# Clifton Collins Jr.

Clifton Craig Collins Jr. (born June 16, 1970) is an American film and television actor. He is a Primetime Emmy Award, Independent Spirit Award, Satellite Award, and four-time ALMA Award nominee, and a Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Prior to 1999, he was credited as Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez.
After various small parts, he gained attention for his performance as a gangster in the crime drama One Eight Seven (1997). He then played featured parts in the major productions Traffic (2000) and The Last Castle (2001), and gained further recognition for his co-starring role as Perry Edward Smith in the biographical film Capote (2005). His subsequent films include Babel (2006), Star Trek, Crank: High Voltage (both 2009), Pacific Rim (2013), Knight of Cups (2015), The Mule (2018), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), and Nightmare Alley (2021). He won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for his performance in the independent film Jockey (2021).
Collins' work on television series includes a starring role as Jack Hill on Thief (2006) - which earned him an Emmy Award nomination, Thomas on The Event (2010–11), Maximo Gomez on Ballers (2015–17), and Lawrence Gonzales / "El Lazo" on Westworld (2016–2020). He also provided the voice of Cesar Vialpando in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).

## Early life

Collins was born in Los Angeles, California in 1970. He is the grandson of actor Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez. He is sometimes credited as Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez in honor of his grandfather. His father is of German descent and his mother is of Mexican ancestry.

## Career

Collins made his acting debut on a 1990 episode of Freddy's Nightmares, and made his film debut the following year in Lawrence Kasdan's Grand Canyon. He played various small roles, notably in the Hughes brothers' Menace II Society (1993) and Dead Presidents (1995), and a more prominent supporting part in the cult action film Fortress (1992).
He first broke through the mainstream in 1997 with a performance as gangster César Sánchez in the film One Eight Seven. In 1998, he was in the Stuart Gordon-directed, Ray Bradbury-written cult film The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. He next portrayed a gay hitman named Francisco "Frankie Flowers" Flores for the Mexican drug cartels in Steven Soderbergh's 2000 ensemble drama Traffic.
For his portrayal of a US Marine prisoner in the 2001 film The Last Castle, Collins was nominated for the 2002 American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. In 2002, he played the role of Buddy in the film American Girl.
In 2005, Collins won reviews for his subtle portrayal of killer Perry Smith in the film Capote, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2006.
He starred in the 2005 film Dirty. Collins starred on FX Networks' series Thief and received an Emmy nomination. Collins also played a supporting role on FX Network's series The Shield as undercover ICE agent Hernan. He also had a small role in 2006's Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
In 2007, Collins took the lead role in the indie feature The Perfect Game, playing former baseball player Cesar Faz, who coaches a local Mexican youth league team, leading them all the way to the Little League World Series.
In 2008, Collins directed two music videos for the country music group Zac Brown Band: "Chicken Fried" and "Whatever It Is". "Chicken Fried" won the 2009 CMT breakthrough music video of the year award.
Collins starred in the comedy Sunshine Cleaning with Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin. He played Winston, the owner of a cleaning supply shop who builds meticulously detailed model airplanes with only one arm. Collins played the role with one arm bound tightly behind his back. In 2009's Star Trek, Collins plays Ayel, a Romulan, second in command to the villain Nero.
In 2009, Collins joined Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker in the psychological thriller The Experiment. Collins starred in Extract, a 2009 film by director Mike Judge. He co-produced the film National Lampoon's TV: The Movie in which he played Officer Sanchez alongside Jacob Vargas. He also voiced the fictional video game character Cesar Vialpando in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2009, he played Romeo in the film The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.
In 2010, Collins joined the cast of NBC's drama The Event as Thomas. The following year, he guested on two episodes of CSI: NY as a man named Raymond Harris, an ex-convict who seeks revenge against Mac Taylor and his partner to get some answers regarding a 17-year grudge against them. The episodes also guest-starred Peter Fonda, who Collins previously worked with in San Andreas, as Taylor's ex-partner, who ends up getting killed by Harris. In 2014, Collins portrayed a law enforcement official, Franco Rodriguez, alongside Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Norman Reedus, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet in Triple 9.
In 2015, HBO's science fiction drama Westworld added Collins as Lawrence / El Lazo, a charming but lethal outlaw, with a knack for maneuvering and negotiating the various criminal elements.
In 2019, Collins filmed Jockey, which won the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for best acting.

