Emilio Rivera (born February 24, 1961) is an American film and television actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known for his portrayal of Marcus Álvarez in Sons of Anarchy[1] and its spin-off, Mayans M.C. He is also known for his depiction of criminals and law enforcement officers.
Emilio Rivera | |
|---|---|
 Rivera at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | February 24, 1961 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, stand-up comedian |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Yadi Valerio (m. 2009) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
Rivera is of Mexican descent. He is the oldest sibling in his family, with four younger brothers and three younger sisters. He was raised in Elysian Valley also known as Frogtown, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
Rivera suffered from stuttering as a youth. In the third grade, he was cast as the titular character in a school theatre production of Rumpelstiltskin. Rivera noticed he did not stutter once during his performance on stage. Shortly after, he confessed to his father he wanted to be an actor, to which his father replied that acting was only for "rich white people."[2]
At 18 years old in 1979, Rivera enlisted in the U.S. Army.
Career
Rivera's first feature role was in the TV series Renegade with Lorenzo Lamas. He also had a role in the feature film Con Air, co-starring Nicolas Cage. Emilio has appeared in several commercials, television programs and feature films including Training Day, Fun with Dick and Jane, Traffic, The Cable Guy, NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills 90210, Walker Texas Ranger, Titus, Hitman: Agent 47, JAG, ER, A Man Apart with Vin Diesel, John Cusack's film Never Get Outta the Boat, Ali G Indahouse, Rush, Howard Stern's Son of the Beach, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Z Nation, and Michael Mann's new series Metro. He also played Marcus Álvarez in Sons of Anarchy for seven seasons and played Álvarez in Mayans M.C. for 5 seasons.
Personal life
Emilio has three children from a previous marriage and his oldest child from another woman.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | My Family | Tamalito | |
| Murder Was the Case | Reporter #2 | ||
| Rage | Javier | ||
| Extreme Blue | Matulo | TV movie | |
| Donor Unknown | Emilio | TV movie | |
| 1996 | The Cable Guy | Jail Inmate | |
| 1997 | Con Air | Carlos | |
| 1999 | Pros & Cons | Con #1 | |
| 2000 | Guilty as Charged | Private Alberto Ramirerz | TV movie |
| Traffic | Salazar Soldier #2 | ||
| 2001 | Tomcats | Sampson | |
| 2002 | Road Dogz | Joe 'Big Joe' | |
| Ali G Indahouse | Rico | ||
| High Crimes | Salvadoran Man | ||
| Never Get Outta the Boat | Angel | ||
| Confessions of a Dangerous Mind | Benitez | ||
| R.U.S./H. | 'Stick' Sandoval | TV movie | |
| 2003 | A Man Apart | Garza | |
| Bruce Almighty | Hood | ||
| El Matador | Chuy | ||
| 2004 | Party Animalz | Uncle Hector | Video |
| Cake | Fidel | Video | |
| Collateral | Paco | ||
| El Padrino | Rudy | ||
| Sucker Free City | Detective Zepada | TV movie | |
| Doing Hard Time | Officer David Teal | Video | |
| 2005 | Y nada más | Lalo | Short |
| Harsh Times | Eddy | ||
| Fun with Dick and Jane | Day Laborer | ||
| Short Fuse | Camacho | ||
| Purple Heart | Deputy | ||
| 2006 | Splinter | Jesse (Veterano) | |
| 2007 | The Dead One | Coyote | |
| Spider-Man 3 | Policeman At Sand Truck | ||
| The Gift: Life Unwrapped | Father Romero | ||
| Delta Farce | Jorge | ||
| 2008 | The Third Nail | Martin | |
| Strange Wilderness | Border Guard | ||
| Street Kings | OG Vato | ||
| 2009 | Next Day Air | Bodega | |
| Otis E. | The Drunk | ||
| Tom Cool | Actor | ||
| 2010 | Lean Like a Cholo | Paisa | |
| Food Stamps | Bible Benny | ||
| Broken | Carlos | ||
| American Flyer | Big Boss | ||
| 2011 | Cinema Verite | Nightwatchman | TV movie |
| Platinum Illusions | Boss Hog | ||
| Budz House | Big Happy | ||
| Narcocorrido | Ramon | Short | |
| 2012 | Filly Brown | Mani | |
| Act of Valor | Sanchez | ||
| Vaseline | Mr. Chumpero | Short | |
| C'mon Man | Steven | ||
| The Obama Effect | Hector Santiago | ||
| Devils Inside | Mob Boss | ||
| 2013 | The Devil's in the Details | Bill Duffy | |
| Water & Power | Norte/Sur | ||
| 2014 | Bullet | Speedy | |
| 10 Cent Pistol | Melville | ||
| Internal Affairs I.A.D. | - | TV movie | |
| Cry of the Butterfly | Jose | ||
| Sins of the Father | Ramon | Short | |
| 2015 | Mercy For Angels | Machetto | |
| Hitman: Agent 47 | Fabian | ||
| Street Level | Pete | ||
| 2016 | North by El Norte | Big Boss | |
| Better Criminal | Clavo Lopez | ||
| 48 Hours to Live | Gunner | ||
