Trinidad Silva
Trinidad Silva, Jr. was an American comedian and character actor who played small supporting roles in a number of films of the 1980s.
He is known for the roles of Jesus Martinez, a gang leader in the TV series Hill Street Blues; Frog in the film Colors; and Raul, the bizarre animal lover in "Weird" Al Yankovic's first film, UHF.
Biography
Silva was born in Mission, Texas.Death
On July 31, 1988, Silva, his wife, and toddler son had gone out to lunch after Sunday church services, and were returning home when a drunken driver drove through a red light into the driver's side of the family's pickup truck at an intersection in Whittier, California. Silva and his son, who allegedly were not wearing seatbelts, were both thrown from the vehicle. His son survived the crash with abraisions and bruising but no major injuries. Silva however, flew 100 feet before striking the pavement, and died instantly. He was 38 years old. His wife also survived with minimal injury. Douglas Robert Owens pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving, and hit-and-run charges. Owens was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, which was the maximum allowed under the law.Silva's death occurred during production of the 1989 "Weird Al" Yankovic film UHF. Parts of the film had to be rewritten since he had not finished filming his part. The film was dedicated to his memory. Yankovic would later reveal on his Ask Al website that the circumstances of Silva's death had contributed to his refusal to do advertisements for alcohol.
He is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California.