in
Peter Bogdanovich's TV movie
To Sir, with Love II (1996), starring
Sidney Poitier.
Although he hasn't acquired household name status (yet), Michael has worked steadily ever since, amassing an impressive number of television and movie credits.
On television, he's made guest appearances on shows such as Touched by an Angel, The Sentinel, 7th Heaven, Felicity, Roswell, ER, NYPD Blue and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and played a regular role as Detective Armando Renta on The Shield.
His films include Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) starring Nicolas Cage, Buffalo Soldiers (2001) with Joaquin Phoenix, The United States of Leland (2003) with Ryan Gosling, Million Dollar Baby (2004) directed by Clint Eastwood, Babel (2006) with Brad Pitt and The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) starring Matthew McConaughey.
For his work in the Oscar-winning film Crash (2004), Michael won a Best Actor Award at the 2006 ALMA Awards. In Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, he garnered a starring role as Will Jimeno, one of two Port Authority police officers who were trapped under the rubble at Ground Zero in New York City on 9/11.
Michael makes his home in Los Angeles with his wife, Brie, and their young son.