Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American comedian and actor who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's quick-and-scheme partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges.

Biography

Early life

Marin, a Mexican American, was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elsa (née Meza), a secretary, and Oscar Marin, a policeman in the LAPD. He was raised Roman Catholic. Marin is a graduate of California State University Northridge where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa. Fleeing from the U.S. draft during the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, Marin settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he met his future comedic partner Tommy Chong. He is fluent in English and in Spanish.

Career

As a part of the duo Cheech and Chong he participated in a number of comedy albums and feature film comedies. After he and Tommy went their separate ways, he starred in a number of films as a solo actor, most notably Born in East L.A., Tin Cup and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. His nickname "Cheech" is short for "Chicharron", a spicy fried pork skin which is a popular snack in Mexican cuisine and the alliteration with Chong's name made for a great name together.

Marin made the transition to television when he co-starred with Don Johnson and Yasmine Bleeth in the police show Nash Bridges (1996-2001), in which they played San Francisco police-detective partners. In recent years he has been active in playing supporting roles in films and performing voice overs for animated features. His last television work included a supporting role in Judging Amy, where he played an independently wealthy landscape designer. He is a favorite of director Robert Rodriguez, who has worked with Marin seven times; the last two installments of the Mexico trilogy, the Spy Kids trilogy, From Dusk Till Dawn and the "Machete" trailer for Grindhouse. He provided his voice for several Disney animated films, most notably Tito in Oliver & Company (1988), Banzai in The Lion King (1994) and Ramone in Cars (2006). He also reprised the Banzai role in Kingdom Hearts II. He made a small appearance as a dockworker in the movie Ghostbusters 2. Marin has released two best-selling albums in the children's music genre, My Name is Cheech, the School Bus Driver (1992) and My Name is Cheech, The School Bus Driver "Coast to Coast (1997). Both albums were released bilingually. In July of 2007, Cheech Marin added children's book author to his list of accomplishments with the release of Cheech the School Bus Driver, illustrated by Orlando L. Ramirez (Published by HarperCollins).

Marin is one of the foremost collectors of Chicano art in the United States, and his private collection is claimed to be the world's largest. Two national touring exhibitions have featured works from his collection. He is also an avid golfer, although Marin initially disliked the sport until he co-starred in Tin Cup. Marin was born with a cleft lip, which has long since been repaired. He speaks fluent Spanish and uses it in some of his movies. Marin's trademark is his character's Mexican-accented voice. The actor took a cue from his Nash Bridges counterpart as he resides in the San Francisco Bay Area year round, as a resident of the city's ritzy Sea Cliff neighborhood.

Marin was going to do the voice role of Cesar Vialpando from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas but it went to Clifton Collins Jr.. In late 2006, Marin participated in Simon Cowell's Celebrity Duets, having sung with Peter Frampton, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Aaron Neville, and Al Jarreau. He was the fourth to be eliminated. In that same year, he voiced as Gaspar Gomez in Scarface: The World is Yours.

In the hit television series Lost, Marin plays Hurley's father.

Cheech also sings on the hidden track "Earache My Eye" on Korn's album Follow the Leader

Personal life

Marin was married in 1975 to Rikki Marin who co-wrote and co-produced Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers. Rikki Marin also played minor roles in earlier Cheech & Chong films. The couple had one child and later divorced in 1984. Marin married Patti Heid in 1986, they had two children and have since divorced. Marin is currently dating Russian pianist "Natasha Rubin".

