Age, Biography, and Wiki
Danny Trejo was born on May 16, 1944, which makes him 81 years old as of 2025. His early life was marked by struggles with addiction and legal issues, which led him to spend time in prison. However, he turned his life around after completing a 12-step program and began his acting career in his early thirties. Trejo's biography is a testament to redemption and perseverance, with his career spanning over four decades.
| Occupation | Restaurateurs |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 16 May 1944 |
| Age | 81 Years |
| Birth Place | Maywood, California, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Trejo stands at a height of about 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm). Detailed information on his weight is not widely available, but his physical stature has not hindered his ability to portray powerful characters on screen.
By the time of Bubble Boy in 2001, his illness had progressed to the point that much of the cast had noticed his weight loss; Trejo states that his past drug use had caught up with him. He described himself as having been pale and weak throughout production, and pre-occupied with keeping his diagnosis a secret within Hollywood for fear of reprisal. Trejo was "out of it" and struggling to remember his lines due to prescription medication. By the time Spy Kids premiered in September 2002, Trejo had fully recovered.
Trejo is characterized in his acting roles by his distinctive appearance; in addition to his heavily lined face, scarred from cystic acne and boxing brawls, and the long hair often in a ponytail and full mustache that he usually sports. For many roles, he also displays a large tattoo on his chest. The tattoo depicts a woman – a Charra wearing a sombrero.
| Height | 5 feet 6 inches |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Danny Trejo has been married twice, first to Laura Borman and then to Debbie Shreve. He is known to be devoted to his family and has spoken publicly about the importance of his relationships.
He was raised on Temple Street in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, the son of Mexican-American parents. He is the son of Delores Rivera King and Dionisio "Dan" Trejo (1922–1981), a construction worker. Trejo was the result of an extramarital affair; Delores's husband was away fighting in World War II. His parents met at a dance hall in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1943. He had a maternal half-sister, Dyhan, but saw neither her nor Delores from 1949 until 1965; his father banned his mother from seeing him after Trejo sprained his arm in her care.
Trejo was often abused by his father. Shortly after his birth, Trejo and his family briefly lived in San Antonio, Texas; they fled Los Angeles because Dionisio was wanted by police for stabbing another man. After a year, they returned to Los Angeles and Trejo's father turned himself in. By 1949, Trejo shared a room with his cousins at their grandmother's house. His stepmother was Alice Mendias, "his only source of comfort" when he lived with his father.
On August 6, 2017, Trejo made a guest appearance on season three of the Rick and Morty animated TV show, on the episode "Pickle Rick", in which he voiced the part of Mr. Jaguar. Together with Sasha Grey, he was a lead actor in Snapshot (2017), directed by Frankie Latina. That same year, he also appeared in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Detective Rosa Diaz's father in an episode centered around Diaz's struggle to come out to her family.
In the TV show The Flash, he appeared in the episode Elongated Journey Into Night as the father of Cisco's love interest, Gypsy. His character works as a breacher (an interdimensional bounty hunter) who can manipulate the space-time fabric and travel to parallel worlds. Since 2018 he has voiced the role of Vasquez the bodyguard on the Disney show Big City Greens.
In 1962, following his release from Youth Training School, reputedly one of California's most notorious juvenile prisons, he met his first wife, Laura. Her parents did not approve of their relationship, and they were married in the backyard of Trejo's family home. Trejo believes his drug use and criminal lifestyle contributed to their marriage's demise; Laura filed for divorce during his second confinement at Youth Training School.
Trejo has three children: Danny (b. 1981), actor and director Gilbert (b. 1988), and actress Danielle (b. 1990). His eldest child, nicknamed "Danny Boy", is from a relationship with Diana Walton; they were together from 1978 to 1983. His latter two children are from a relationship with Maeve Crommie. They were together from 1986 to 1997, and he has also helped her raise her two sons from a subsequent relationship. In 1997, he married Debbie Shreve; they separated in 2005 and he filed for divorce in 2009.
Trejo battled liver cancer in 2010. In 2011, he moved to the San Fernando Valley to be closer to his mother after she sustained a knee injury; she died in 2013. Prior to this, he lived in Venice, California, a neighborhood of Los Angeles. In August 2019, he witnessed a car colliding with an SUV at an intersection and helped extract a five-year-old trapped in a child safety seat inside the overturned SUV. In reference to the incident, he was quoted saying: "Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else. Everything."
Trejo is a passionate fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles FC as well as the Los Angeles Rams dating back well into their original tenure in Los Angeles. Trejo claims that as a child he used to sneak through the security fences at the LA Coliseum to watch Rams games. He frequently attends games and the team's training camps.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Laura (m. 1962-1965) Debbie Schipek (m. 1971-1975) Joanne Discuillo (m. 1975-1978) Debbie Shreve (m. 1997-2009) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Danny Trejo's net worth is estimated to be around $500,000. This figure reflects his earnings from a prolific film career, voice acting in video games, and various business ventures. However, his net worth has fluctuated significantly over the years, previously reaching estimates between $10 million and $17 million before being impacted by legal and financial issues.
In 1996, Trejo was cast in the French production Le Jaguar (which was French for The Jaguar) and reunited with Voight for Anaconda, both of which were filmed in Manaus, Brazil. When production for Anaconda moved to Venezuela, Trejo would go out socializing on his days off. The producers were worried given a possible coup d'état had made parts of the country unsafe to travel; a group of teenagers brandished AK47's on one occasion, demanding Trejo's combat boots. Because of this, Trejo says he negotiated a higher salary to remain within the confines of his hotel.
