# Jesse Garcia

Jesse Garcia (born December 14, 1982) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Quinceañera and Flamin' Hot for which he won Imagen Awards Best Actor.

## Career

Garcia starred in the award-winning film Quinceañera, written and directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer with executive producer Todd Haynes, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic Independent Feature Competition. Quinceañera was also selected to play at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. Garcia won Best Actor at the 2007 ALMA Awards for his role as Carlos, a troubled gay teenager, in Quinceañera. He appeared in the thriller Locker 13 in 2009. He made a cameo appearance on Marvel's The Avengers in 2012.
He appeared in the 2010 revival of The Pee-wee Herman Show and in the 2010 music video of Wisin & Yandel's "Estoy enamorado".
He portrayed Richard Montañez in the biographical movie Flamin' Hot (2023), based on Montañez's disputed claim of inventing Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

## Personal Life

Garcia was born December 14, 1982 in Rawlins, Wyoming, and spent most of his childhood in Hanna, Wyoming. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, though he no longer practices that faith. his sister one year younger worked oilfield trucking for over 19 years. His father is from the Mexican state of Durango and his mother, a native of Wyoming, is of Spanish and Mexican descent.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | Expeditions to the Edge | | Episode: "Hostage Mountain" |
| 2005 | Unfabulous | Fashion Designer | Episode: "The Charity Chase" |
| 2006 | The Shield | Mariano | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Walkout | Armando Lopez | TV movie |
| 2006 | The Closer | Carlos | Episode: "Borderline |
| 2006 | Justice | Frankie Duarte | Episode: "Shotgun" |
| 2007 | ER | Carlos Vega | Episode: "In a Different Light" |
| 2007 | CSI: Miami | Vasco Torres | Episode: "Permanent Vacation" |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Felix Aguilar | Episode: "Senseless" |
| 2008 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Carlos | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | NCIS | Marine Private First Class Tomas Tamayo | Episode: "Deliverance" |
| 2011 | Sons of Anarchy | Rafi | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Ollie Ruiz | Episode: "Wild Flowers" |
| 2013 | East Los High | Abraham | Episode: "The Beauty to the Bitch" |
| 2013 | Longmire | Rodeo Sharpshooter | Episode: "The Great Spirit" |
| 2014 | You're the Worst | Martinez | Episode: "What Normal People Do" |
| 2014–2016 | From Dusk till Dawn: The Series | Freddie Gonzalez | Main cast |
| 2015 | Looking | Hector | Episode: "Looking for Truth" |
| 2018 | Chicago P.D. | Reimundo Morales | Episode: "Captive" |
| 2018 | The Last Ship | Manuel Plasencia / Michael / Manuelito | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The High Life | Gabriel | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2019 | El Asesino | Frankie | TV movie |
| 2020 | Narcos: Mexico | Sal Orozco | 9 episodes |
| 2021 | Snowfall | Officer Carlos Lorca | 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Not Dead Yet | TJ | 5 episodes |

### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Performance Anxiety | Guitar Player | |
| 2004 | Last Goodbye | Featured Player | |
| 2004 | Delivery Boy Chronicles | Mexican Leaf Blower | |
| 2005 | Picnic | Man Reading Book | |
| 2005 | Unseen | | Video |
| 2006 | Marrying God | Jesus | |
| 2006 | Quinceañera | Carlos | |
| 2006 | The Other Side | Search and Rescue Guy | |
| 2006 | Father Figure | Jesse | |
| 2007 | American Identity | Bobby Freeman | |
| 2007 | Put It in a Book | Tiny | |
| 2007 | Under the Same Moon | David | |
| 2007 | The Comebacks | Jorge Juanson | |
| 2008 | Down & Out | | Video |
| Good Dick | Jose | |
| Emilio | Hot Dog Vendor | |
| A Beautiful Life | David | |
| Days of Wrath | Mario | |
| 2009 | Saint John of Las Vegas | Park Ranger | |
| 2009 | Locker 13 | Ray | |
| 2009 | Bedrooms | Sal | |
| 2009 | Periphery | Smitty | |
| 2009 | Spit Brown Buck | Santa | |
| 2010 | Elektra Luxx | Camilo | |
| 2010 | Hollywood Untitled | Jose | |
| 2010 | Mission Park | Jason | |
| 2011 | Three Veils | Carlos | |
| 2011 | Falling Overnight | Miguel | |
| 2011 | Without Men | Boss' Assistant | |
| 2012 | House Arrest | Guillermo | |
| 2012 | The Avengers | Carrier Bridge Tech | |
| 2014 | Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | Dwayne | |
| 2015 | Re-Kill | Hernandez | |
| 2020 | Adverse | Detective Ranie | |
| 2021 | The Starling | Hector | |
| 2022 | Ambulance | Roberto | |
| 2022 | What Comes Around | Tim | |
| 2022 | Tell It Like a Woman | Johnny | |
| 2023 | Flamin' Hot | Richard Montañez | |
| 2023 | The Mother | Tarantula | |
| 2025 | Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip | Frank Garcia | Post-production |
| 2026 | The Odyssey | TBA | Filming |