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Tony Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban-American actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and director. He currently plays Betty Suarez
Betty Suarez

Beatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a protagonist and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominate...
's father, Ignacio Suarez
Ignacio Suarez

Ignacio Suarez is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He is portrayed by Tony Plana. Ignacio's character is equivalent to Betty la fea, father to Beatriz Pinz?n Solano....
, on the ABC show Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty is an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG and Peabody Award winning American television program comedy-drama series starring America Ferrera in the title role, along with Eric Mabius, Vanessa L....
.

a was born in Havana
Havana

Havana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Provinces of Cuba. The city/province has 2.1 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.5 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean....
. His family moved to Miami in 1963. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic Church Society of Jesus university in Los Angeles, United States....
 and was trained in acting
Acting

Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a Fictional character and, usually, Speech communication or singing the written text or Play ....
 at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in Britain....
 in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
. He has been married to actress Ada Maris
Ada Maris

Ada Maris is a Mexican-American actress. She was born Ada Marentes and has been married to actor Tony Plana since 1988. They have two children....
 since 1988 and they have two children.

e he is known to a broad audience for his roles in feature film
Feature film

In the film industry, a feature film is a film made for initial Film distributor in Movie theater and being the "main attraction" of the screening ....
s and television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
, Plana is also known for his skills in acting
Acting

Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a Fictional character and, usually, Speech communication or singing the written text or Play ....
 and directing for the stage.






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Encyclopedia


Tony Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban-American actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
 and director. He currently plays Betty Suarez
Betty Suarez

Beatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a protagonist and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominate...
's father, Ignacio Suarez
Ignacio Suarez

Ignacio Suarez is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. He is portrayed by Tony Plana. Ignacio's character is equivalent to Betty la fea, father to Beatriz Pinz?n Solano....
, on the ABC show Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty is an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG and Peabody Award winning American television program comedy-drama series starring America Ferrera in the title role, along with Eric Mabius, Vanessa L....
.

Biography


Personal life

Plana was born in Havana
Havana

Havana is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 14 Provinces of Cuba. The city/province has 2.1 million inhabitants, and the urban area over 3.5 million, making Havana the largest city in both Cuba and the Caribbean....
. His family moved to Miami in 1963. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic Church Society of Jesus university in Los Angeles, United States....
 and was trained in acting
Acting

Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a Fictional character and, usually, Speech communication or singing the written text or Play ....
 at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in Britain....
 in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
. He has been married to actress Ada Maris
Ada Maris

Ada Maris is a Mexican-American actress. She was born Ada Marentes and has been married to actor Tony Plana since 1988. They have two children....
 since 1988 and they have two children.

Career

While he is known to a broad audience for his roles in feature film
Feature film

In the film industry, a feature film is a film made for initial Film distributor in Movie theater and being the "main attraction" of the screening ....
s and television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
, Plana is also known for his skills in acting
Acting

Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a Fictional character and, usually, Speech communication or singing the written text or Play ....
 and directing for the stage. He has created and directed a number of productions of the works of Shakespeare for minority audiences and he has been active in both the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
 and New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 theater communities, including leading appearances on Broadway
Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City....
 and at New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
's Public Theater
Public Theater

The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as The Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers....
. He originated the role of Rudy in the L.A. production of the Luis Valdez
Luis Valdez

Luis Valdez is an United States playwright, writer and film director.He is regarded as the father of Chicano theater in the United States....
 play Zoot Suit
Zoot Suit (play)

Zoot Suit is a play written by Luis Valdez, featuring incidental music by Daniel Valdez and Lalo Guerrero, the "father of Chicano music." Zoot Suit is a fictionalized version of the real-life Sleepy Lagoon murder trial – when a group of young Mexican-Americans were wrongfully charged with murder – and the Zoot Suit Riots....
, going on to play Rudy in the film version
Zoot Suit (film)

Zoot Suit is a 1981 in film filmed version of the Broadway theatre play Zoot Suit . Both the play and film were written and directed by Luis Valdez....
 as well.