## Writing

He wrote his first book, Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars with Gustavo "Goose" Alvarez, in 2015.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Carlos' Friend | |
| 1992 | Fortress | Nino Gomez | |
| 1993 | Menace II Society | Vato | |
| 1993 | Poetic Justice | Mailroom Supervisor | |
| 1994 | The Stoned Age | Tack | |
| 1995 | Milestone | Clif | Short film |
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | Betancourt | |
| 1995 | One Tough Bastard | Jarhead | |
| 1996 | Sgt. Bilko | Soldier | |
| 1997 | One Eight Seven | Cesar Sanchez | |
| 1997 | The Bad Pack | Townsman | |
| 1998 | The Replacement Killers | Loco | |
| 1998 | The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit | Martinez | |
| 1999 | Mascara | | |
| 1999 | Light It Up | Robert "Rivers" Tresmont | |
| 1999 | My Sweet Killer | Horton | |
| 1999 | Mi Abuela | | Short film |
| 2000 | Price of Glory | Jimmy Ortega | |
| 2000 | Tigerland | Private Miter | |
| 2000 | Traffic | Francisco "Frankie Flowers" Flores | |
| 2001 | The Last Castle | Corporal Ramon Aguilar | |
| 2002 | Road Dogz | Raymo Serrano | |
| 2002 | Hip, Edgy, Sexy, Cool | | |
| 2002 | The Rules of Attraction | Rupert | |
| 2002 | American Girl | Buddy | |
| 2003 | I Witness | Claudio Castillo | |
| 2004 | Mindhunters | Vince Sherman | |
| 2005 | Capote | Perry Edward Smith | |
| 2005 | Dirty | Officer Armando Sancho | |
| 2005 | Life of the Party | Kipp | |
| 2006 | Rampage: The Hillside Strangler Murders | Kenneth Bianchi | |
| 2006 | Babel | Officer At Border Crossing | |
| 2006 | Little Chenier | "T-Boy" Trahan | |
| 2006 | National Lampoon's TV: The Movie | Tijuana Cop #1 / Minion / Miranda | |
| 2008 | Sunshine Cleaning | Winston | |
| 2008 | Under Still Waters | Jacob | |
| 2009 | Horsemen | "Stingray" | |
| 2009 | The Perfect Game | Cesar Faz | |
| 2009 | Star Trek | Ayel | |
| 2009 | Crank: High Voltage | Jesus "El Huron" Verona | |
| 2009 | Extract | "Step" | |
| 2009 | The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day | Romeo | |
| 2009 | Brothers | Major Cavazos | |
| 2009 | Tom Cool | Tom Picasso | |
| 2010 | Tell-Tale | Detective | Short film |
| 2010 | The Experiment | Nix | |
| 2010 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Vegan Police | |
| 2011 | The FP | C.C. Jam | |
| 2011 | Machine Gun Justice | Jack Grizzly | Short film |
| 2012 | Potus | Pimp | Short film |
| 2012 | Gotten | Gun Dealer | Short film |
| 2012 | Hellbenders | Lawrence | |
| 2012 | Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: The Great Calamity | Edgar Allan Poe (voice) | Short film |
| 2012 | Freeloaders | Vic | |
| 2013 | Parker | Ross | |
| 2013 | Pacific Rim | Ops Tendo Choi | |
| 2014 | Transcendence | Martin | |
| 2015 | Knight of Cups | Jordan | |
| 2015 | Stung | Sydney | |
| 2015 | Man Down | Charles | |
| 2016 | Triple 9 | Detective Franco Rodriguez | |
| 2016 | Transpecos | Hobbs | |
| 2016 | Punching Henry | Dramatic Actor | |
| 2016 | Hacker | Zed | |
| 2017 | Small Town Crime | Mood | |
| 2017 | M.F.A. | Kennedy | |
| 2017 | A Crooked Somebody | Nathan | |
| 2017 | The Vault | Detective Iger | |
| 2017 | Cabeza Madre | John | |
| 2018 | Super Troopers 2 | Bus Driver | |
| 2018 | The Mule | Gustavo | |
| 2019 | Honey Boy | Tom | |
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Ernesto "The Mexican" Vaquero | |
| 2019 | Waves | Bobby | |
| 2019 | Running with the Devil | The Farmer | |
| 2019 | Lucky Day | DPO Ernesto Sanchez | |
| 2021 | Breaking News in Yuba County | Ray | |
| 2021 | Jockey | Jackson Silva | |
| 2021 | After Yang | George | |
| 2021 | Nightmare Alley | Funhouse Jack | |
| 2021 | Painted Beauty | Peter | |
| 2023 | Red, White & Royal Blue | Senator Oscar Diaz | |
| 2024 | The Bricklayer | Radek | |
| 2025 | By Design | Jacob the Stalker | |
| 2025 | Train Dreams | TBA | |
| TBA | Eddington | TBA | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Freddy's Nightmares | Mickey | Episode: "Interior Loft" |
| 1990 | The Flash | Javier O'Hara | Episode: "Double Vision" |
