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Cheech Marin
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Cheech Marin (born Richard Anthony Marin on July 13, 1946), is an American, comedian and actor, who gained recognition in the Cheech and Chong movies in the 1980s, and as Don Johnson's quick-and-scheme partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges.
He was born in Los Angeles California to Oscar Marin (an LAPD officer) and Elsa Melsa. Marin is a graduate of California State University Northridge where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. His stage persona is that of a stereotypical Mexican American, or an uneducated urban Chicano. Fleeing from the US draft during the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, Marin settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he met future comedic partner Tommy Chong. As a part of the duo Cheech and Chong he participated in a number of comedy albums and feature film comedies. After he and Tommy went their separate ways, he starred in a number of films as a solo actor, most notably Born in East L.A. and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
Later, he made the transition to television when he co-starred with
Don Johnson and
Yasmine Bleeth in the police show
Nash Bridges (1996-2001), in which they played San Francisco police-detective partners. In recent years he has been active in playing supporting roles in films and performing
voice overs for
animated features. His last television work included a supporting role in
Judging Amy, where he played an independently wealthy
landscape designer. He's also a favorite of director
Robert Rodriguez, who has worked with Marin six times following the last two installments of his
El Mariachi trilogy, the
Spy Kids trilogy, and
From Dusk Till Dawn. He also provided his voice for several
Disney animated films, most notably
Oliver & Company (1988),
The Lion King (1994) and
Cars (
2006). He also made a small appearance as a dockworker in the movie
Ghostbusters 2.
Marin has also released a best-selling album in the children's music genre, My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1997). The album was released bilingually.
Marin is one of the foremost collectors of Chicano art in the United States, and his private collection is claimed to be the world's largest. Two national touring exhibitions have featured works from his collection. He's also an avid golfer, although Marin initially disliked the sport until he co-starred in Tin Cup.
Marin was born with a cleft lip, which has long since been repaired. He speaks fluent Spanish[verification needed] and uses it in some of the movies he stars in. Marin's trademark is his character's Mexican-accented voice.
The actor took a cue from his Nash Bridges counterpart as he resides in the
San Francisco Bay Area year round, as a resident of the city's ritzy
Sea Cliff neighborhood.
Recently, Marin reprised his role as Banzai the Hyena from The Lion King for the video game Kingdom Hearts II. In the 2006 animated film Cars he voiced the lowrider Ramone.
Marin was going to do the voice role of Cesar Vialpando from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas but it went to Clifton Collins Jr..
In the fall of 2006, Marin participated in Simon Cowell's Celebrity Duets, having sung with Peter Frampton, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Aaron Neville, and Al Jarreau. He was the fourth to be eliminated.
In the 2007 return of the hit television series Lost season 3, Marin plays Hurley's father.
