The Action Hero

By Letisia Marquez

Next in our series about faculty and staff who balance their work lives with fascinating hobbies or second careers, meet a 35-year UCLA Medical Center staffer who does everything from maintenance work to playing the guitar and harmonica for young patients. But in his spare time, he's an extra in English-language TV shows and an actor with much more prominent roles in Spanish-speaking action flicks.

Name: Raul Rodriguez

Title: Facilities mechanic

Second Career: Film & television actor

When Started: "I grew up in an orphanage in Guadalajara, Mexico, and I remember watching a movie with Charlton Heston when I was only 12 years old. I really admired him, and then I had the opportunity to play Jesus Christ in a Christmas play at the orphanage. I wanted to pursue acting then, but in Mexico it is so hard if you don't have money or contacts. After coming to the United States, my wife, Amalia, read an ad in La Opinion seeking extras. I responded, and I've been acting since then."

First Professional Role: "I was cast as an extra in 'Amityville Horror 5.' It was a small role, but it meant a lot to me. After that, I was cast in 'Angel Falls.' I played a ranch manager on the CBS television series. It was about this man [Brian Kerwin] who owned a big ranch, and his wife was Kim Cattrall."

Training: "The actor James Brolin recommended I go to acting school. I took classes with an acting coach in Burbank for nine hours a week. My teacher, may he rest in peace, taught me a lot of things, including saying bad words. It was hard for me because I don't like to say bad words, but it taught me to act."

Movies: Rodriguez has starred in Spanish-language films in recent years, including "MisiÛn Forzada 1" ("Forced Mission 1"), about a band of kidnappers that steals children and sells their organs. In it, Rodriguez plays a police chief who pursues the kidnappers. Rodriguez played another police officer in "No Todo Lo Que Brilla Es Oro" ("Not Everything That Shines is Gold"), about a man who hires Mexican ranch hands and then kills them.

Favorite Roles: "I like all of them, but I especially like the first and second 'Mision Forzada' and 'No Todo Lo Que Brilla Es Oro.' I would say I lean more toward Clint Eastwood-type roles. I make a lot of movies about guns. I don't do romantic stuff. It's not that I can't do it, but you rarely see Clint Eastwood doing romantic roles."