Some people were born to be stars, to be featured on the big screen in leading roles that captivate audiences.
They have a magnetic charisma that attracts eyes and minds from all over to watch and listen to them as they do their thing.
Entertainment is a complex world to strike into, one of the most ambitious and selective careers possible yet requires no known skillset or talents, as many unknowns have risen into fame and fortune off of little more than simply looking the part of being in the right place at the right time.
Danny Trejo just happened to be in the right place – prison – at the right time to break into show business.
Many know him for his extreme, gruff exterior as the Mexican tough, often with a heart of gold or a belt full of a machete.
The actor has featured in many motion pictures, some of which he collaborated with his second-cousin director Robert Rodriguez.
He has become a positive driving force in communities years after being a real-life, no-acting prison tough guy.
10 /10 American Born
Danny was born in 1944 in Los Angeles to Mexican-American parents, one Dionisio “Dan” and the other Dolores Rivera King.
However, he was not his father’s natural son, as he was born while his father served in World War II.
Unfortunately, his upbringing was fraught with several incidents of injury and abuse, which separated him first from his father, then from his mother, until he was forced to live with his grandmother and later stepmother.
9 /10 Hard Early Life
Danny started rough very early, getting addicted to marijuana at 8, heroin at 12, and later cocaine at 18. His uncle Gilbert was responsible for introducing him to the drugs and of his first heroin overdose.
His father also beat him, and he once sprained his leg while under his mother’s care.
Eventually, he moved to the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles. He even participated in drug trades as early as seven and was first arrested at 10.