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Clifton Collins Jr.

Personal Profile

Clifton Collins Jr.
  • Birth Name:
    Clifton Craig Collins Jr.
  • Common Name:
    Clifton Gonzalez Collins, Clifton Gonzales Gonzales
  • Date of Birth:
    June 16, 1970
  • Zodiac Sign:
    Gemini
  • Place of Birth:
    Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Height:
    5' 8"
  • Sex:
    Male
  • Hair Color:
    Black
  • Eye Color:
    Brown
  • Nationality:
    American

Family

Clifton Collins Jr.
  • Father:
    Clifton Collins
  • Sister:
    Veronica Collins

Career

Clifton Collins Jr.
  • Profession:
    Actor
  • Claim to Fame:
    One Eight Seven - 1997 - Movie
  • Debut:
    Grand Canyon - 1991 - Movie

Awards

Clifton Collins Jr.

1998 : Margo Albert Award

2007 : Copper Wing Award Best Ensemble Acting for : Little Chenier

Trivia

Clifton Collins Jr.
  • Was extremely proud of his grandfather, actor/comedian Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, who was, for the most part, a victim of Latino stereotypes in 50s and 60s John Wayne westerns and TV sitcoms. As a tribute, Clifton changed his professional name to Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez in 1990, claiming that he was tired of people not knowing his grandfather or appreciating the significance of his ordeal. He reverted back to the name of Collins in 2000 after his father passed away.
  • Clifton speaks Spanish.
  • Clifton enjoys snowboarding.
  • In 2006, Clifton was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Thief.
  • Clifton Craig Collins, Jr. is an American actor.

Quotes

Clifton Collins Jr.
  • "I'm so busy trying to be other people. You start acting just as soon as you walk into the door of that casting office. You can't just be yourself because they don't want to hire you. I am not a killer. I don't beat my mother. I don't do these things, but you have to walk in there and be these things because they don't want to hire somebody who 'pretends to be gay' or 'pretends to be a gang member.'"
  • "I'm a big fan of Gary Oldman - Sid and Nancy (1986), Dracula (1992), Immortal Beloved (1994) - I've watched every film he's ever done. I'd also love to work with some of the old school greats like Mike Nichols and Steven Spielberg. And I think Gus Van Sant is totally cool."
  • "I almost got to do Saving Private Ryan (1998), playing a German. I learned a German monologue in two days. I worked with Marco Hofschneider from Europa Europa (1990). We taped it and I went over it about a hundred times. It got down to me and Jeremy Davies. Even though it didn't work out, I know he's [Steven Spielberg] got his eye on me now so that's kind of cool."
View all Quotes: Clifton Collins Jr.

Biography

Clifton Collins Jr.
Last Updated: Saturday, October 03, 2009

CliftonCollins, Jr. was born in Los Angeles, California, of half Mexican descent and the grandson of actor Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez. Born under the surname 'Collins', he has sometimes been credited as "Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez" to honor his grandfather. He first broke through the mainstream in 1997 with a performance as gang thug César Sánchez in the film "One Eight Seven". In 1998, he enchanted and amused small screen audiences in Ray Bradbury's cult Latino film "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit". He next portrayed a hitman for the Mexican drug cartels in the 2000 ensemble drama "Traffic".

In 2002 he played the role of Buddy in the film Confessions of an American Girl. In 2005, Collins, Jr. won rave reviews for his subtle portrayal of killer Perry Smith in the fact-based film "Capote". He starred in 2006's "Dirty" alongside Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.. Collins, Jr. starred on FX Networks' show "Thief". Collins, Jr. also played a supporting role on FX Networks' The Shield, as undercover ICE agent Hernan. He also has a small role in 2006's "Babel", directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Collins, Jr. co-produced the film National Lampoon's TV: The Movie in which he plays Officer Sanchez alongside of Jacob Vargas in TJ COPS. He also voiced the fictional video game character "Cesar Vialpando" in "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas".Collins, Jr. dated actress Emmanuelle Chriqui from 2002 till early 2006. Collins, Jr. also dated actress Taryn Manning in 2007.

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