Clifton Collins Jr. is popularly known for his role as gang thug Cesar Sanchez in the 1997 film One Eight Seven, his first attempt at mainstream Hollywood. Born in Los Angeles, started his acting career in 1988 and found himself stuck with minor roles. Gradually, he started branching out from the confines of the Latino stereotype, acquiring mediocre material in the process such as the futuristic 1993 prison flick Fortress and the 1994 comedy The Stoned Aged. But after starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson in One Eight Seven, Collins’ positively career took off with films like The Replacement Killers, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit and Tigerland.
In 2000, Collins was cast was a gay Mexican Hitman in the movie Traffic, which earned him critical acclaim. Subsequently, he played a psychological profiler in Mindhunters before portraying a killer in Capote, which earned him an ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Actor.
On TV, Clifton Collins Jr. entertained viewers as he made gust appearances on shows such as NYPD Blue, The Twilight Zone, Resurrection Blvd. and Alias. Moreover, he was also noted for playing Jack "Bump" Hill on the crime thriller Thief, which also featured Andre Braugher, Mae Whitman, Yancey Arias and Malik Yoba.
In 2010, he was cast as Thomas on the TV series The Event.