| 1991 | Adam-12 | Kid in Class | Episode: "D.A.R.E." |
| 1991 | Veronica Clare | Latino Manager | Episode: "Slow Violence" |
| 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Roberto | Episode: "Street of Dreams" |
| 1992 | For Richer, for Poorer | Co-Worker | TV movie |
| 1993 | Acapulco H.E.A.T. | David Kern | Episode: "Code Name: Desert Dragon" |
| 1993 | Sworn to Vengeance | | TV movie |
| 1994 | Witch Hunt | Tyrone | TV movie |
| 1995 | Madman of the People | Jorge | Episode: "Notes from the Underground" |
| 1995 | Live Shot | Carlos Sandoval | Episode: "For Whom the Stinkin' Bell Tolls" |
| 1996 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Fito | Episode: "El Coyote: Part 1 & 2" |
| 1996 | Land's End | | Episode: "Red Cadillac" |
| 1997 | Crisis Center | Nando Taylor | Main cast |
| 1997 | ER | Mr. Brown | Episode: "Tribes" |
| 1997 | NYPD Blue | Jimmy Cortez | Episode: "I Love Lucy" |
| 1998 | Diagnosis Murder | Boyd Harcourt | Episode: "Rear Windows '98" |
| 1998 | The Defenders: Taking the First | Nelson Rodriguez | TV movie |
| 1999 | Martial Law | | Episode: "Friendly Skies" |
| 2000–01 | Resurrection Blvd. | James Garcia | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| 2002 | The Twilight Zone | Andy Perez | Episode: "Last Lap" |
| 2003 | Alias | Javiar Parez | Recurring cast: season 3 |
| 2003 | Undefeated | Loco | TV movie |
| 2005 | Bounty Hunters | Mouse | TV movie |
| 2006 | Thief | Jack "Bump" Hill | Main cast |
| 2007 | The Shield | Hernan | Episode: "Haunts" & "Exiled" |
| 2007 | Masters of Science Fiction | Frendon Blythe | Episode: "Little Brother" |
| 2008 | Fear Itself | Richard "Family Man" Brautigan | Episode: "Family Man" |
| 2010 | Southland | Detective Ray Suarez | Episode: "The Runner" |
| 2010–11 | The Event | Thomas | Main cast |
| 2011 | CSI: NY | Raymond Harris | Episode: "Nothing for Something" & "Life Sentence" |
| 2011 | Pound Puppies | Scar/Weasel (voice) | Episode: "Rebel Without a Collar" |
| 2013 | Red Widow | James Ramos | Main cast |
| 2013 | Cleaners | Julian | Main cast: season 1 |
| 2013 | The Blacklist | Hector Lorca | Episode: "The Stewmaker (No. 161)" |
| 2015–17 | Ballers | Maximo Gomez | Recurring cast: seasons 1-3 |
| 2016–20 | Westworld | Lawrence/"El Lazo" | Main cast: seasons 1–2, guest: season 3 |
| 2019 | Veronica Mars | Alonzo Lozano | Main cast: season 4 |
| 2021 | The Stand | Bobby Terry | Episode: "The Vigil" |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Cesar Vialpando | |
| 2021 | Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | Cesar Vialpando | Archival recordings Remaster of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas only |

## Awards and honors

| Institution | Year | Category | Work | Outcome |
| ALMA Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Series | The Last Castle | Nominated |
| ALMA Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Actor in a Television Series | Capote | Nominated |
| ALMA Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Actor in Film | Star Trek, Crank: High Voltage | Nominated |
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | 2010 | Best Cast | Star Trek | Won |
| Imagen Award | 2011 | Best Supporting Actor - Television | The Event | Nominated |
| Independent Spirit Awards | 2021 | Best Male Lead | Jockey | Nominated |
| Satellite Award | 2022 | Best Actor in a Motion Picture | Jockey | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2001 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Traffic | Won |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Capote | Nominated |
| Sundance Film Festival | 2021 | Dramatic Special Jury Award: Best Actor | Jockey | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Thief | Nominated |
| Phoenix Film Festival | 2007 | Best Cast | Little Chenier | Won |
In 2019, Collins was awarded an Impact Award by the National Hispanic Media Coalition for Outstanding Performance in Film and Television. On October 29, 2021, he received the Distinguished Performance Award at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.