Career, Business, and Investments
Trejo's acting career is marked by iconic roles in films like "Desperado," "Heat," "Con Air," and "Machete." He has over 430 acting credits to his name, often playing tough, villainous characters. Beyond acting, Trejo is a successful entrepreneur:
- Trejo's Tacos: A restaurant chain with multiple locations in Los Angeles, which has become a significant source of income.
- Record Label: Trejo owns a record label, contributing to his diverse business portfolio.
- Coffee & Donut Shops: He also operates a chain of coffee and donut shops, further expanding his entrepreneurial ventures.
Daniel Trejo (, ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. A native of Los Angeles, Trejo's film career began in 1985, when he landed a role in Runaway Train (1985). The first film in which he was given a proper credited role was as Art Sanella in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987). He went on to star in a multitude of other films, many of which were small parts as inmates, gangsters, or other criminals, appearing in Desperado, Heat (both 1995), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Con Air (1997), The Replacement Killers (1998), Reindeer Games (2000), and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), among others.
Regarding himself, Trejo has suggested his physical appearance contributed to his constantly getting into trouble. In 1968, a prison riot broke out during Cinco De Mayo at Soledad. From that fracas, Trejo ended up in solitary confinement, facing capital charges and, potentially, the death penalty, after hitting a guard with a rock. While in solitary, Trejo found faith and became a member of a 12-step program, having first attended one "by accident" aged 15. He successfully overcame his drug addictions, recalling in 2011 that he had been sober for the previous 42 years. Also while incarcerated, he earned his high-school diploma.
Prior to his film career, Trejo worked as a labor foreman for developer Saul Pick, and contributed toward the construction of the Cinerama Dome. He was also a gardener, salesperson, part owner of a lawn care company, and has been a substance abuse counselor since 1973.
While there, Trejo was offered a job as an extra in the film's prison scenes. Edward Bunker, a former convict turned published crime author who was writing the screenplay for the film, recognized Trejo from their time together at San Quentin. Remembering Trejo's boxing skills, Bunker played a pivotal role in securing Trejo as Eric Roberts' personal trainer and boxing advisor. Trejo was paid between $320 and $350 per day. Trejo recalled: "When I got my first paycheck, I thought they made a mistake!" Bunker also convinced director Andrei Konchalovsky to offer Trejo a small acting role, asserting that Trejo's personal experiences of incarceration would provide authenticity to the prison drama. Following his acting debut, Trejo was oblivious to being typecast as a prisoner in similar roles for years to follow; "I [did not] know I was being stereotyped. I just knew I was working."
Trejo has made a number of cameo appearances in various music videos throughout his career; these include Kid Frost - “La Familia”, Sepultura - “Attitude”, Jay Chou's short film-music video “Double Blade”, Mobb Deep - “Got It Twisted”, Rehab - “Bartender Song (Sittin’ at a Bar)”, Enrique Inglesias - “Loco”, Tyga - “MAMACITA ft. YG, Sanata”, YG - “I Dance ft. Duki, Cuco” and ROSALÍA - “LA FAMA ft. The Weeknd”.
Social Network
Trejo maintains an active presence on social media, where he engages with fans and promotes his projects and businesses.
Heat went through two script revisions while Trejo read for the part. He ultimately secured the role, which reunited him with Michael Mann, who had directed him in the television miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story a few years prior. Mann initially mistook Trejo for his uncle Gilbert; he found the resemblance uncanny, having met Gilbert while shooting The Jericho Mile at Folsom in the late 1970s; production required the co-operation of the inmates, and Gilbert happened to be one of the shot-callers. Trejo's character in the film was initially called 'Vince' but renamed 'Trejo' in honor of Gilbert. Filming could be upward of 17 hours per day, but Trejo said he was grateful for how much he learned; "watching De Niro, Kilmer, and Voight, I learned a lot about how they saved [their performances] for when it mattered." He recalls being mentored by Robert De Niro, who was a patient and instructive scene partner. Trejo and De Niro improvised the former's death scene.
After concluding Animal Factory in 1999, he contracted Hepatitis C and "had to drag [his] ass" from Canada to Austin, Texas, to begin filming of Spy Kids in 2000. Spy Kids marked Trejo's debut as the fictional character Isador "Machete" Cortez. Having already made Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn together, the opportunity to collaborate with Robert Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas, and Cheech Marin once again "felt like [a] family reunion." Spy Kids provided Trejo with worldwide recognition and for the first time he was "instantly recognizable" among children around the globe.
Education
Trejo's educational background is less formal due to his early involvement in crime and time spent in prison. His education primarily came from experiences and the 12-step program that helped him turn his life around.
In conclusion, Danny Trejo's life and career are a remarkable example of overcoming adversity. From his early struggles to becoming a Hollywood staple and successful entrepreneur, Trejo continues to inspire with his unique blend of toughness and resilience.
Trejo had made a dozen films by 1990, including Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, and Marked for Death. He enjoyed the making of Guns, yet alleges Erik Estrada took issue with the cast and crew being more familiar with Trejo than himself. Trejo says Estrada's ego got the better of him; he believes Estrada arranged for Trejo and a number of others to fly coach instead of first class on the way to Hawaii for filming.
Trejo was a contributor to the book Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars. He's also mentioned in Edward Bunker's prison autobiography Education of a Felon (titled Mr. Blue in England), calling him the Rona Barrett of San Quentin because Danny knew all the gossip.