Plana has acted, directed and written for television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 in series, mini-series, and specials
Television special

A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a special TV telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments , as opposed to the telecasting of a film on a continuing mo...
 such as Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues

Hill Street Blues is a serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. It is currently being aired on AmericanLife TV Network on Sunday nights in the United States, and on weekday afternoons on digital network More 4 in the United Kingdom....
, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television program that premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. Rooted in Gene Roddenberry?s Star Trek universe, it was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by CBS Paramount Television....
, Resurrection Boulevard, Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief (TV series)

Commander in Chief was an United States drama television series that focused on the fictional administration and family of Mackenzie Allen , the first female President of the United States, who ascended to the role after the previous chief executive, Teddy Bridges , died in office from a sudden cerebral aneurysm....
, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American Police procedural television series. CSI premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The ninth season began airing on October 9, 2008 and currently airs in the United States of America on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m....
, The West Wing
The West Wing (TV series)

The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2006. It was produced/written by Sorkin and also produced by Thomas Schlamme....
, 24
24 (TV series)

24 is an United States serial action drama television series. Broadcast by Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States and syndicated worldwide, the show first aired on November 6, 2001, with an initial 13 episodes ....
, Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey

Cagney & Lacey is an United States television series that first aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982 to May 16, 1988....
 and many others.

Plana has acted in films such as An Officer and a Gentleman
An Officer and a Gentleman

An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 in film film which tells the story of a United States Navy aviation Officer Candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him....
, Three Amigos!, Goal!
Goal! (film)

Goal! is a 2005 in film Film director by Danny Cannon.This is the first installment of a planned tetralogy named Goal!. This film was made with full cooperation from FIFA, which is one of the reasons actual teams and players are used throughout the movie....
, Lone Star
Lone Star (1996 film)

Lone Star is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Chris Cooper , Elizabeth Pe?a, Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors....
, and others. He is known to PC gamers as the voice of Manny Calavera in the Lucasarts
LucasArts

LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC is an United States video game developer and video game publisher. The company was famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the early 1990s in video gaming....
 adventure game Grim Fandango
Grim Fandango

Grim Fandango is a graphic adventure game Personal computer game released by LucasArts in and primarily written by Tim Schafer. It is the first adventure game by LucasArts to use 3D computer graphics overlaid on pre-rendered 2D computer graphics....
.

Plana teaches acting at California State University, Dominguez Hills
California State University, Dominguez Hills

California State University, Dominguez Hills is a public university located in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California and was founded in 1960....
 and Rio Hondo College
Rio Hondo College

Rio Hondo College is a community college located in unincorporated Whittier, California, United States, named after the Rio Hondo . It was founded in 1960 and mainly serves the cities of Whittier, California, Pico Rivera, California, Santa Fe Springs, California, El Monte, California, and South El Monte, California....
.

Awards

Won
  • Satellite Awards
    Satellite Awards

    The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards....
     for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television for his role as "Ignacio Suarez," Ugly Betty
    Ugly Betty

    Ugly Betty is an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG and Peabody Award winning American television program comedy-drama series starring America Ferrera in the title role, along with Eric Mabius, Vanessa L....
    ,     on December 17, 2006.


Nominations
  • Screen Actors Guild Awards
    Screen Actors Guild Awards

    The Screen Actors Guild Awards are an annual award given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by members.SAG Awards have been one of the major awards events in Hollywood since 1995....
    : Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble - Comedy Series
    Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble - Comedy Series

    The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in Comedy Series....
     for: Ugly Betty
    Ugly Betty

    Ugly Betty is an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG and Peabody Award winning American television program comedy-drama series starring America Ferrera in the title role, along with Eric Mabius, Vanessa L....
     (2006).
  • ALMA Award
    Alma Award

    The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field....
    s: Outstanding Actor in a Television Series for: Resurrection Blvd. (2002)
  • ALMA Awards: Outstanding Actor in a New Television Series for: Resurrection Blvd. (2001)
  • Bravo Awards
    Alma Award

    The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field....
    : Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film for: Lone Star
    Lone Star (1996 film)

    Lone Star is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Chris Cooper , Elizabeth Pe?a, Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors....
     (1996).


Filmography (partial)

  • Zoot Suit
    Zoot Suit (film)

    Zoot Suit is a 1981 in film filmed version of the Broadway theatre play Zoot Suit . Both the play and film were written and directed by Luis Valdez....
     (1981)
  • Madame X
    Madame X (1981 film)

    Madame X is a 1981 in film drama film directed by Robert Ellis Miller....
     (1981 - for TV)
  • An Officer and a Gentleman
    An Officer and a Gentleman

    An Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 in film film which tells the story of a United States Navy aviation Officer Candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him....
     (1982)
  • El Norte
    El Norte (film)

    El Norte is an United States and England film, directed by Gregory Nava. The screenplay was written by Nava and Anna Thomas. The movie was first presented at the Telluride Film Festival in 1983 in film, and its wide release was in January 1984 in film....
     (1983)
  • Valley Girl
    Valley girl

    Valley Girl is a term referred to affluent upper-middle class girls living in the bedroom community neighborhoods of San Fernando Valley.A Valley Girl can be described as materialistic, self-conscious, dodgy, self-centered, hedonistic, physical attractiveness and sometimes sexually Promiscuity....
     (1983)
  • Salvador
    Salvador (film)

    Salvador is a 1986 film which tells the story of an American journalist in El Salvador covering the Salvadoran civil war. While trying to get footage, he becomes entangled with both leftist guerrillas and the right wing military....
     (1986)
  • ¡Three Amigos!
    ¡Three Amigos!

