Acting · Puerto Rico · Born January 25, 1952
He was born in Puerto Rico 1959. Calderon moved to New York with his family at the age of six, where he grew up on the streets of the Lower East Side and Spanish Harlem. Following some time in college, he enlisted in the United States Army and served overseas as an infantryman. Returning to the States, Calderon set his sights on an acting career. Starting out on the New York stage, he won an Obie Award for his performance in Blade to the Heat at the Public Theatre. His most notable Broadway role was opposite Robert De Niro in Cuba and His Teddy Bear. Calderon also appeared off-Broadway in such plays as Requiem For A Heavyweight and Divine Horsemen, and played Achilles in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s production of Troilus and Cressida in Central Park. He is a founding member of the Touchstone Theatre, the American Folk Theatre and the Labyrinth Theatre Company. Calderon was originally slated to portray the role of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction; Samuel L. Jackson was subsequently given the role. Correction Samuel Jackson told Tarantino he had messed up by not casting him in Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino agreed and told him he was writing a script and had a character that he had written specifically with Jackson in mind. Calderon had a better initial reading than Jackson and Tarantino gave serious consideration to casting him as Jules Winnfield. Calderon portrays Paul the bartender in dialogue scene between Butch Coolidge and Marsellus Wallace. Calderon also co-wrote Abel Ferrara's 1992 crime drama Bad Lieutenant, starring Harvey Keitel. Calderon acted in The Last Castle and the critically acclaimed independent feature Girlfight. His more than three dozen film credits also include Out of Sight, Cop Land, Four Rooms, Pulp Fiction, Bad Lieutenant, The Firm, The Addiction, Q & A, Sea of Love, Clockers and King of New York. In addition, he has made numerous guest appearances on television series, including recurring roles on Dream Street, Law & Order and Miami Vice. In 2010, Calderon is set to star as The Businessman in Sanzhar Sultanov's crime drama - The Story.
TVCape Fear
2026
as The Padrino
TVIronheart
2025
as CEO of Artworks
MoviePrick
2025
as President
MovieStaging Anna
2024
as Director
TVJustified: City Primeval
2023
as Raymond Cruz
TVEast New York
2022
as Father Frank Suarez
TVBosch: Legacy
2022
as Det. Santiago 'Jimmy' Robertson
Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend
2021
as Self (archive footage)
TVFBI
2018
as Fernando Perez
TVThis Is Us
2016
as Older Risto Rivas
MovieThe Strike
2016
as Walt Whitman
TVBlindspot
2015
as Drill Instructor
TVFear the Walking Dead
2015
as Alejandro Núñez
TVBosch
2015
as Santiago 'Jimmy' Robertson
West End
2014
as Robert Mackey
TVMadam Secretary
2014
as Foreign Minister Albert Rojas
MovieWelcome to New York
2014
as Pierre
MovieBiodegradable
2013
as Profesor Lopez
MovieBolaetrapo
2013
as Cuenta
TVThe Blacklist
2013
as Manuel Esteban
TVElementary
2012
as Zuniga
MovieWhy Stop Now?
2012
as Eduardo
MovieBurning Daylight
2010
as Hughie Luke
TVBlue Bloods
2010
as Lieutenant Perez
TVBoardwalk Empire
2010
as Arquimedes
MovieGun
2010
as Detective Jenkins
MovieDown This Road
2010
as Father
MovieLa Soga
2009
as Rafa
MovieA Kiss of Chaos
2009
as Oscar Perez
MovieThe Hungry Ghosts
2009
as Carl
TVLie to Me
2009
as Manny Trillo
MoviePistol Whipped
2008
as Blue
TVThe Black Donnellys
2007
as Detective at Prison
MovieThe Sentinel
2006
as Deputy Director Cortes
TVLaw & Order: Trial by Jury
2005
as Detective
Movie21 Grams
2003
as Brown
MovieKill the Poor
2003
as Carlos DeJesus
MovieThe Last Castle
2001
as Dellwo
TVLaw & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Marcus Feingold
TVThe Education of Max Bickford
2001
as Danny Martinez
Movie3 A.M.
2001
as Ralph
MovieThe Atlantis Conspiracy
2001
as Guy
MovieOnce in the Life
2000
as Manny Rivera
MovieBait
2000
as Cop (uncredited)
MovieGirlfight
2000
as Sandro Guzman
MovieOxygen
1999
as Jesse
TVThird Watch
1999
as Bobby's father
TVLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Eric Molina
MovieOne Tough Cop
1998
as Sgt. Diaz
MovieOut of Sight
1998
as Raymond Cruz
MovieAll Revved Up
1998
as Carl
MovieMontana
1998
as Boulez
TVDellaventura
1997
as Detective Rosario
MovieCop Land
1997
as Hector - Medic
MovieDark Angel
1996
as Vance Pickett
MovieFour Rooms
1995
as Norman
MovieCondition Red
1995
as Angel Delgado
MovieThe Addiction
1995
as Professor
MovieClockers
1995
as Jesus at Hambones
MovieSweet Nothing
1995
as Ray
MovieLotto Land
1995
as Reinaldo
MovieHand Gun
1994
as Landwick
MoviePulp Fiction
1994
as Paul
TVNew York Undercover
1994
as Emilio Vasquez
MovieThe Firm
1993
as Thomas Richie
MovieBad Lieutenant
1992
as Cop #1
TVThe Hat Squad
1992
as Miguel Cortez
MovieCrissCross
1992
as Blacky
MovieThe Keys
1992
as Garcia
TVLaw & Order
1990
as Father Torres
MovieKing of New York
1990
as Joey Dalesio
MovieQ & A
1990
as Roger Montalvo
MovieThe Old Man and the Sea
1990
as Anderez
MoviePenn & Teller Get Killed
1989
as Juan
MovieSea of Love
1989
as Serafino
MovieThe Chair
1988
as Pizza
MovieSticky Fingers
1988
as Speed
MovieBand of the Hand
1986
as Tito
MovieDoubletake
1985
as Bitong
MovieTenement
1985
as Hector
TVThe Equalizer
1985
as Rat Heart
MovieCommunity Plot
1984
TVMiami Vice
1984
as Nicky
