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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-19/lou-diamond-phillips.webp" alt="Lou Diamond Phillips" loading="lazy" />
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(Lou Diamond Phillips)
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Though he was raised in small-town Texas and graduated from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi in 1980, Lou Diamond Phillips had stars in his eyes from a young age. Passing up the opportunity to go to Yale, he instead chose to attend the local University of Texas at Arlington, where he got his Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. He was active in drama club productions and a local comedy troupe. Eager to break out of the small-town drama scene, Phillips capitalized on whatever opportunities came his way. 
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Phillips remained actively involved in the theater after college, appearing in various productions at Stage West Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1987, Phillips got his big break in Hollywood with a starring role in La Bamba. In perhaps his most beloved performance, the actor played ill-fated rocker Ritchie Valens in this biopic turned cult hit. Seemingly out of nowhere, Phillips became one of Hollywood's most promising young stars.
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Before La Bamba was even released, Phillips had finished Stand and Deliver (1988), in which he gave a dynamic performance as a gang member whose life is changed by a tenacious and caring math teacher (played by Edward James Olmos). Phillips' intense performance would go on to garner him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. That same year, Phillips portrayed yet another outlaw in Young Guns, placing him among a crew of young Hollywood heartthrobs that included Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Phillips would make a second appearance in the film's less commercially successful sequel, Young Guns II, in 1990.
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After a three-year winning streak, the Texas actor fell upon tougher times at the box office in the early 1990s. He starred in a series of mediocre films like Harley (1991), Shadow of the Wolf (1992) and Sioux City (1994). After this dry run, Phillips was pleased to return to box office success once again with his supporting role in Courage Under Fire (1996), which starred Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan.
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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-19/lou-diamond-phillips-la-bamba.webp" alt="Lou Diamond Phillips in La Bamba" loading="lazy" />
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(Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens in La Bamba)
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In 1995 Phillips went back to his roots on the stage when he debuted as the King in the 1996 Broadway production of The King and I. This change in direction earned the actor a Tony Award nomination as well as a Theatre World Award. His surprising mid-career shift caused a bit of a stir, but Phillips saw it as emblematic of his reach as an actor, noting, "Hollywood will put you in a box, so to speak. Some people will have seen you in La Bamba or another dramatic film and think, OK, that's what Lou does. But they don't really have an idea of the range or diversity that I can bring to a project."
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Having seen him travel from stage to Hollywood and back again, no one was surprised when Phillips made the crossover to television. In 2001 Phillips joined his old friend Kiefer Sutherland to guest star in two episodes of the popular TV action drama 24.
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Phillips recalled how that happened: 
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"We got the call from the people at 24, saying, 'Listen, we don't have a script yet, but the episodes are going to revolve around Kiefer, Dennis Hopper and a role that we'd like you to do.' That's really all I needed to hear. So I made one phone call - to Kiefer's cell phone on the set - and said: 'Listen man, they want me to come on the show. Is that cool with you?' And he said, 'Yeah, c'mon, let's go!'"
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In subsequent years, Phillips popped up on television shows like Numb3rs and Stargate Universe. He also embraced the reality TV craze by appearing on - and winning - I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Outta Here and Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.
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Recent efforts have led to roles on the series Longmire and Blindspot. Phillips has also continued to work in film, notably with the 2015 drama The 33, about the 2010 Chilean mining accident that trapped 33 workers underground. Phillips has also been seen on Netflix's The Ranch, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Criminal Minds and Amazon's Goliath.
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February 17, 1962: Lou Diamond Phillips was born in Subic Bay Naval Base