| Raoul Trujillo | |
| Birth Name: | Raoul Max Trujillo |
| Birth Date: | 8 May 1955 |
| Years Active: | 1977present |
Raoul Max Trujillo (born May 8, 1955[1]) is an American actor, dancer, choreographer and theater director.[2] A former soloist with the Nikolais Dance Theatre,[3] he is the original choreographer and co-director for the American Indian Dance Theatre.[4] [5] His career spans more than 45 years in film, television and theatre. He has also hosted a series of dancing programs, and is a Critics' Choice Award nominee.
Trujillo is best known for playing Zero Wolf, a ruthless Mayan slave catcher and the main antagonist of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (2006), and for playing the Iroquois chief Kiotsaeton in the film Black Robe. He has appeared in numerous high-profile and acclaimed films, including The New World, Cowboys and Aliens, Riddick, Blood Father, Sicario, and its sequel . He also starred in dozens of television programs in both supporting and starring roles, including True Blood, Lost Girl, Da Vinci's Demons, Salem, The Blacklist, and Jamestown.[6] He most recently starred on Mayans M.C. as Che "Taza" Romero.[7] [8]
He started work in the theatre as a scenic painter and landed his first job in 1977 as an actor/dancer in a production of Equus. He began dancing in Los Angeles in 1978 at the University of Southern California and saw his first modern dance and ballet productions; Pilobolus, Martha Graham and Rudolf Nureyev. The next two years, he trained extensively with the Toronto Dance Theatre and Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab in New York City on scholarships. He was asked to join Nikolais Dance Theatre under the direction of the master Alwin Nikolais, who became his mentor and he began touring the world. He also learned scenic, costume and lighting design during this time from 1980 to 1987. After leaving the company, he began his solo work as dancer and choreographer and commenced his journey into shamanic ceremonials and incorporating native myths and legends in his work.
After the first decade of performing as a dancer, Trujilo became the choreographer and co-director for the American Indian Dance Theatre, the first professional native dance company incorporating traditional dance with contemporary retelling of myths and legends. He choreographed, "The Shaman's Journey", for the Asia Society in New York and later was adapted into a short film for PBS on Alive from Off Center. He went on to join creative partners Alejandro Roncerria and René Highway in Toronto. This work resulted in creating successful theatre pieces for Native Earth Performing Arts. His work with Roncerria continued and he helped establish the Aboriginal Dance Project at the Banff Centre to further train Indigenous dancers from all over the world. In 2002, he received the CANCOM Ross Charles award in Canada to attend the Banff Center's screenwriters workshop for aboriginal storytellers.
Trujilo began his screen acting career in 1988 in Canada, and currently holds over 107 film and television credits. He choreographed the dances, ceremonies and rituals for Terrence Malick's The New World, as well as acting in the role of Tomocomo.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Counterstrike | Rojo | Episode: "Dead in the Air" | |
| 1990 | The Hitchhiker | James | Episode: "Tough Guys Don't Whine" | |
| 1990 | Street Legal | Raoul Hidalgo | Episode: "Double Agenda" | |
| 1990 | E.N.G. | Lucas Green | Episode: "A Long Way from Hopeful" | |
