Luis Bordonada

Luis Bordonada was a prolific character actor in independent features and television, often playing quiet men of character on series like "The Bridge" (FX, 2013-16) and "Vida" (Starz, 2018-). Born in Juarez, Mexico to Mexican and Puerto Rican parents, Bordonado was raised by his grandparents in Parral until his grandmother's death prompted a reunion with his parents in El Paso, Texas. There, he participated in plays in school and at his local church, which spurred an interest in acting as a career. Bordonada left home at the age of 16 and enlisted in the Army in 1997 as a means of paying for a college education. He received his honorable discharge in 2001, but continued with the National Guard for an additional two years while also delving into acting classes under Hector Serrano at El Paso Community College. This led to stage work with the Chicano Theatre Workshop and appearances in short films beginning in 2009. Bordonada's first feature film role was as a gunman in the dystopian thriller "The Book of Eli" (2010), but he won critical praise as a field hand who turns to drug trafficking in "Illegales" ("Illegal," 2010). Steady work in features and on television soon, followed, most notably a recurring role on FX's "The Bridge." In 2014, he made his directorial debut with "La Botella," a short film in which he also starred as a distraught widower whose struggle with alcoholism has a tragic influence on his young son. He soon resumed a busy schedule of television and film roles, including recurring turns as an amiable lawyer on "Better Call Saul" (AMC, 2015-) and on Starz's "Vida," about estranged Latina sisters who reunite to save their late mother's business.