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Perry Lopez

Perry Lopez

Actor · Died February 14, 2008, aged 78 · New York City, New York, USA

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Perry Lopez (July 22, 1929 - February 14, 2008) was an American film and television actor. His acting career lasted over 40 years before his death in 2008. Lopez was born in New York City. Lopez began his acting career on in theater, based in New York. He was signed to a contract at Warner Bros. Studios in 1955. Lopez appeared in a number of B-movies and Westerns early on in his career, including the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Young Guns and The Lone Ranger. Lopez was, perhaps, best known as Lieutenant Lou Escobar in the 1974 film Chinatown, which he starred in opposite Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. He reprised the role sixteen years later (with Escobar promoted to Captain) in The Two Jakes in 1990. Among his many television appearances, one of his more well-known roles is that of Esteban Rodriguez in the classic Star Trek episode "Shore Leave". Lopez also appeared in an episode of Bonanza, as the cold-blooded outlaw Duke Miller, who kills a man over being first in line to get a haircut. He was Joaquín Castañeda, a mestizo that fought to free his people, on El Zorro, starring Guy Williams. Lopez also appeared in episode 14, "Night Of The Long Knives" originally airing December 16, 1966 of The Time Tunnel television series, in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -episode "Savage Jungle" and played Pvt. Petuko in Kelly's Heroes (1970). Lopez died of lung cancer in at The Rehabilitation Centre of Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California at age 78. He was survived by several nieces and nephews. Description above from the Wikipedia article   licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 22, 1929
Died
February 14, 2008 (aged 78)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 62 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 41% in 30 days

What are Perry Lopez's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
42%
Self
22%
Bonds
18%
Power
9%
Society
6%
Survival
3%
Justice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 1 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 9 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Melancholic
8
Romantic
4
Thrilling
4
Hopeful
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Perry Lopez's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Perry Lopez's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

62 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page.

  • Confessions of a Hitman(1994)

    as Priest

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Two Jakes(1990)

    as Captain Lou Escobar

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects(1989)

    as Eddie Rios

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Death Wish 4: The Crackdown(1987)

    as Ed Zacharias

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Airwolf(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Garcia

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • Hart to Hart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Charlie's Angels(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as Ruiz

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • Chinatown(1974)

    as Lieutenant Lou Escobar

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Lady Ice(1973)

    as Carlos

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Century Turns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Sgt. Juan Mendoza

  • Hec Ramsey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 11 episodes · as Sgt. Juan Mendoza

  • Monty Nash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Carlos Ramirez

  • Kelly's Heroes(1970)

    as Pvt. Petuko

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Che!(1969)

    as Rolando

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Mod Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Bandolero!(1968)

    as Frisco

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Daring Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Reuben

  • Sol Madrid(1968)

    as Hood #1

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Mountains of the Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Chigger

  • Mannix(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Hondo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Judd, for the Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Mission: Impossible(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Priest

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Time Tunnel(1966)

    Show 2 episodes · as Dr. Charles Whitebird · as Maj. Kabir

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Star Trek(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Lt. Esteban Rodriguez

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Tarzan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Rare Breed(1966)

    as Juan

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Juanito

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Carlos Abaca

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • McLintock!(1963)

    as Davey Elk

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Kraft Suspense Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Candido Gomez

  • Redigo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Taras Bulba(1962)

    as Ostap Bulba

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Sanchez Dominguez

  • Man-Trap(1961)

    as Puerco

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Cain's Hundred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Nico Berengeri

  • Flaming Star(1960)

    as Two Moons

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Johnny Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Rebel(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Iron Hand

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Riverboat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as James Evans

  • Bonanza(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Duke Miller

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Cry Tough(1959)

    as Toro

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Naked City(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Howard Running Bear

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • The Rifleman(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Manolo Argentez

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Violent Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Joe

  • The Deep Six (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Al Mendoza

  • Zorro(1957)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Omar Khayyam(1957)

    as Prince Ahmud

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Young Guns(1956)

    as San Antone

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Jim Bowie(1956)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • The Steel Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Ed Novak

  • The Lone Ranger(1956)

    as Pete Ramirez

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Hell on Frisco Bay(1955)

    as Mario Amato

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • I Died a Thousand Times(1955)

    as Louis Mendoza

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Julio

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The McConnell Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Red

  • Mister Roberts(1955)

    as Rodrigues

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Battle Cry(1955)

    as Pvt Joe Gomez aka Spanish Joe

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Drum Beat(1954)

    as Bogus Charlie

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Creature from the Black Lagoon(1954)

    as Tomas (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Cavalcade of America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · as Pete Salavedo

Career shape

Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 62 titles from 1952 to 1994; peak year 1990.

Biggest box office

Chinatown (1974)

$29M worldwide

Highest rated

Chinatown (1974)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19521994

Peak 1990 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting62 of 62: 62 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score59th

By decade

1950s24 · acting1960s25 · acting1970s8 · acting1980s3 · acting1990s2 · acting

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 17 roles
545969

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Perry Lopez's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 25; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 39 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Che! (1969)

83rd percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Chinatown (1974)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 40. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Perry Lopez's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 80 · severeMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 62 · intenseMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 66 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Perry Lopez work with?

People who share at least 2 of Perry Lopez's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; J. Lee Thompson shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers