Otto Sanchez is a native of New York City who grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, where he was raised by his mother, Violeta Carbajal. The youngest child in the family, he has an older brother and two older sisters. He first grew attracted to the arts because of his love for painting. Sanchez eventually went on to pursue higher learning at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the Big Apple, where he studied advertising design. He also attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio on a fine arts scholarship, but shifted his focus and decided to try acting instead. Among the television shows he has worked on are Third Watch,
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and
Criminal Minds. Carmen “Chico” Guerrera is portrayed by Otto Sanchez in the HBO prison drama television series Oz. He was sentenced to jail for throwing a midget off of a building. In the world of the correctional facility, he finds his place as an enforcing lieutenant for El Norte, the Latino gang of Oz. Throughout much of his stay, he also becomes involved in a feud against former El Norte leader Miguel Alvarez. Chico wants the Latinos to become more involved in the drug trade.
(Photo courtesy of HBO)