Lou Diamond Phillips: a brief biography of the actor of popular TV shows

An actor starring in television series is much easier to achieve fame than his fellow film actor. After all, viewers who see the same artist (albeit in an episodic role) every week get used to it. Therefore, many stars owe their success to participating in television series. Among them: Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie and Lou Diamond Phillips. The actor, named the last, although he did not become a star of the first magnitude, was able to succeed in his profession. The most famous projects with his participation are Law and Order. Special Corps, 24 Hours, and Stargate: The Universe.

Lou Diamond Phillips: a biography of the early years

This actor was born in the Philippines in February 1962. His father was an American of Scottish-Irish descent. In addition, he was a quarter Cherokee. The origin of Lou Diamond’s mother was even more interesting: in her family were Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiians and even Spaniards. Thanks to such a pedigree, Lou Diamond Phillips (photo below) inherited an unusual appearance, which in the future allowed him to play Indians, Spaniards, Mexicans and representatives of other nationalities.

The guy’s father died early - and his mother got married again. Relations with the "new" father of Lou Diamond were good, and later he took the name of his stepfather - Phillips.

After leaving the Philippines, the actor’s family traveled around the United States for a long time until they settled in the Texas town of Corpus Christi. Here, young Lu Diamond graduated from a local school, and then went to study theater drama at the University of Texas at Arlington.

The beginning of an acting career

For the first time, Lou Diamond Phillips appeared on the television screen as a terrorist in The Watch Bomb in 1984.

In the same year, the actor starred in Andy Anderson's horror film "Interface". In this rather peculiar picture, he got the role of punk No. 1.

The following year, the artist played in one of the episodes of the famous television series "Dallas". Then a talented young man was noticed and invited to the main role in the film “Sins”. However, this project was low-budget and did not bring much fame to the novice actor.

But the next film with Lou Diamond in the title role - “La Bamba” - made him famous throughout the country. In this project, Phillips played the cult American musician Ritchie Walesa.

First successes

Paying attention to himself, the young man begins to act in more serious projects. In 1988, he played a major role in the film on the basis of real events, “To Endure and Achieve.”

For the role of a school bully, Angel Guzman, the actor was nominated for the Golden Globe, which he still did not get, but he was awarded the Independent Spirit award.

After Surviving and Achieving, Lou Diamond Phillips was invited to the Young Riflemen Western, and later to his sequel.

Career in the nineties

Having become quite famous in acting circles, Phillips dreamed of starring. That is why in the following years he often preferred low-budget paintings only because he was given the main character to play in them.

Unfortunately, many of these projects were rather base, which affected the reputation of an actor named Lou Diamond Phillips.

His filmography in the nineties contains a lot of second-rate paintings. Among them: “Demonstration of power”, “First power”, “Shadow of a wolf”, “Extreme justice”, “Dangerous touch” and “Teresa's tattoo”.

However, in this decade, the actor played in decent films, however, in secondary roles. His most famous films in the nineties are Courage in Battle and The Big Deal.

In the same years, Lou Diamond Phillips starred in television series (Sesame Street, Tales from the Crypt, Rat Rat Wharf, Fairy Tales for All Children, Spin City, Beyond the Possible, Law and order: Special Corps ”), however, not in the main cast, but as a guest actor.

In addition to film and television in this decade, the actor tried his hand as a rock musician, becoming the vocalist of the famous American band The Pipefitters.

Lou Diamond Phillips: TV shows and films in the two thousandth

With the advent of the new millennium, the popularity of the actor on television has increased dramatically. He began to be invited to act in various television series not only as a guest star, but also in the main cast.

The most famous projects in these years are “24 hours”, “Twilight Zone”, “George Lopez”, “Jack and Bobby”, “Numbers”, “Clairvoyant”, “Chuck”, “Happily divorced”, “Longmayer”, “ Southland, Iron Side, Other Times, and Blind Zone.

In the wake of the popularity of Lou Diamond as a serial actor, several projects were launched with him in the title role (Wolf Lake, Bermuda Triangle). Unfortunately, these television series were not adequately appreciated by the audience, they were removed from the air.

Despite being busy on television, Lou Diamond Phillips occasionally starred in films. Films with his participation, as in the past decade, sinned with a small budget and poor directing, but fans of the artist’s talent watched them with pleasure. The most famous are Highway 666, The Lone Hero, Reckless Robbery, and The Number of Victims.

In 2015, Phillips played in a drama based on real events “33”. And in 2016, the artist received the role of the famous criminal Richard Ramirez in the television movie “Night Stalker”.

The personal life of Lou Diamond Phillips

Like the actor’s career, his personal life was quite stormy, but not always successful. To the altar, he walked three times.

The first choice of Lou Diamond was his colleague - director Julie Cypher. Unfortunately, this marriage lasted only 3 years, after which the couple divorced. Although the couple did not discuss the reason for the breakup in the press, most felt that the couple had split up because of Julie's bisexual inclinations, which soon after the divorce started an affair with Melissa Etheridge.

After the breakup, the actor met Jennifer Tilly for two years, but it did not come to marriage.

For the second time, Lou Dysond married Penthouse magazine model Kelly Preston in 1993. The couple had daughters: twins Grace Moorea and Isabella Patricia, as well as Lily Jordan. In 2004, the couple separated, and the daughters remained with their mother, and three years later the Phillips officially divorced.

The reason for the divorce was the pregnancy of a new girlfriend of Lou Diamond - makeup artist Yvonne Boismier.

Soon after the divorce, the actor married his new lover, and two months later the fourth daughter of the actor, Indigo Sanara, was born.

Entertaining facts

• The actor was named after the brave sailor, the hero of the First and Second World Wars Leland Lou Diamond.
• Lou Diamond played King Arthur in the musical Camelot.
  
• Among the actor’s hobbies is poker. Phillips often takes part in various gambling tournaments.
• In 2006, the artist was arrested on charges of domestic violence. The reason was a quarrel with Yvonne Boismier, hearing about which, the neighbors called the police. In December 2006, the actor was sentenced to 3 years in prison (suspended), as well as 200 hours of community service.
• Lou Diamond, by all means available to him, defends the rights of his countrymen from the Philippines.
• In 1990, the actor was officially adopted by the Sioux Indian tribe, despite the fact that he was one-eighth of the Cherokee by origin.

Lou Diamond Phillips is a prime example of how you can squander your talent into little things. Having proved himself well at the beginning of his career, he was too hasty, agreeing to participate in cheap projects, which spoiled his image. Despite this, the actor made a good career in television, but with his talent he was able to achieve much more.