Lou Diamond Phillips

Louis Diamond Phillips (né Upchurch; born February 17, 1962) is an American actor, director, and writer. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film La Bamba (1987). For his performance as Angel David Guzman in Stand and Deliver (1988), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.

Phillips made his Broadway debut with the 1996 revival of The King and I, earning a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of King Mongkut of Siam. Phillips's other notable films include Young Guns (1988), Young Guns II (1990), Courage Under Fire (1996), The Big Hit (1998), Brokedown Palace (1999), Che (2008), and The 33 (2015).

In the A&E/Netflix television series Longmire, he played a main character named Henry Standing Bear. He played New York City Police Lieutenant Gil Arroyo on Prodigal Son on FOX from 2019 to 2021.

Born Louis Diamond Upchurch on February 17, 1962, at the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay in the Philippines, he is the son of Lucita Umayam Aranas and Gerald Amon Upchurch, a Marine KC-130 crew chief. His mother was Filipina, while his father was an American of Scots-Irish and Cherokee descent. Phillips has said, "I never claimed to be a Native actor, but I do have Native blood."

Phillips was named after U.S. Marine Lou Diamond.

Phillips's father died when he was a year old, after which his mother remarried and adopted the Phillips surname.

Phillips was raised in Texas. He graduated from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi in 1980 and from the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama.

Phillips's big break came with the starring role in La Bamba (1987) in which he played early rocker Ritchie Valens. Prior to his cinematic breakthrough, he starred in the Miami Vice episode "Red Tape" (March 13, 1987), portraying detective Bobby Diaz.