PROFESSIONS
Screen Story, Director, Screenwriter
SOMETIMES CREDITED AS
BIOGRAPHY
Luis Valdez has spent the bulk of his career using plays and film to raise consciousness and campaign for the rights of Latinos in the United States. Of Mexican-American heritage, Valdez spent much of his youth as a migrant worker. Following graduation from San Jose State University where he studied theater, Valdez worked with the San Francisco Mime Troupe. With them, he went....
Expand Full Bio

Luis Valdez has spent the bulk of his career using plays and film to raise consciousness and campaign for the rights of Latinos in the United States. Of Mexican-American heritage, Valdez spent much of his youth as a migrant worker. Following graduation from San Jose State University where he studied theater, Valdez worked with the San Francisco Mime Troupe. With them, he went on a cultural exchange trip to Cuba. In 1965, Valdez teamed up with Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers to found "El Teatro Campesino," a theater group designed to educate audiences and to promote the grape boycott. To this end, he staged short vignettes to dramatize the dreadful living and working conditions suffered by exploited migrant workers. He remained with the troupe through the late '70s when he penned the musical drama Zoot Suit (1978), a look at the racism inherent in the notorious Sleepy Lagoon case that rocked Los Angeles in the early '40s. In 1981, he filmed the production and earned critical acclaim. Valdez is probably best known for his sophomore effort, La Bamba, a biopic chronicling the brief life of 1950s pop star Richie Valens that examined the effects of a cross-cultural upbringing of a talented youth.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Collapse Full Bio


Rovi Data Solutions, Inc.
- Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Data Solutions © 2009 Rovi Data Solutions, Inc.

Advertisement

Recently Worked With...

Rojo Grau
The Cisco Kid
Released: Jan. 1, 1994

Stephen Lee
La Bamba
Released: Jan. 1, 1987

Alma Martinez
Zoot Suit
Released: Jan. 1, 1981

Clifford A. Pellow
Which Way Is Up?
Released: Nov. 1, 1977



Fan Sites

Luis Valdez Fansites

No fan sites available. Create the first!
Are you the #1 Luis Valdez Fan? Sign Up To Create A Website Here.

Top 5 Celebrities

Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
August 29, 1958
Gary, IN

Jenna Jameson at the L.A. Premiere of 'Zombie Strippers' held at The Landmark Theatre. Los Angeles, CA - 04-15-08
Jenna Jameson
N/A

Angelina Jolie at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2009 - Arrivals. London, England - 02/08/09
Angelina Jolie
June 04, 1975
Los Angeles, CA

Megan Fox up close at 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' UK premiere
Megan Fox
May 16, 1986
Tennessee

Robert Pattinson on the set of 'Remember Me' - New York City, NY - 06/15/09
Robert Pattinson
May 13, 1986
London, England