Jacob Vargas (born August 18, 1971) is a Mexican-American actor. He began his acting career when he was discovered breakdancing in a schoolyard at age 12. His introduction to acting came with a bit part as a breakdancer on the hit TV show Diff'rent Strokes (1978).
His first movie role was in the TV movie The Children of Times Square (1986). He started to appear in more films including Last Resort (1986), Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), The Principal (1987), Little Nikita (1988), American Me (1992), and Gas Food Lodging (1992). In 1995, he won the very first ALMA Award (for Emerging Artist of the Year) for his work in both Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca (1993) and Gregory Nava's My Family (1995).
He next starred in films including Crimson Tide (1995), Get Shorty (1995), Selena (1997), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), and the cult favorite Next Friday (2000) as Ice Cube's nemesis, Joker.
His next role was Tijuana cop Manolo, 'Benicio del Toro"s partner in Steven Soderbergh's Academy Award- winning film Traffic (2000), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award and another ALMA Award.
In 2001, he executive produced and starred in the independent film Road Dogz (2002). He wrote, directed and acted in EDNY (2003). He also co-produced and starred in the stage play "Latinologues", which ran on Broadway in 2005 and is available on DVD.
He voiced for Pepito in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). Next, he played Sammi the chef in John Moore's Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Marine sniper Juan Cortez in Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes' war drama Jarhead (2005), a straight-arrow DEA agent in the action drama The Death and Life of Bobby Z (2006), a politically charged busboy Miguel in Emilio Estevez's historical drama Bobby (2006), and a psychologically tortured drone pilot Rudy Ramirez in Alex Rivera's sci-fi political love story Sleep Dealer (2008).
He had roles in The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007), Are We Done Yet? (2007), Death Race (2008), Cesar Chavez (2014, Heaven is For Real (2014), The Tell-Tale Heart (2016), Plan B, (2021), and Kimi (2022).
His major TV roles are as Bob on Surfside Girls, Tony Medina on Mr. Iglesias, Horacio on Mosaic, Domingo Colon on Marvel's Luke Cage, Allesandro Montez on Sons of Anarchy and later on Mayans M.C., Guillermo on Moonlight, Ernesto Tiant on Greetings from Tucson, and Dr. Roberto Martinez on Max Steel. He had recurring roles on Colony, Blue, and Six Feet Under.
He has also guest starred on a number of shows including National Treasure: Edge of History, The Mentalist, Burn Notice, Psych, Numb3rs, Medium, CSI: NY, Cold Case, The Pretender, JAG, ER, Full House, and Hunter.
He has voiced for characters on animated series including Solar Opposites, Young Justice, and a recurring role on Tarantula.
National Treasure: Edge of History
Rafael · (4 episodes)
2022
Satanic Hispanics
El Jefe
2022
Surfside Girls
Bob · (7 episodes)
2022
Kimi
Glasses Thug
2022
Plan B
Pastor Pedro
2021
Billy D and the Hall of Feathered Serpents featuring Money Shot by Puscifer
Bartesian
2021
Princess of the Row
Donald
2020
GAME ON: A Comedy Crossover Event
Tony Ochoa · (1 episode)
2020
Solar Opposites
(1 episode)
2020
Mr. Iglesias
Tony Medina · (21 episodes)
2019
The Public
2019
Peel
Chuck
2019
Mayans M.C.
Allesandro Montez · (3 episodes)
2018
Mosaic
Horacio · (6 episodes)
2018
Beyond Skyline
Garcia
2017
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams
Mario · (1 episode)
2017
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Animation Voice (voice)
2016
Marvel's Luke Cage
Domingo Colon · (6 episodes)
2016
Crossing Point
Jesus
2016
The Tell-Tale Heart
Adams
2016
Colony
Carlos · (3 episodes)
2016
The 33
Edison 'Elvis' Peña
2015
Complications
Ramon · (1 episode)
2015
Hand of God
Julio Farkas (uncredited) · (1 episode)
2014
The Journey of a Female Comic
2014
Water & Power
Asuncion Garcia
2014
Heaven Is for Real
Michael
2014
Cesar Chavez
Richard Chavez
2014
Red Sky
Jorge 'P-Dawg' Vasquez
2014
Go for Sisters
Navajas
2013
Blue
Roy · (4 episodes)
2012
Young Justice
Sebastian Cardona / Cisco Ramon (voice) · (1 episode)
2010
Devil
Ramirez
2010
The Odds
Sergio Vargas
2010
Sleep Dealer
Rudy Ramirez
2008
The Mentalist
Chief Rick Anaya · (1 episode)
2008
Sons of Anarchy
Allesandro Montez · (15 episodes)
2008
Death Race
Gunner
2008
Love Lies Bleeding
Detective Billy Jones
2008
Moonlight
Guillermo · (5 episodes)
2007
The Death and Life of Bobby Z
Jorge Escobar
2007
Burn Notice
Omar Hernandez · (1 episode)
2007
Are We Done Yet?
Mike the Plumber
2007
The Hills Have Eyes 2
Crank
2007
Bobby
Miguel
2006
National Lampoon's TV: The Movie
Tijuana Cop 2 / Announcer / Charlotte
2006
Psych
Juan Lava · (1 episode)
2006
Jarhead
Juan Cortez
2005
The Wendell Baker Story
Reyes Morales
2005
Numb3rs
(1 episode)
2005
Medium
Eduardo Garcia · (1 episode)
2005
Flight of the Phoenix
Sammi
2004
CSI: NY
Luis Torres · (1 episode)
2004
Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother
Vincent Enano
2004
Cold Case
Angelo Rivera (2009) · (1 episode)
2003
Kingpin
(1 episode)
2003
E.D.N.Y.
2003
Greetings From Tucson
Ernesto Tiant · (22 episodes)
2002
Road Dogz
Danny Pacheco
2002
Dragonfly
Victor
2002
Truth Be Told
Gonzalez
2002
The Proud Family
Punch Alto (voice) · (1 episode)
2001
Dr. Dolittle 2
Pepito (voice)
2001
Six Feet Under
Manuel 'Paco' Bolin · (1 episode)
2001
Come and Take It Day
Miguel
2001
Traffic
Manolo Sanchez
2000
Max Steel
Dr. Roberto Martinez (voice) · (22 episodes)
2000
Next Friday
Joker
2000
The Hi-Lo Country
Delfino Mondragon
1998
Santa Fe
Jesus
1997
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
Ramon
1997
Selena
A. B. Quintanilla
1997
Clueless
(1 episode)
1996
The Pretender
Javi Padillo · (1 episode)
1996
Malibu Shores
(10 episodes)
1996
Get Shorty
Yayo Portillo
1995
JAG
Corporal Cortez · (1 episode)
1995
Crimson Tide
Sonarman #2
1995
My Family
Young Jose
1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Prince Luis (voice) · (1 episode)
1995
ER
Diablo · (1 episode)
1994
Mi Vida Loca
Ernesto
1994
Airborne
Snake
1993
Gas Food Lodging
Javier
1992
American Me
Paulito - Age 15
1992
Seeds of Tragedy
Cholo #2
1991
The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
Miguel
1990
Little Nikita
Miguel
1988
Full House
(1 episode)
1987
The Principal
Arturo Diego
1987
Ernest Goes to Camp
Bubba Vargas
1987
Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story
Enrique Mendoza
1986
Last Resort
Carlos
1986
Hunter
Emilio Morales · (1 episode)
1984