    ?Three Amigos! is a 1986 in film comedy film Western film, produced by George Folsey, Jr. and Lorne Michaels. John Landis directed for HBO....
     (1986)
  • Born in East L.A.
    Born in East L.A.

    Born in East L.A. is a 1987 in film comedy film written and directed by Cheech Marin, formerly of the Cheech & Chong comedy team.The movie is about a Chicano whom authorities deport to Tijuana even though he was born in East Los Angeles, California and thus has American citizenship....
     (1987)
  • Romero
    Romero (film)

    Romero is a film depicting the life of assassinated El Salvador Archbishop ?scar Romero, played by Raul Julia. Richard Jordan played the role of Romero's close friend and fellow martyred priest Rutilio Grande, and actors Ana Alicia and Harold Gould also appeared in the film....
     (1989)
  • The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989)
  • Havana
    Havana (film)

    Havana is an independent 1990 drama starring Robert Redford, Lena Olin, and Raul Julia, directed by Sydney Pollack and with music by Dave Grusin....
     (1990)
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie (1990 film)

    The Rookie is a 1990 in film action film thriller film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, and co-starring Charlie Sheen. Eastwood plays a veteran police officer, who is teamed with a younger detective as he intends on taking down a German crime lord ....
     (1990)
  • JFK
    JFK (film)

    JFK is an Cinema of the United States directed by Oliver Stone and released on December 20, 1991 in film. It examines the events leading to the John F....
     (1991)
  • One Good Cop
    One Good Cop

    One Good Cop is a 1991 in film film starring Michael Keaton, Rene Russo, Anthony LaPaglia....
     (1991)
  • Nixon
    Nixon (film)

    Nixon is a 1995 in film USA biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former President of the United States Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
     (1995)
  • Lone Star (1996)
  • One Eight Seven
    One Eight Seven

    One Eight Seven is a 1997 in film Drama film / crime film / Thriller film, starring Samuel L. Jackson, who plays a Los Angeles teacher caught with gang trouble in an urban high school....
     (1997)
  • Primal Fear
    Primal Fear (film)

    Primal Fear is a 1996 in film Film which tells a story of a defense attorney who defends an altar boy charged with the murder of a Catholic archbishop....
     (1997)
  • Half Past Dead
    Half Past Dead

    Half Past Dead is a 2002 action movie in which a criminal infiltrates a prison to interrogate a prisoner about the location of a fortune in gold while an undercover FBI agent has to stop him....
     (2002)
  • Picking Up the Pieces
    Picking Up The Pieces

    "Picking Up The Pieces" was a single released from Difford & Tilbrook's Difford & Tilbrook in the United States....
     (2000)
  • The Lost City (2005)
  • Goal! (2005)
  • El Muerto
    El Muerto (film)

    El Muerto is a live-action independent film adaptation of the comic book series, El Muerto: The Aztec Zombie created by Javier Hernandez....
     (2007)
  • Life Is Hot in Cracktown
    Life Is Hot in Cracktown

    Life Is Hot in Cracktown is an upcoming crime drama film based on Buddy Giovinazzo's eponymous 1993 collection of short stories. Giovinazzo directed and wrote the film....
     (2009)


Voice acting

  • Grim Fandango
    Grim Fandango

    Grim Fandango is a graphic adventure game Personal computer game released by LucasArts in and primarily written by Tim Schafer. It is the first adventure game by LucasArts to use 3D computer graphics overlaid on pre-rendered 2D computer graphics....
     (1998)
  • Hiroshima - Radio play based on the book by John Hersey
    John Hersey

    John Richard Hersey was a Pulitzer Prize-winning United States writer and journalism considered one of the earliest practitioners of the so-called New Journalism, in which storytelling devices of the novel are fused with non-fiction reportage....
    , adapted by John Valentine (2003)


External links

  • .
  • on television.
  • interview at TV Dads.