Luis Contreras

Known for ActingBorn 1950-09-18Died 2004-06-20San Juan, Puerto Rico

Tall, lean, and wiry, 6-foot-4 Euro-Indigenous Latino American character actor. The son of Euro-Indigenous Latino American character actor, Roberto Contreras. Luis Contreras was born on September 18, 1950. Lean and wiry, often sporting a mass of curly hair and drooping mustache, with his piercing dark eyes and angular face Contreras ranged between portraying various criminals and police officers. Contreras made his film debut as a Federale in Steven Spielberg's wonderful science fiction classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." He also popped up as a zoot suiter in Spielberg's hilarious all-star comedy "1941." Contreras frequently acted in movies for director Walter Hill: "The Long Riders," "48 HRS.,""Extreme Prejudice," "Red Heat," "Geronimo: An American Legend," and "Last Man Standing." Contreras was especially memorable as a grocery store security guard in the cult classic sci-fi black comedy "Repo Man," the vicious ringleader of a gang of cocaine cowboys in "Stand Alone," a hostile eye-patched biker in the delightfully madcap "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," and a deranged homeless man who terrorizes a trio of teenage girls in the "A Night on the Town" episode of the hugely enjoyable horror anthology "After Midnight." Contreras also did guest appearances on the TV shows "CHiPs," "Quincy M.E.," "T.J. Hooker," "Knight Rider," "Riptide," "Hill Street Blues," "Simon & Simon," "Night Court," "Hunter," "Matlock," and "Carnivale", regularly working through the 1970s and 1980s. Luis Contreras died of cancer at the tragically young age of 53 on June 20, 2004.Read more

Movies & web series

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Bound by Honor

Wednesday Afternoon

Carnivàle

A Touch of Scandal

Airwolf

Heart of the City

Knight Rider

Tales of the Gold Monkey

Quincy, M.E.

Night Court

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Matlock

Hunter

The Oldest Rookie

CHiPs

Simon & Simon

48 Hrs.

Repo Man

The Long Riders

T. J. Hooker

Walker

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Last Man Standing

Criminal

Geronimo: An American Legend

Police Story: The Freeway Killings

Extreme Prejudice

Red Heat

Running Scared

Borderline

American Tragedy

Missing Pieces

Barbarosa

After Midnight

1941

Sunset

El Diablo

Falcon Crest

Heart Beat

Straight to Hell

Big Trouble

Stand Alone

Walking the Edge

Lower Level

Dollman

Blue City