Actor Danny Trejo has been in many movies and TV shows since his entrance into Hollywood in the mid-’80s, including Machete, Desperado, and Spy Kids just to name a few. In 2019, the documentary film Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo was released, where the actor discusses his criminal past, his battle with addiction, and the career that he built.
Trejo has always been open about his struggles before he became a big star, and he uses his story to inspire other people through counseling and other philanthropic efforts. So, how did Machete go from being an inmate in one of the country’s most notorious prisons to becoming a beloved Hollywood star?
Danny Trejo’s criminal past
Danny Trejo was born to a Mexican family in Los Angeles in 1944, and his life of crime began at the tender age of 7, when he was involved in his first drug deal. In an interview with Prison Legal News, the actor said that he was “state-raised,” meaning that he was in and out of youth authority camps, juvenile halls, and penitentiaries for the offenses he committed in his youth.
The trend continued in his early adulthood, and his crimes escalated. He committed armed robberies, assaults, and drive-by shootings, which landed him in prisons and conservation camps including Folsom, Soledad, Vacaville, Sierra, and Susanville. His final stay in prison started in 1965 when he was caught selling four ounces of heroin to an undercover federal agent. Trejo claims that it was actually just sugar. That offense landed him in San Quentin prison.
Trejo said that he never thought he was going to get out of prison. He witnessed inmates getting attacked or killed by fellow inmates and it was in 1968 when he turned to his faith.
“I made a promise, ‘Lord if you let me die with dignity, I’ll say your name every day and I’ll do whatever you can for my fellow inmate.’ And I said inmate because I never thought I was getting out of prison.”
It was also about that time when Trejo decided to be sober. A former inmate went to San Quentin to speak to the current inmates and asked him to join an AA meeting. Trejo was fortunate to get out of prison alive. He was paroled in 1969 after serving five years of his 10-year sentence, and he has been sober ever since.
Danny Trejo’s introduction to Hollywood
After his release, Trejo worked different jobs. He went into sales, gardening, and even became a part-owner of a lawn care business. In addition, he also became a substance abuse counselor.
Trejo’s first acting stint happened by accident. In 1984, one of the people he was sponsoring was working on a movie at that time and was fearful that he would relapse while on set. Trejo offered his support and visited the shooting location. A man, who happened to be the assistant director, saw him and asked if he wanted to be an extra, to which he said, “an extra what?” The man then asked him, “Can you act like a convict?” Trejo found the question funny and said, “I’m a professional,” and he accepted the offer.
It turned out that Trejo knew one of the screenwriters for the movie, Eddie Bunker, who had also spent time in San Quentin. Bunker knew that Trejo was a superb boxer and asked him if he was willing to train one of the lead actors, Eric Roberts, for $320 a day. Trejo accepted the job and was even featured as the actor’s boxing opponent in the movie.
Trejo realized that he loved what he did, and as he said in his memoir, acting wasn’t something new to him.
“I’d acted to survive my childhood. I’d acted like I wasn’t scared when I was terrified. In Folsom, I acted to keep my sanity. Now that I was doing it for fun, I loved acting. I loved the feeling. Like a new drug, I was hooked.”
From then on, Trejo started getting acting gigs left and right, often being cast as the scary bad guy, which he didn’t mind. Apart from being an actor, Trejo is also a philanthropist and restaurateur. He celebrated 55 years of sobriety in 2023.