Tony Plana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tony Plana
Plana in 2019
Born	José Antonio Plana (1952-04-19) April 19, 1952 (age 72) Havana, Cuba
Citizenship	United States
Alma mater	Loyola Marymount University
Occupation	Actor director
Years active	1974–present
Spouse(s)	Ada Maris ​ (m. 1988)​
Children	2

José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban-American actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show Ugly Betty and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game Grim Fandango.

Early life and education

Plana was born in Havana, Cuba. His family moved to Miami in 1960. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and was trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, UK.

Career

While known to a broad audience for his roles in feature films and television, Plana is also known for his skills in acting and directing for the stage. In 1995, he founded East L.A. Classic Theatre and over the course of a decade, he created and directed a number of Shakespeare productions for minority audiences. He has been active in the Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York City theater communities, including leading appearances on Broadway and at New York City's Public Theater. He originated the role of Rudy in the Los Angeles production of Luis Valdez's play Zoot Suit, going on to play Rudy in the film version.

Plana has acted, directed and written for television in series, miniseries, and specials such as Hill Street Blues, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Resurrection Boulevard, Commander in Chief, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The West Wing, 24, and Cagney & Lacey.

Plana has acted in films such as An Officer and a Gentleman, Three Amigos, Goal!, and Lone Star. He is known to PC gamers as the voice of Manny Calavera in the LucasArts 1998 adventure game Grim Fandango. In 2011, Plana guest starred in Desperate Housewives as Gabrielle Solis's stepfather, Alejandro Perez. He also directed Witch's Lament, a Desperate Housewives episode in the show's eighth season. In 2011, he appeared in Body of Proof, in the episode "Helping Hand".

Plana participated in the web series Los Americans (2011), about a middle-class family in Los Angeles.

Plana teaches acting at California State University, Dominguez Hills and Rio Hondo College. In 2012, he served as a judge for the Noor Iranian Film Festival.

Politics

Plana volunteers as a spokesperson for comprehensive immigration reform. He was the keynote speaker for the 2012 LULAC conference in Coronado Springs Convention Center in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Awards

Won

• Satellite Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television for his role as "Ignacio Suarez," Ugly Betty, on December 17, 2006.

Nominations

• Screen Actors Guild Awards: Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble - Comedy Series for: Ugly Betty (2006).
• ALMA Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Television Series for: Resurrection Blvd. (2002)
• ALMA Awards: Outstanding Actor in a New Television Series for: Resurrection Blvd. (2001)
• Bravo Awards: Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film for: Lone Star (1996).

Selected filmography

Voice acting

• Godzilla 1985 (1985) as Goro Maki (voice, uncredited)
• Santo Bugito (1995, TV Series) as Paco
• Extreme Ghostbusters (1997, TV Series) (voice)
• Grim Fandango (1998, Video Game) as Manuel "Manny" Calavera
• Cuba Libre (2003) as Narrator (voice)
• Hiroshima - Radio play based on the book by John Hersey, adapted by John Valentine (2003)
• Ghost Recon Wildlands(2017,Video Game) as El Cardenal
• Elena of Avalor (2018, TV Series) as Oapa (voice)
• The Legend of Vox Machina (2023, TV Series) as Kamaljiori (voice)

See also

In Spanish: Tony Plana para niños