Demián Bichir

Demian Bichir (Detective Marco Ruiz) 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 was recently seen starring in Oliver Stone’s Savages, Ian Power’s The Runway and in June will appear in 20th Century Fox Film’s comedy The Heat.

Bichir became known to United States television audiences for his portrayal of Esteban Reyes opposite Mary Louise Parker in the hit Showtime series Weeds. He also portrayed a powerful young Fidel Castro in Steven Soderbergh’s Che opposite Benicio Del Toro. He recently wrapped production on the independent film Don Hemmingway, starring opposite Jude Law, in Europe, as well as the lead role in the independent film Death in Buenos Aires.

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 famous and well-respected theatrical family. He is the son of famed theater director Alejandro Bichir and acclaimed actress Maricrúz Nájera. His brothers Odiseo and Bruno are also two of the most talented actors of their generation. Bichir has amassed an impressive resume of theater credits in Mexico and recently completed the starring role in the Mexican theater adaptation of the film Swimming with Sharks, in Mexico City, which was directed by his brother Bruno Bichir. Bichir’s most esteemed work in theater includes Shakespeare’s A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream and Richard The III, Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata, Peter Shaffer’s Equus, O’Neill’s Ah! Wilderness, Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound and The Odd Couple, Halliwell’s Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs and Sabina Berman’s Extras. Bichir also impressed U.S. audiences in 2008, starring in the play By The Waters of Babylon which opened at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

Bichir is also starring in Guillermo Arriaga’s upcoming collaboration of short films titled Words with Gods. His most memorable Latin American credits include Rojo Amanecer (winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the San Sebastian Film Festival), Alex de la Iglesia’s Perdita Durango with Javier Bardem, Hasta Morir (winner Best Actor Ariel, The Mexican Academy of Cinematography), Sin Noticias de Dios with Victoria Abril and Penélope Cruz, Sex, Shame and Tears (Ariel Best Actor nominee), American Visa (Best Foreign Film nominee at the Goyas in Spain), Fuera del Cielo, Enemigos Intimos and Hidalgo, The Untold Story (Ariel Award nominee and winner of the Best Actor award at the Huelva Film Festival in Spain). Early on in his career, he starred opposite Salma Hayek in the Showtime film, In the Time of the Butterflies.

Bichir resides in Los Angeles and Mexico City.