Who is Clifton Collins Jr.? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Clifton Craig Collins Jr., Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez

Age: 53 Years, 53 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Francesca Eastwood (m. 2017), Megan Ozurovich (m. 2012 - Sep. - )

Actors American Men

Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Males

Ancestry: Mexican American, German American

U.S. State: California

City: Los Angeles

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Childhood & Early Life

Clifton Craig Collins Jr. was born on June 16, 1970, in Los Angeles, California, United States. His father is of German descent. He has a sister named Veronica Collins Rooney, who works as a casting director.

He is the grandson of actor Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez and is extremely proud of his grandfather's achievements. In fact, he adopted the screen name Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez in his grandfather’s honor.

His maternal great-grandparents had a travelling family act as one of them was a Mexican trumpet player, while the other was a Spanish dancer.

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Career

Clifton Collins Jr. began his acting career in 1988 by appearing in small roles in films. Two years later, he adopted the screen name Clifton Gonzales-Gonzales in honor of his grandfather Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, who appeared in humorous sidekick roles in several John Wayne westerns in the 1950s and 1960s.

Much like his grandfather, who often played unflattering Latino stereotypes in movies, Clifton also could not escape typical 'barrio' roles in the beginning of his career. His early filmography includes a lot of struggling blue-collar worker or urban thug roles. However, he was able to increase his billing by playing roles like Nino Gomez in the futuristic sci-fi prison film 'Fortress' and Tack in the ’70s-themed comedy 'The Stoned Age'.

He actively searched for roles to break the Latino stereotype and got his breakthrough with the role of tagger César Sánchez in the 1997 crime drama film 'One Eight Seven' alongside Samuel L. Jackson. The following year, he was cast in the lead role of Martinez in Ray Bradbury's cult film 'The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit'.

In 2000, Clifton appeared as gay hitman Francisco 'Frankie Flowers' Flores in Steven Soderbergh's ensemble cast crime drama 'Traffic', which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award along with other cast members. He was nominated for the American Latino Media Arts Awards in 2002 for his role in the 2001 film 'The Last Castle'.

He earned critical acclaim for portraying murderer Perry Smith in the biographical film 'Capote' (2005) and for appearing in a supporting role in the 2006 drama film 'Babel'. He starred alongside Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin in the 2008 comedy 'Sunshine Cleaning'. In 2009, he played first officer Ayel, second in command to the villain Nero, in J. J. Abrams's 'Star Trek'.

He played the lead role in the 2008 indie film 'The Perfect Game', starred in the movie 'Extract' (2009), appeared as Romeo in the film 'The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day' (2009), and co-produced and acted in 'National Lampoon's TV: The Movie' (2006). He also had a significant role in the psychological thriller 'The Experiment' (2009), in addition to acting in films, such as 'Pacific Rim' (2013) and 'Triple 9' (2016).

On television, his role as Jack 'Bump' Hill on the FX Networks series 'Thief' (2006) earned him an 'Emmy' nomination. In 2007, he played undercover ICE agent Hernan on the series 'The Shield'.

He was a lead on 'The Event' (2010-11) and 'Red Widow' (2013), and had a recurring supporting role in 'Ballers' (2015-17). He currently portrays the charming but lethal outlaw Lawrence/El Lazo on the HBO series 'Westworld'.

Major Works

Clifton Collins Jr.'s best roles were in 'One Eight Seven' and the Oscar-nominated films 'Traffic' and 'Capote'. He is also known for his television roles in 'Thief' and 'Westworld'.

Family & Personal Life

Clifton Collins Jr. got married to Megan Ozurovich in 2012, but the couple separated later. He has been linked to a number of women, including Bridgetta Tomarchio, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Sarah Blondin, and Taryn Manning.

It was recently reported that he married Francesca Eastwood, the daughter of Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher, on January 1, 2017, following which the two were spotted together at various events. However, she later clarified that they were never married and parted ways in December that year.

Trivia

In May 2018, when Francesca Eastwood confirmed her pregnancy, it was assumed that Clifton Collins Jr. was the father of her child. However, she eventually revealed that the father of the child was actually her new boyfriend Alexander Wraith.

Clifton Collins Jr. Biography