Biography
A popular comedian who made the successful transition to dramatic actor, Cheech Marin earned his greatest fame as one-half of the stoned comedy duo, Cheech and Chong. Rising out of the counterculture of the late 1960s, Cheech and Chong went on to become one of the top comedy the 1970s and early 1980s, thanks to their vulgar, low-brow humor centered on racial stereotypes and a never-ending quest to score good marijuana. Cheech and Chong hit …
Cheech Marin SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Active in music as a child; performed in bands and reportedly appeared on albums | ||
| Co-founded City Works (with Chong) an improv group that combined comedy and music at a Vancouver nightclub owned by Chong's brother | ||
| Left college and fled to Vancouver, British Columbia to evade the U.S. draft | ||
| Received first directorial credit (after reportedly co-directing several Cheech & Chong features uncredited) for the music video "Born in East L.A." | ||
1968 | Met future partner Tommy Chong in Vancouver and began performing improv together | |
1970 | Formed comedy duo Cheech and Chong | |
1971 | Recorded first comedy album, Cheech & Chong, received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Recording | |
1978 | Made feature debut as a writer and actor in the comedy "Up in Smoke"; co-wrote and co-starred with Chong | |
1980 | Discovered Paul Reubens, then performing his Pee-wee Herman at the Groundlings improv group and cast him in "Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams" (1981) | |
1985 | Directed the short-form video "Cheech and Chong Get Out of My Room" (also wrote; co-starred and performed songs with Chong) | |
1985 | Re-teamed with Chong for a small but pivotal part in Martin Scorsese's "After Hours" | |
1987 | Feature directing debut, "Born in East L.A." (also wrote screenplay and lyrics for the title song) | |
1987 | Portrayed a singing East Indian shopowner in a sketch on "The Tracey Ullman Show" (Fox) | |
1988 | Executive produced the unsold NBC sitcom pilot "The Cheech Show" (also co-wrote and starred) | |
1988 | Lent his voice to the character of Tito in the Disney animated film "Oliver & Company" | |
1990 | Guest starred on HBO's "Dream On" in the episode entitled "The Taking of Pablum 1-2-3" | |
1990 | Re-teamed with Chong to record roles for the animated feature "FernGully: The Last Rainforest" (released 1992) | |
1991 | Provided the voice of Buck, the family dog, on several episodes of the Fox sitcom "Married... with Children" | |
1992 | Debut as a TV series regular, played the recently divorced Mexican chef Chuy Castillos on the CBS sitcom spin-off "The Golden Palace" | |
1994 | Provided the voice of Banzai the Hyena for the blockbuster Disney animated feature "The Lion King"; also performed songs | |
1995 | First collaboration as an actor with writer-director Robert Rodriguez, played the 'Short Bartender' in "Desperado" | |
1996 | Cast as a regular on the CBS crime drama "Nash Bridges," co-starring Don Johnson | |
1996 | Had a supporting role opposite Kevin Costner and Don Johnson in Ron Shelton's "Tin Cup" | |
1997 | Hosted "Latino Laugh Festival," a pay-per-view production of Showtime Event Television | |
1998 | Appeared in the feature "Paulie: A Parrot's Tale," starring Gena Rowlands | |
1999 | Cast as Jesus in the feature "Luminarias" | |
2002 | Again teamed with director Robert Rodriguez for "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" | |
2002 | Re-teamed with Robert Rodriguez in the film "Spy Kids 2: The Island Of Lost Dreams" | |
2004 | Cast in John Sayles' political satire "Silver City," co-starring Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Daryl Hannah and Richard Dreyfuss | |
2004 | Cast in the holiday comedy "Christmas with the Kranks" | |
2005 | Played Captain Victor Delgado, opposite Nick Cannon, in the comedy "Underclassman" | |
2006 | Voiced Ramone in the Pixar animated feature "Cars" | |
2007 | Had a recurring role in the Fox series "Lost," as Hurley's father, David Reyes | |
2008 | Lent his voice to the live-action comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" | |
2010 | Appeared in the action thriller "Machete," directed by Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez | |
2010 | Starred in "The Perfect Game" about the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series | |