Perry Lopez

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

Perry Lopez
Birth name:	Julios Caesar Lopez
Date of birth:	22 July 1929
Place of birth:	New York City, New York, USA
Date of death:	14 February 2008
Place of death:	Beverly Grove, Los Angeles, California, USA
Roles:	Actor
Character(s):	Esteban Rodriguez

Perry Lopez (22 July 1929 – 14 February 2008; age 78) was a character actor who portrayed Lieutenant Esteban Rodriguez in the Star Trek: The Original Series first season episode "Shore Leave". He filmed his scenes for the episode on Wednesday 19 October 1966 and Friday 21 October 1966 at Africa, USA. [1]

He may best be remembered for his supporting role as Lt. Lou Escobar in Chinatown (1974, co-starring Noble Willingham, as well as fellow Original Series guest actor Roy Jenson, with cinematography by John A. Alonzo, music by Jerry Goldsmith and stunts by Hal Needham).

Lopez was born in New York City, New York, and began his acting career on the New York stage. He ultimately broke into film with an uncredited role in Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, with Original Series guest star Whit Bissell). Later that year, Lopez appeared in Jubilee Trail (with Richard Webb) and Drum Beat (with Elisha Cook).

Between 1955 and 1956, Lopez was seen in such films as Battle Cry (1955, with William Campbell), Mister Roberts (1955, co-starring Tige Andrews), Hell on Frisco Bay (1955, with Stanley Adams and Anthony Caruso), and The Young Guns (with Scott Marlowe). He also played the lead in The Steel Jungle (1956, with Kenneth Tobey).

Lopez worked with fellow Original Series guest actor Michael Ansara in The Lone Ranger (1956, featuring William Schallert and Beverly Washburn), Sol Madrid (1968, co-starring Ricardo Montalban) and Daring Game (1968, with Brock Peters). Lopez also appeared with Arthur Batanides in Violent Road (1958, starring Brian Keith) Cry Tough (1959, with Barbara Luna) and Man-Trap (1961, starring Jeffrey Hunter).

Lopez's other film credits include Taras Bulba (1962), McLintock! (1963), The Rare Breed (1966, starring Brian Keith), Bandolero! (1968, with Andrew Prine and Guy Raymond), Che! (1969, with Sid Haig, Barbara Luna and Abraham Sofaer), and Kelly's Heroes (1970). 1974's Chinatown was Lopez's last film until the late 1980s, when he appeared in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987, with Tim Russ) and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989).

Lopez was prominent in television, as well. He had a recurring role on the 1950s series Zorro (on which he worked with Barbara Luna) and has also guest-starred on The Rifleman (in an episode with Paul Fix and Lawrence Dobkin), Bonanza (with Rex Holman), Wagon Train (four episodes, including two with Morgan Woodward), The Virginian (with John Hoyt), Mission: Impossible (with Mark Lenard and Percy Rodriguez), The Time Tunnel (starring James Darren, Whit Bissell and Lee Meriwether), The Wild Wild West (with Oliver McGowan, George Murdock, William O'Connell and Robert Pine), The Mod Squad (with Tige Andrews, Meg Foster, Brock Peters and Clarence Williams III), Charlie's Angels (with John Colicos), and Hart to Hart (1984, with Julie Newmar and John Staible).

Fifteen years after Chinatown, Lopez reprised the role of Escobar (now a captain) in the sequel, The Two Jakes. This film co-starred Tracey Walter. After appearing in the 1994 crime drama Confessions of a Hitman, Lopez retired from acting. He died of lung cancer in Beverly Hills, California in 2008. [2]

External links

• Perry Lopez at the Internet Movie Database
• Perry Lopez at Wikipedia