News & Commentary written by Demián Bichir

Demián Bichir serves as an ACLU Artist Ambassador for immigrants’ rights. Bichir is one of the most well-known and well-respected actors in his home of Mexico and the U.S. He received a 2012 Academy Award, SAG Award and Independent Spirit Award nomination for his portrayal of an undocumented gardener trying to connect with his estranged teenage son in Chris Weitz’s feature “A Better Life.” He is the first Mexican born actor to be nominated for the Best Actor award by the Academy since Anthony Quinn was nominated for the film “Wild Is the Wind” in 1957.

His outstanding U.S. film credits include: “Alien, Covenant”, “The Hateful Eight”, Fidel Castro in Steven Soderbergh’s “Che,” “Savages,” “Dom Hemingway,” “The Heat,” and “Machete Kills.”

In the United States TV, Bichir is beloved for his portrayal of Esteban Reyes opposite Mary-Louise Parker in the hit Showtime series “Weeds.” And he also stared in the critically acclaimed television series, “The Bridge” for FX opposite Diane Krueger. He wrote and directed “A Circus Tale & A Love Song”, a coming of age story about the possibility of love and need of redemption.

In Mexico, Bichir is an Ariel Award winner for Best Actor, given by the Mexican Academy of Cinematography, and has received numerous other nominations and prestigious honors including a Medal of Honor for Merit in the Fine Arts, given by the Legislative Assembly of Mexico City.

Bichir comes from a well-known and highly respected theatrical family. He is the son of famed theater director Alejandro Bichir and acclaimed actress Maricruz Nájera. His brothers Odiseo and Bruno are also two of the most talented actors of their generation. Bichir also impressed U.S. audiences in 2017 starring in Luis Valdéz’s “ZOOT SUIT”, in a sold-out season at the Mark Taper Forum.

His most memorable Latin American credits include, Jorge Michel Grau’s “7:19”, Antonio Serrano’s “Sex, Shame and Tears” (Ariel Award Best Actor Nominee) and “Hidalgo, The Untold Story” (Ariel Award Best Actor Nominee and winner of the Best Actor award at the Huelva Film Festival in Spain).

Demián resides in Los Angeles and Mexico City.

In 2016, Demián spoke out with the ACLU to inform immigrants of their unalienable rights.