Mario Ernesto Sánchez
Mario Ernesto Sánchez (born on January 10, 1947, in San Antonio de las Vegas, Cuba; † April 10, 2025, in Miami, Florida, USA) was a Cuban actor and theater founder. In 1979, he established Teatro Avante, a Hispanic theater in Florida, and became a significant figure in promoting Latin American theater in the United States. Sánchez played various supporting roles in Hollywood films and TV series, including Invasion U.S.A. (1985), The Specialist (1994), Bad Boys (1995), and Step Up Revolution (2012). He also appeared in five episodes of the series Miami Vice and had a role in the 2006 film of the same name. Additionally, he was featured in The Truman Show as a security guard and in the British cult series Only Fools and Horses as a Colombian drug lord. As a teenager, he emigrated to the United States through Operation Pedro Pan. Over the course of his career, he received several awards for his contributions to Hispanic theater, including the Federico García Lorca Award (1995) and the Ollantay Award (1994). Sánchez passed away on April 10, 2025, at the age of 78 in Miami.
Acting
Movie
The Truman Show
as Security Guard
1998
Movie
Bad Boys
as Drug Buyer
1995
Movie
8MM
as Taxi Driver
1999
Movie
Step Up Revolution
as Ricky
2012
Movie
Miami Vice
as El Tiburon
2006
Movie
The Specialist
as Charlie
1994
Movie
Proof of Life
as Arturo Fernandez
2000
TV
Burn Notice
as Campos
2007
TV
Miami Vice
as Morales
1984
TV
Miami Vice
as Jimmy
1984
TV
Miami Vice
as Diplomat Roberto
1984
TV
Miami Vice
as Paco
1984
TV
Miami Vice
as Jorge
1984
Movie
Invasion U.S.A.
as Victor
1985
Movie
Father of the Bride
as Paco
2022
TV
21 Jump Street
as Guardia Leader
1987
Movie
Blood and Wine
as Artie (Fishing Ace)
1996
TV
Wiseguy
1987
Movie
Clinton and Nadine
as Rojas
1988
Movie
Virtual Weapon
as Emergency doctor
1997
Movie
Plato's Run
as Flaco
1997
Movie
Sea Devil
as Efron
2015
Movie
Catherine's Grove
as Ernesto
1997
Movie
Fires Within
as Family Member
1991