| José María Yazpik | |
| Birth Date: | November 13, 1970 |
| Birth Place: | Mexico City, México |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1995–present |
José María Yazpik (born November 13, 1970) is a Mexican actor, best known for his portrayal of Amado Carrillo Fuentes in the third season of Narcos (2017) and in its three-season follow-up series (2018–2021).
Yazpik was born in Mexico City of a wealthy family, the son of successful gynaecologist Jose Maria Meza and housewife Cristina Yazpik. His mother is lebanese descent. He has two siblings. When Yazpik was a child, Meza decided to move the family to San Diego, California, and started a practice in Tijuana. The family settled in La Jolla. After his father's practice failed, the family moved to Tijuana, but Yazpik and his brother continued going to school in San Diego.[1]
Yazpik's first acting job came from a friend of his father, who produced the television film The Brute With the Angel of Death. He moved to Mexico City to study at the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) of Televisa. Upon graduating he was offered minor roles in youth soap operas on Televisa. He had his first major role on television in the soap opera The Dove in 1995, produced by José Rendón, which stopped production because of the death of its star actor Gerardo Hemmer.
In 1996, Yazpik acted in his second telenovela, Song of Love, produced by Luis de Llano Macedo, and in the film Última llamada, directed by Carlos Garcia Agraz. In 1997, he gained roles in television, playing a villainous youth in the telenovelas Pueblo chico, infierno grande and Ángela, both produced by José Alberto Castro.
Yazpik portrayed Mexican narcotics trafficker, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, in the third season of the Netflix drama Narcos (2017) and in all three seasons of (2018–2021).