Raoul Trujillo


Raoul Max Trujillo is an American actor, dancer, choreographer and theatre director. A former soloist with the Nikolais Dance Theatre, he is the original choreographer and co-director for the American Indian Dance Theatre. His career spans more than 45 years in film, television and theatre. He has also hosted a series of dancing programs, and is a Critics' Choice Award nominee.
Trujillo is best known for playing Zero Wolf, a ruthless Mayan slave catcher and the main antagonist of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, and for playing the Iroquois chief Kiotsaeton in the film Black Robe. He has appeared in numerous high-profile and acclaimed films, including The New World, Cowboys and Aliens, Riddick, Blood Father, Sicario, and its sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado. He also starred in dozens of television programs in both supporting and starring roles, including True Blood, Lost Girl, Da Vinci's Demons, Salem, The Blacklist, and Jamestown. He most recently starred on Mayans M.C. as Che "Taza" Romero.
WWW Official Site

Early life

Raoul Trujillo was born on May 8, 1955 in New Mexico. He is a mixed blood descendant of Tlaxcalan, Ute, Apache, Comanche, Pueblo, French, and Spanish.

Career

He started work in the theatre as a scenic painter and landed his first job in 1977 as an actor/dancer in a production of Equus. He began dancing in Los Angeles in 1978 at the University of Southern California and saw his first modern dance and ballet productions; Pilobolus, Martha Graham and Rudolf Nureyev. The next two years, he trained extensively with the Toronto Dance Theatre and Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab in New York City on scholarships. He was asked to join Nikolais Dance Theatre under the direction of the master Alwin Nikolais, who became his mentor and he began touring the world. He also learned scenic, costume and lighting design during this time from 1980 to 1987. After leaving the company, he began his solo work as dancer and choreographer and commenced his journey into shamanic ceremonials and incorporating native myths and legends in his work.
After the first decade of performing as a dancer, Trujillo became the choreographer and co-director for the American Indian Dance Theatre, the first professional native dance company incorporating traditional dance with contemporary retelling of myths and legends. He choreographed "The Shaman's Journey" for the Asia Society in New York, which was adapted into a short film for PBS on Alive from Off Center. He went on to join creative partners Alejandro Roncerria and René Highway in Toronto. This work resulted in creating successful theatre pieces for Native Earth Performing Arts. His work with Roncerria continued and he helped establish the Aboriginal Dance Project at the Banff Centre to further train Indigenous dancers from all over the world. In 2002, he received the CANCOM Ross Charles award in Canada to attend the Banff Center's screenwriters workshop for aboriginal storytellers.
Trujillo began his screen acting career in 1988 in Canada, and currently holds over 107 film and television credits. He choreographed the dances, ceremonies and rituals for Terrence Malick's The New World, as well as acting in the role of Tomocomo.

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1990CounterstrikeRojoEpisode: "Dead in the Air"
1990The HitchhikerJamesEpisode: "Tough Guys Don't Whine"
1990Street LegalRaoul HidalgoEpisode: "Double Agenda"
1990E.N.G.Lucas GreenEpisode: "A Long Way from Hopeful"
1992The Broken CordEmil BearheartTelevision film
1993Gross MisconductAndy GreenbergTelevision film
1993Medicine RiverFloydTelevision film
1993–95Destiny RidgeSam WhitehorseMain role; Seasons 1-2
1994Trial at Fortitude BaySimon AmituqTelevision film
1995Black FoxRunning DogTV miniseries
1995The InvadersCarlos SuarezTV miniseries
1996JAGArturoEpisode: "Sightings"
1996Lonesome Dove: The SeriesGabe LaRocheEpisode: "Bounty"
1996RenegadeRicardo PenaEpisode: "Hog Calls"
1996The SentinelSpirit GuideEpisode: "Flight"
1997Sisters and Other StrangersJimmy CoyoteTelevision film
1997Silk StalkingsErnestoEpisode: "Silent Witness"
1997House of FrankensteinWoodyTV miniseries
1998Witness to YesterdayTecumsehEpisode: "Tecumseh"
1998The Adventures of SinbadKorlaEpisode: "The Guardians"
1999La Femme NikitaChris FerrieraEpisode: "Looking for Michael"
1999War of 1812TecumsehTV miniseries
2000The Avengers: United They StandNamor Episode: "To Rule Atlantis"
2000Canada: A People's HistoryIroquois WarriorEpisode: "When the World Began"
2000The Secret Adventures of Jules VerneThe InquisitorEpisode: "The Inquisitor"
2001Largo WinchJacob SantosEpisode: "Just Cause"
2001MythQuestTezcatlipocaEpisode: "Quetzalcoatl"
2003Adventure Inc.Agent HaramiEpisode: "Secret of the Sands"
2003BetrayedBill LebretTelevision film
2003Veritas: The QuestRamiroEpisode: "Mummy Virus"
2003Freedom: A History of UsMatthew Lyon Episode: "Revolution"
2004FrankenfishRicardo AlmaTelevision film
2005Into the WestRed CloudTV miniseries
2007Tin ManRawTV miniseries
2008True BloodLongshadowRecurring role; 4 episodes
2009The UnitFather SebastianEpisode: "The Spear of Destiny"
2009In Plain SightFelix CalderonEpisode: "Jailbait"
2009Triassic AttackDakotaTelevision film
2011Moby DickQueequegTV miniseries
2011NeverlandHoly ManTV miniseries
2011–12HeartlandRenardGuest role; 2 episodes
2011–12Lost GirlThe GarudaGuest role; 3 episodes
2013LongmireGrady LittlefootEpisode: "Tuscan Red"
2013Strike BackMiguel GomezGuest role; 2 episodes
2013Republic of DoyleEli KaneEpisode: "Bon Cop, Bueno Cop"
2014Da Vinci's DemonsTopa Inca YupanquiSupporting role; Season 2
2014ManhattanJavierEpisode: "Spooky Action At a Distance"
2014The Wrong MansCarlos EspinozaSupporting role; Series 2
2015Major CrimesJavier MendozaEpisode: "Internal Affairs"
2015BansheeSani CrowEpisode: "All the Wisdom I Got Left"
2015Saints & StrangersMassasoitTV miniseries
Nominated - Critics Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries
2015SalemThe ShamanRecurring role; 4 episodes
2016The BlacklistMatoRecurring role; 3 episodes
2016MacGyverJoaquin "El Noche" SancolaEpisode: "Can Opener"
2016FrontierMachkGuest role; 3 episodes
2017Get ShortyJosiasGuest role; 2 episodes
2017–19JamestownOpchanacanoughMain role
2018–2022Mayans M.C.Che "Taza" RomeroMain role; 40 episodes
2019Hawaii Five-0Alejandro VegaEpisode: "Ho'opio 'ia e ka noho ali'i a ka ua"
2025Dark WindsBudge BacaSeason 3 recurring
2025UntamedJay StewartRecurring role