Sal Lopez

Lopez started his career after landing a key role in the hit play Zoot Suit (1982), which led to an open call by Stanley Kubrick for Full Metal Jacket (1987), in which he played T.H.E. Rock. Other notable film credits include American Me (1992, as Edward James Olmos's father), Selena (1997), Silver City (2004, directed by John Sayles), The Astronaut Farmer (2007, with Billy Bob Thornton), Logan (2017), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and F1 (2025). His television credits span Nip/Tuck, CSI, ER, NYPD Blue, Melrose Place, The Shield, Westworld, and Queen of the South. On stage, Lopez has performed in numerous productions with The Latino Theater Company, including one-man shows like This Is A Man's World, Premeditation, and August 29th, and the lead in La Virgen Dios Inantzin, performed annually at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. He has received an ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance and a DramaLogue Award, and produced and starred in the independent film Luminarias (1999).