Filmography

• Up in Smoke (1978) .... Pedro De Pacas
• Next Movie (1980).... Cheech/Dwayne 'Red' Mendoza
• Nice Dreams (1981) .... as Pedro De Pacas
• Still Smokin' (1983) .... as Cheech
• Things Are Tough All Over (1982).... Cheech/Mr.Slyman/Narrator
• Yellowbeard (1983).... as El Segundo
• Cannonball Run II (1984)... Tire Store Employee
• Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers (1984).... as Corsican Brother
• Get Out of My Room (1985).... as Cheech/Ian Rotten
• After Hours (1985).... as Neil
• Charlie Barnett's Tems of Enrollment (1986).... as Elvis & Fan
• Echo Park (1986).... as Sid
• Born in East L.A. (1987).... as Rudy
• Fatal Beauty (1987).... as Bartender
• Mickey's 60th Birthday (1988).... as Disney Janitor
• Oliver and Company (1988) ...as Tito
• Ghostbusters II (1989).... as Dock Supervisor
• Rude Awakening (1989).... as Jesus Monteya
• Far Out Man (1990) .... as Cheech
• Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (TV)(1990) ... Carnival Barker
• The Shrimp on the Barbie (1990) ... Carlos
• Great Performances (TV) ... El Cosmico (1 episode, 1991)
• FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) (voice) .... Stump
• Ring of the Musketeers (TV)(1992) ... Burt Aramis
• The Golden Palace (TV)...Chuy Castillos (3 episodes, 1992-1993)
• Tales from the Crypt (TV)... Dr. Beneloy (1 episode, 1993)
• Charlie's Ghost Story (1994) ... Coronado
• The Magic of the Golden Bear: Goldy III (1994) .... Master Borgia
• The Cisco Kid (TV)(1994) ... Pancho
• Married with Children (3 episodes, 1991-1994)...Buck's Voice
• A Million to Juan (1994)... Shell Shock
• The Lion King (1994) (voice)... Banzai the Hyena
• Dream On (1994)... Waiter (1 episode, 1994)
• Santo Bugito (1995) TV Series .... Lencho the Flea (unknown episodes)
• The Courtyard (TV)(1995)... Angel Steiner
• Desperado (1995)... Short Bartender
• Blazing Dragons (VG)(1996)...voice
• From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)... Border Guard/Chet Pussy/Carlos
• The Great White Hype (1996)... Julio Escobar
• Latino Laugh Festival (TV)(1996)... Host
• Tin Cup (1996)...as Romeo Posar
• Tracey Takes On... (1996-1998)...as Carlos (starred in only 2 episodes)
• Paulie (1998)...as Ignacio
• It's Tough to be a Bug! (1998) Attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom
• The Nuttiest Nutcracker (1999)...voiced as Mac
• See You in My Dreams (2000)...as Estaban
• Funny Flubs & Screw-Ups V (TV)(2000)...Host
• The 26th Annual People's Choice Awards (TV)(2000)...Host
• Luminarias (2000)...as Jesus
• Picking Up the Pieces (2000)...as Mayor Machado
• Resurrection Blvd. (TV)(2000)...as Hector Archuletta
• South Park (TV)(2000)...voiced as Carlos Ramirez (voiced in 1 episode "Cherokee Hair Tampons")
• Spy Kids (2001)...as Felix Gumm
• Nash Bridges (2001)...as Inspector Joe Dominguez (1996-2001)
• Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)...as Felix Gumm
• Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio (2002)...as The Fox (English voice)
• The Ortegas (2003)...as Henny Ortega
• Masked and Anonymous (2003)...as Prospero
• Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)...as Felix Gumm
• Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales (TV)(2003)...as Himself
• Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)...as Belini
• Good Boy! (2003)...voiced as The Henchmen
• George Lopez (TV)(2003)...as Lalo (Starred in the episode titled Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Honey)
• The Lion King 1½ (2004)...voiced as Banzai the Hyena
• Christmas with the Kranks (2004)...as Officer Salino
• Sian Ka'an (2005)...voice
• Judging Amy (2005)...as Ignacio Messina
• Underclassman (2005)...as Captain Victor Delgado
• Kingdom Hearts II (2005)...voiced as Banzai the Hyena
• Cars (2006)...voiced as Ramone
• Scarface: The World is Yours (2006)...voiced as Gaspar Gomez
• Lost (TV) (2007-2008)...as David Reyes (Hurley's Dad in the episodes Tricia Tanaka Is Dead and There's no Place Like Home)
• The Perfect Game (2008)...as Padre Estaban
• Mind of Mencia (2008)...Gay man's father
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)...Manuel (voice)
• Race to Witch Mountain (2009)...TBA

Cheech and Chong comedy albums

• Cheech & Chong (1971)
• Big Bambu (1972)
• Los Cochinos (1973)
• Wedding Album (1974)
• Sleeping Beauty (1976)
• Up In Smoke (1978)
• Lets Make Another Dope Deal (1980)
• Get Out Of My Room (1985)

References

External links

• Chicano Visions
• Cheech Marin at the Internet Movie Database