Born in the Philippines, Lou Diamond Phillips, 53, is of Scotch-Irish, Cherokee, Filipino, Chinese, Hawaiian and Spanish ancestry. He had his breakthrough as a Hollywood actor when he played Ritchie Valens in the 1987 film "La Bamba."
In 1989, Phillips received his first Golden Globes nomination for his supporting role in the 1988 film "Stand and Deliver" but lost to "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" actor Martin Landau. Here are 10 of the best TV roles Phillips played:
10. Gaez in "Chuck" in 2011
"Chuck" Season 4 episode 15 featured Phillips as Gaez in 2011.
9. Officer Danny Ferguson in "Southland" in 2012
In 2012, Phillips played Officer Danny Ferguson in two "Southland" episodes.
8. Harry Tran in "Resurrection Blvd." in 2002
In 2002, Phillips appeared in two episodes of "Resurrection Blvd." as Harry Tran.
7. Meeno Paloma in "The Triangle" in 2005
In 2005, Phillips played Meeno Paloma in three episodes of the TV mini-series "The Triangle."
6. Mark DeSalvo in "24" in 2002
In 2002, Phillips played Mark DeSalvo in two episodes of "24."
5. Saul Guerrero in "Blindspot" in 2015
Starring Jaimie Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton, "Blindspot" featured Phillips as Saul Guerrero in 2015.
4. John Kanin in "Wolf Lake"
"Wolf Lake" was created by John Kllekley. It starred Phillips as John Kanin from 2001 to 2002 opposite Tim Matheson and Paul Wesley, who recently attended the 2016 Art of Elysium Heaven Gala in Culvery City, California, with his "The Vampire Diaries" co-stars Ian Somerhalder and Phoebe Tonkin and "Sleepy Hollow" star Nikki Reed, Just Jared reported.
3. Henry Standing Bear in "Longmire"
Opposite Robert Taylor and Katee Sackhoff, Phillips played Henry Standing Bear in "Longmire" from 2012 to 2015.
2. Colonel David Telford in "SGU Stargate Universe"
Phillips played Colonel David Telford in "SGU Stargate Universe" from 2009 to 2011. Chinese American "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" star Ming-Na Wen also starred in the series in those years.
1. Agent Ian Edgerton in "Numb3rs"
From 2005 to 2010, Phillips played Agent Ian Edgerton in "Numb3rs," which was created by Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci. Among his co-stars were Indian-German actor Navi Rawat, 38, and Japanese-American actor Aya Sumika, 36.
On the big screen, Phillips is set to star in the upcoming crime drama "The Night Stalker' opposite Louis Herthum and Bellamy Young. Also, the play written by Phillips titled "Burning Desire" will be staged at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, Connecticut, from February to March, Broadway World reported.
Watch a clip of an interview with Phillips on "Conan" here:
