Danny Trejo to Speak on Troubled Past, Life in Hollywood
Hollywood’s Favorite Bad Boy Talks Overcoming Addiction, Toxic Masculinity, and ‘Machismo’ Culture
With over 430 credits to his name, Hollywood’s biggest and baddest actor Danny Trejo has become the archetype of a tough guy on screen. His slick black ponytail, scarred face, and iconic handlebar mustache are unmistakable, his gruff voice, and larger-than-life persona has helped him land more ass-kicking, death-defying roles than any other Latino actor in American movie history.
Next week, Trejo will drop by UCSB for an Arts & Lectures/Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies event to discuss his long, troubled journey from a tough home in Los Angeles, through a life in crime and drug addiction, and finally to a long and storied career on the big screen, as described in his latest book, Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood.
The book dives into his life before fame, when Trejo was a young boy growing up in a broken home in 1950s Los Angeles, where “machismo” culture was all he knew. Trejo was separated from his family early on in life when his father took him away from his mother. He was forced to grow up quickly, looking for love and attention anywhere he could find it.
