Trinidad Silva

Birthday: January 30th, 1950 Date of Death: July 31st, 1988 Place of Birth: Mission, Texas, USA

Trinidad Silva, a character actor from Mission, Texas, had a promising career that was tragically cut short. He moved to Los Angeles in his mid-20s and landed his first acting role on "Baretta" in 1977. Unfortunately, due to the Latino typecasting prevalent at the time, most of his TV roles were as criminals or gang members. However, his role as Jesus Martinez on "Hill Street Blues" broke this stereotype, portraying a former gang leader turned community activist. Silva also played more positive roles in films like "Alambrista!" and "El Norte." Sadly, while filming "UHF" in 1988, Silva was killed by a drunk driver in Whittier, California. The film was dedicated to his memory. He was married to Sofia Alvarez.