# Mel Rodriguez

Melvin Dimas Rodríguez (born June 12, 1973) is an American actor and comedian, best known for starring as Nurse Patsy de la Serda on the HBO comedy Getting On, as Todd Rodriguez on the Fox comedy The Last Man on Earth, and as Ernie Gomes on the Showtime drama On Becoming a God in Central Florida. Other notable works include recurring as Marco Pasternak on AMC's Better Call Saul and co-starring on the short-lived Fox sitcoms Running Wilde and Enlisted. In 2021, Rodriguez appeared in the crime television series CSI: Vegas.

## Life and career

Rodríguez was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in its Little Havana neighborhood. He first pursued a career in boxing, until he was led onto the path of acting by his high school teacher at age 17, first starring in an AIDS awareness play entitled The Inner Circle with Pedro Zamora. He dropped out of high school and managed to receive a scholarship, at the prestigious theatre arts and film conservatory at SUNY Purchase. After his graduation, Rodríguez stayed in New York, managed a cigar shop, and worked primarily in theatre. He did his first role on screen in 1999 in an episode of the legal drama television series Law & Order, which was filming in the state. Rodríguez then moved to Los Angeles, focusing more on his career in the film industry and less on his acting on stage. His first role in a full-length feature film was in the 1999 comedy Wirey Spindell. He achieved his breakthrough by scoring the recurring role of Frank on the ABC comedy series George Lopez in 2002.
Rodríguez is most known for his recurring roles as Sgt. Núñez on Community and SPC Chubowski on the Fox sitcom Enlisted. He portrayed Marco Pasternak, the best friend and partner-in-crime of Jimmy McGill in the first and third seasons of Better Call Saul. He had a brief role as Officer Morales in the 2002 film Panic Room, and was a main cast member on The Last Man on Earth (2015). He also appeared as Officer Martinez in Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
Rodriguez decided to depart CSI: Vegas after its first season as Medical Examiner Hugo Ramirez.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Wirey Spindell | Ernesto | |
| 2002 | Panic Room | Officer Morales | |
| 2002 | Deuces Wild | Big Dom | |
| 2002 | Showtime | Armored Car Driver | Uncredited |
| 2004 | The Terminal | Man in Cast | Uncredited |
| 2004 | Garfield: The Movie | Security Officer | |
| 2005 | The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada | Captain Gómez | |
| 2006 | Shark Bait | Dr. Tang/Manny | Voice role |
| 2006 | Big Top | Harris | |
| 2006 | Unknown | Lone Cop | |
| 2006 | Little Miss Sunshine | Officer Martinez | |
| 2008 | Lakeview Terrace | Julio Pacheco | |
| 2008 | Choke.Kick.Girl | Mel | Short film |
| 2009 | West of Brooklyn | Sal | |
| 2012 | The Watch | Chucho | |
| 2012 | The Producer | | Short film |
| 2013 | Fat | Ken | |
| 2013 | Playing Clean | Mel | Short film |
| 2014 | Suburban Gothic | Hector | |
| 2016 | Brave New Jersey | Sheriff Dandy | |
| 2017 | Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie | Morty Fyde | Voice role; cameo |
| 2018 | Overboard | Bobby | |
| 2020 | The Last Thing He Wanted | Barry Sedlow | |
| 2020 | Onward | Colt Bronco | Voice role |
| 2020 | We Bare Bears: The Movie | Darrell | Voice role |
| 2025 | Sarah's Oil | Mace | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Law & Order | Bill Crawford | Episode: "Disciple" |
| 1999 | Third Watch | T-shirt Man | Episode: "Welcome to Camelot" |
| 1999 | Spin City | | |
| 2002–2007 | George Lopez | Frank | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Malcolm in the Middle | Neil | Episode: "Reese Drives" |
| 2002 | Gilmore Girls | Raul | Episode: "Lorelai's Graduation Day" |
| 2002 | Fidel | Calixto Morales | Television film |
| 2002 | Andy Richter Controls the Universe | Mel | Episode: "Relationship Ripcord" |
| 2004 | CSI: NY | Al McGrath | Episode: "A Man a Mile" |
| 2004 | In the Game | Jason | Show cancelled after pilot |
| 2004 | Beverly Hills S.U.V. | | Show cancelled after pilot |
| 2004 | NYPD Blue | Norman Reese | Episode: "Chatty Chatty Bang Bang" |
| 2004 | The Bernie Mac Show | | Episode: "My Privacy" |
| 2004 | Ghost Whisperer | Owen | Episode: "Ghost, Interrupted" |
| 2007 | Without a Trace | Mel Heinz | Episode: "One Wrong Move" |
| 2007 | Notes from the Underbelly | | Episode: "Oleander" |
| 2008 | Kath & Kim | Warren | Episode: "Money" |
| 2008 | Raising the Bar | | Episode: "Bagels and Locks" |
| 2008–2009 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Carlos Hernandez | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | FlashForward | Oscar Obregon | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | The Middle | Mr. Perez | Episode: "The Trip" |
| 2010 | Big Love | Don Dona | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2011 | Running Wilde | Migo Salazar | 13 episodes |
| 2010–2012 | Choke.Kick.Girl | Just Mel | Web series |
| 2011 | Workaholics | Ryan | Episode: "Checkpoint Gnarly" |
| 2011 | Community | Sgt. Núñez | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Hector | Episode: "What's Behind the Door" |
| 2013 | The New Normal | Gerald | Episode: "Rocky Bye Baby" |
| 2013–2015 | Getting On | Patsy De La Serda | 17 episodes |
| 2014 | Enlisted | SPC George Chubowski | 8 episodes |
| 2015 & 2017 | Better Call Saul | Marco Pasternak | 3 episodes |
| 2015–2018 | The Last Man on Earth | Todd Rodriguez | Series regular; 43 episodes |
| 2016–2018 | We Bare Bears | Darrell | Voice; 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams | Philbert Noyce | Episode: "Kill All Others" |
| 2018 | Grace and Frankie | Officer Terry Velez | Episode: "The Lodger" |
| 2018 | Animals. | Lieutenant | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Ernie | 10 episodes |
| 2020 | Briarpatch | Mayor Tony Salazar |
| 2021 | Made for Love | Ignacio | |
| 2021–2022 | CSI: Vegas | Hugo Ramirez | Main cast |
| 2022 | The Afterparty | Captain Ostrander | Episode: "Maggie" |
| 2023 | Carol & The End of the World | Luis Felipe Jacinto | 5 episodes, Voice role |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
| 2014 | "Greens and Blues" | Pixies | |