| 2017 | Badsville | Lou 'Lucky Lou' | |
| Smartass | Poco Efe | ||
| Avenge the Crows | Carlos Santiago | ||
| El Camino Christmas | Vicente Santos | ||
| Shadow of the Gun | Captain Morales | ||
| 2018 | Lawless Range | Miguel Flores | |
| Fade Away | Mr. Salvatore | ||
| Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot | Jesus Alvarado | ||
| El Chicano | Shadow | ||
| Venom | Lobby Guard Richard | ||
| 2019 | 3 from Hell | 'Aquarius' | |
| 2020 | Ride Hard: Live Free | Gauge | |
| 2021 | Welcome to Our World | Bible Benny | |
| 2023 | Flamin' Hot | Vacho Montañez |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Renegade | Rafe | Episode: "Payback" |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Federale | Episode: "Brisco in Jalisco" |
| 1995 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Felipe | Episode: "Hazardous to Your Health" |
| Unsolved Mysteries | Tony Castro | Episode: "Episode #8.1" | |
| 1996 | JAG | Drug Runner | Episode: "Sightings" |
| 1996–97 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Lucien Cortéz | Regular Cast |
| 1997–99 | L.A. Heat | Officer Miller | Guest Cast: Season 1–2 |
| 1998 | Soldier of Fortune, Inc. | Hector | Episode: "Déja Vu" & "Apres Vu" |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Juan 'Loco' Morales | Episode: "Test of Faith" | |
| NYPD Blue | Galvez | Episode: "Don't Kill the Messenger" | |
| 1999 | The Young and the Restless | Boat Captain | Episode: "Episode #1.6579" & "#1.6583" |
| 2000 | The X Files | Brigham | Episode: "Orison" |
| 2001 | NYPD Blue | Hector | Episode: "Waking Up Is Hard to Do" |
| ER | Emilio Cardazco | Episode: "Start All Over Again" | |
| Titus | Castro | Episode: "Racing in the Streets" | |
| 2002 | Son of the Beach | 'Dirty' Sanchez | Episode: "Penetration Island" & "Saturday Night Queefer" |
| 2002–03 | Robbery Homicide Division | Juan Tiant | Recurring Cast |
| 2003 | The Young and the Restless | Ruffian | Episode: "Episode #1.7553" |
| The Shield | Navaro Quintero | Episode: "The Quick Fix" & "Greenlit" | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Bank Robber #1 | Episode: "Inside the Box" | |
| 2005 | Kojak | Diaz The King | Recurring Cast |
| 2006 | Bones | Ramon Ortez | Episode: "The Woman in the Garden" |
| Shark | Detective #1 | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| My Name Is Earl | Bandit #1 | Episode: "South of the Border: Part Uno & Part Dos" | |
| 2007 | Brothers & Sisters | The Sponsor | Episode: "The Other Walker" |
| Raines | Coyote | Episode: "Meet Juan Doe" | |
| Girlfriends | Nick | Episode: "Deck the Halls with Bags and Folly" | |
| 2008 | Moonlight | Chemma Tejada | Episode: "Love Lasts Forever" |
| Weeds | El Coyote | Recurring Cast: Season 4 | |
| Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Mexican Police Chief | Episode: "Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today" | |
| 2008–14 | Sons of Anarchy | Marcus Álvarez | Recurring Cast: Season 1–4 & 7, Guest: Season 5–6 |
| 2009 | CSI: NY | Little Stevie | Episode: "Point of No Return" |
| Lie to Me | Tony Calvo | Episode: "Blinded" | |
| 2010 | General Hospital | Santos Lopez | Episode: "Episode #1.12125" & "#1.12126" |
| 2011 | Southland | Luis Reyes | Episode: "Let It Snow" |
| The Mentalist | Martin | Episode: "The Redshirt" | |
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Benito Escobar | Episode: "Poisoned Motive" |
| 2013–14 | Kroll Show | Various Characters | Guest Cast: Season 1–2 |
| 2014 | Gang Related | Tio Gordo | Recurring Cast |
| 2014–17 | Hand of God | Sergeant Kessler | Recurring Cast |
| 2015–16 | Z Nation | Hector 'Escorpion' Alvarez | Main Cast: Season 2-3 |
| 2016 | The Night Shift | Jorge | Episode: "The Way Back" |
| TripTank | Spanish Operator/Henchman #1 (voice) | Episode: "Sick Day" & "Brain Virus" | |
| 2017 | Saints & Sinners | Officer Francisco Cooper | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2018–21 | On My Block | Chivo | Recurring Cast: Season 1-2 & 4 |
| 2018–22 | The Family Business | Alejandro Zuniga | Recurring Cast: Season 1-2, Guest: Season 3-4 |
| 2018–23 | Mayans M.C. | Marcus Álvarez | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Main Cast: Season 2–5 |
| 2022 | The Garcias | Shaman | Episode: "The Compromise" |
| 2024 | The Upshaws | Barkavious | Episode: "Hail Mary" |
| RZR | Felix De La Cruz | Recurring Cast |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Got It Twisted" by Mobb Deep | Rival Gang Boss |
| 2005 | "Just a Lil Bit" by 50 Cent | Rival Gangster |
| 2013 | "High School" by Nicki Minaj featuring Lil Wayne | 'El Jefe' |
| 2021 | "Overpass Graffiti" by Ed Sheeran | Cameo bike gang member |