| 1992 | The Broken Cord | Emil Bearheart | Television film | |
| 1993 | Gross Misconduct | Andy Greenberg | ||
| 1993 | Medicine River | Floyd | ||
| 1993–95 | Destiny Ridge | Sam Whitehorse | Main role; Seasons 1-2 | |
| 1994 | Trial at Fortitude Bay | Simon Amituq | Television film | |
| 1995 | Black Fox | Running Dog | Miniseries | |
| 1995 | The Invaders | Carlos Suarez | ||
| 1996 | JAG | Arturo | Episode: "Sightings" | |
| 1996 | Gabe LaRoche | Episode: "Bounty" | ||
| 1996 | Renegade | Ricardo Pena | Episode: "Hog Calls" | |
| 1996 | The Sentinel | Spirit Guide | Episode: "Flight" | |
| 1997 | Sisters and Other Strangers | Jimmy Coyote | Television film | |
| 1997 | Silk Stalkings | Ernesto | Episode: "Silent Witness" | |
| 1997 | House of Frankenstein | Woody | Miniseries | |
| 1998 | Witness to Yesterday | Tecumseh | Episode: "Tecumseh" | |
| 1998 | The Adventures of Sinbad | Korla | Episode: "The Guardians" | |
| 1999 | La Femme Nikita | Chris Ferriera | Episode: "Looking for Michael" | |
| 1999 | War of 1812 | Tecumseh | Miniseries | |
| 2000 | Namor (voice) | Episode: "To Rule Atlantis" | ||
| 2000 | Iroquois Warrior | Episode: "When the World Began" | ||
| 2000 | The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne | The Inquisitor | Episode: "The Inquisitor" | |
| 2001 | Largo Winch | Jacob Santos | Episode: "Just Cause" | |
| 2001 | MythQuest | Tezcatlipoca | Episode: "Quetzalcoatl" | |
| 2003 | Adventure Inc. | Agent Harami | Episode: "Secret of the Sands" | |
| 2003 | Betrayed | Bill Lebret | Television film | |
| 2003 | Ramiro | Episode: "Mummy Virus" | ||
| 2003 | Freedom: A History of Us | Matthew Lyon (voice) | Episode: "Revolution" | |
| 2004 | Frankenfish | Ricardo Alma | Television film | |
| 2005 | Into the West | Red Cloud | Miniseries | |
| 2007 | Tin Man | Raw | Miniseries | |
| 2008 | True Blood | Longshadow | Recurring role; 4 episodes | |
| 2009 | The Unit | Father Sebastian | Episode: "The Spear of Destiny" | |
| 2009 | In Plain Sight | Felix Calderon | Episode: "Jailbait" | |
| 2010 | Triassic Attack | Dakota | Television film | |
| 2011 | Moby Dick | Queequeg | Miniseries | |
| 2011 | Neverland | Holy Man | ||
| 2011–12 | Heartland | Renard | Guest role; 2 episodes | |
| 2011–12 | Lost Girl | The Garuda | Guest role; 3 episodes | |
| 2013 | Longmire | Grady Littlefoot | Episode: "Tuscan Red" | |
| 2013 | Strike Back | Miguel Gomez | Guest role; 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Republic of Doyle | Eli Kane | Episode: "Bon Cop, Bueno Cop" | |
| 2014 | Da Vinci's Demons | Topa Inca Yupanqui | Supporting role; Season 2 | |
| 2014 | Manhattan | Javier | Episode: "Spooky Action At a Distance" | |
| 2014 | The Wrong Mans | Carlos Espinoza | Supporting role; Series 2 | |
| 2015 | Major Crimes | Javier Mendoza | Episode: "Internal Affairs" | |
| 2015 | Banshee | Sani Crow | Episode: "All the Wisdom I Got Left" | |
| 2015 | Saints & Strangers | Massasoit | Miniseries Nominated- Critics Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | |
| 2015 | Salem | The Shaman | Recurring role; 4 episodes | |
| 2016 | The Blacklist | Mato | Recurring role; 3 episodes | |
| 2016 | MacGyver | Joaquin "El Noche" Sancola | Episode: "Can Opener" | |
| 2016 | Frontier | Machk | Guest role; 3 episodes | |
| 2017 | Get Shorty | Josias | Guest role; 2 episodes | |
| 2017–19 | Jamestown | Opchanacanough | Main role | |
| 2018–2022 | Mayans M.C. | Che "Taza" Romero | Main role; 40 episodes | |
| 2019 | Hawaii Five-0 | Alejandro Vega | Episode: "Ho'opio 'ia e ka noho ali'i a ka ua" |