Biography of lou diamond phillips

present

Who Is Lou Diamond Phillips?

Born on a military base in the Philippines, Lou Diamond Philips rose to fame with a series of hit films in the late s, including La Bamba, Stand and Deliver and Young Guns. After a few flops in the early s, Philips earned a Tony nomination for his work in The King and I on Broadway. He continues to make television appearances and plays poker competitively.

Early Life

Lou Diamond Phillips was born February 17, , on the Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines, to Lucita Aranas (Filipino descent) and American naval officer Gerald Upchurch (Scottish, Irish descent). The young actor was eventually adopted by his mother's second husband, taking his stepfather's surname, Phillips.

Though he was raised in small-town Texas, Lou Diamond Phillips had stars in his eyes from a young age. Passing up the opportunity to go to Yale, he instead chose to attend the local University of Texas at Arlington, where he got his Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. He was active in drama club productions and a local comedy troupe. Eager to break out of the small-town drama scene, Phillips capitalized on whatever opportunities came his way. The up-and-comer would often go to great lengths to meet idols (like Robert De Niro) when they passed through nearby Dallas.

Movies and TV Roles

La Bamba

Phillips remained actively involved in the theater after college, appearing in various productions at Stage West Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. In , Phillips got his big break in Hollywood with a starring role in La Bamba. In perhaps his most beloved performance, the actor played ill-fated rocker Ritchie Valens in this biopic turned cult hit. Seemingly out of nowhere, Phillips became one of Hollywood's most promising young stars.

Stand and Deliver and Young Guns

Before La Bamba was even released, Phillips had finished Stand and Deliver (), in which he gave a dynamic performance as a gang member whose life is chang

American actor

Louis Diamond Phillips (néUpchurch; born February 17, ) is a Filipino-American actor. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film La Bamba (). For his performance as Angel David Guzman in Stand and Deliver (), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.

Phillips made his Broadway debut with the revival of The King and I, earning a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of King Mongkut of Siam. Phillips' other notable films include Young Guns (), Young Guns II (), Courage Under Fire (), The Big Hit (), Brokedown Palace (), Che (), and The 33 ().

In the television series Longmire, he played a main character named Henry Standing Bear. He played New York City Police Lieutenant Gil Arroyo on Prodigal Son on FOX from to

Early life

Born Louis Diamond Upchurch on February 17, , at the U.S. Naval Bay Subic Base in the Philippines, he is the son of Lucita Umayam Aranas and Gerald Amon Upchurch (–), a MarineKC crew chief. His mother was Filipino, while his father was an American of Scots-Irish and Cherokee descent. Phillips has said "I never claimed to be a Native actor, but I do have Native blood."

Phillips was named after US Marine Lou Diamond.

Phillips's father died when he was only a year old, after which his mother remarried and adopted the Phillips surname.

Phillips was raised in Texas. He graduated from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi in and from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama.

Career

s

Phillips's big break came with the starring role in La Bamba () in which he played early rocker Ritchie Valens. Prior to his cinematic