Jaime Luis Sánchez Rodríguez (born December 19, 1938) is a Puerto Rican actor of stage, film and television, active since the 1950s. He began his acting career on Broadway at the age of 18 in 1957, when he played Chino in the original cast of West Side Story. Sánchez gathered fame for his role and became established in the entertainment industry, continuing to perform on stage, television and film.

Career Stage Jaime Luis Sánchez Rodríguez, appearing as Jamie Sanchez, was born in the coastal municipality of Rincón. His household was poor, and he was one of seven siblings (four brothers and three sisters) had to figure ways in which to sustain themselves and the family. He was a noted follower of José Ferrer. Sánchez's parents were not particularly interested in the arts but did support his ambitions of becoming an actor. Listening to radio novels in Puerto Rico inspired Sánchez, as did the trio of Lucy Boscana, Edmundo Rivera and Madeline Williamsen. By the age of 14, he had begun performing as a radio actor. At the time, there was little platform for theater and cinema in the municipality. However, after beginning high school at Aguada he was encouraged by a teacher to participate in theater and poetry.

Upon arriving to New York, Sánchez studied and moonlighted by cleaning dishes. While working at the Joward Johnson Hotel six months later, he encountered Larry Fuller and was recruited for West Side Story. Sánchez auditioned along 300 candidates and was accepted for the role of "Chino", which he performed for two years. He considered the play a learning experience that helped throughout his career. During this time, Sánchez studied under Wynn Handman and later joined Lee Strasberg's Actor's Studio.

Due to the existence of a Puerto Rican diaspora and an overall connection to the island, Sánchez preferred to stay in New York and perform in local theater instead of moving to Hollywood. He continued visiting the island at least twice a year to visit his family. Sánchez also performed in numerous off-Broadway theater productions, including an appearance as Marc Antony in Joseph Papp's 1979 production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and in an adaptation of King Lear.

Screen Film Sánchez' film appearances include Frank Perry's drama David and Lisa (1962), Sidney Lumet's drama The Pawnbroker (1964), Cornel Wilde's World War II film Beach Red (1967) and Sam Peckinpah's western The Wild Bunch (1969). He also had two different roles in both Brian De Palma's crime drama Carlito's Way (1993) and its 2005 prequel Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, directed by Michael Bregman. He plays the role of Miguel's Father in Leon Ichaso's biopic Piñero (2001), about the Puerto Rican playwright/actor Miguel Piñero (whom he knew personally) played by Benjamin Bratt. Sánchez also appeared in the films Bobby Deerfield, Florida Straits, In the Soup (1992), Bad Lieutenant (1992), Heroína, Nuestro Regimiento, 3 Americas (2007) and El Cantante (2008).

Television On television, Sánchez has appeared on shows such as The Fugitive (1966), Bonanza (1970), Kojak (1974, 1976), Miami Vice (1985), The Equalizer (1986), Law & Order (1992),NYPD Blue, and the second season of Sesame Street, in which he appeared as Miguel in 1971.Sesame Street - Beginning theme to episode #179, YouTube

Sánchez also made appearances in television films, such as David Lowell Rich's action-drama Wings of Fire (1967), Mike Hodges's action-adventure Florida Straits (1986), and Kojak: It's Always Something (1990).

At Puerto Rico, Sánchez worked with Jacobo Morales and Miguel Ángel Álvarez. While working in Pawnbroker, Sánchez was impressed with the work of Juano Hernández and Rod Steiger. The work done by Raúl Juliá also earned his attention, despite not working together in a film. Sánchez reunited with Jerome Robbins in Old Dad Poor Dad, Mama Hang you in the Closet and I'm Getting so Sad. Later in life, Sánchez noted his belief that it was easier for a Latin American actor to be cast in the 1950s-60s (due to a lack of competition), but that the stereotypes had lived well into the modern era and still limits roles.

Honors Sánchez received the Screen World Award and was nominated for a Laurel Award for his performance in The Wild Bunch (1969). In 2002, Sánchez received the HOLA Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA).

In 2008, Jaime Sánchez was invited and honored by the Bar Association of Puerto Rico (Colegio de Abogados de Puerto Rico), in an event that also honored pioneer actor Juano Hernández posthumously.

Filmography Film

1962: David and Lisa (Frank Perry) - Carlos 1964: The Pawnbroker (Sidney Lumet) - Jesus Ortiz 1965: Heroina (Jeronimo Mitchell Melendez) - Chico 1967: Beach Red (Cornel Wilde) - Colombo 1969: The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah) - Angel 1969: El escuadrón del pánico (Nuestro Regimiento) (Manuel Mur Oti) 1970: Arocho y Clemente (Miguel Ángel Álvarez) - Arocho 1971: La Palomilla (Efrain Lopez Neris) 1973: Serpico (Sidney Lumet) - Cop (uncredited) 1974: The Minutes and Hours (Frany Sardou) 1976: The Next Man (Richard C. Sarafian) - New York security Jaime Sanchez (actor credit) 1977: Bobby Deerfield (Sydney Pollack) - Delveccio 1980: On the Nickel (Ralph Waite) - Joe 1985: Invasion USA (Joseph Zito) - Castillo 1986: Big Trouble (John Cassavetes) - Terrorist chief 1992: In the Soup (Alexandre Rockwell) - Uncle Theo 1992: Bad Lieutenant (Abel Ferrara) - Priest 1993: Carlito's Way (Brian De Palma) - Rudy 1995: Fear of Man (Short, William Nunez) - The patrol leader 1996: Looking for Richard (Documentary, Al Pacino) - Himself 1998: The City (La Ciudad) (David Riker) - The director of the clothing store 2001: Piñero (Leon Ichaso) - Miguel's father 2005: The Krutch (Short, 29m, Judith R. Escalona) - Dr. Guzman 2007: 3 Americas (Cristina Kotz Cornejo) - Henry 2011: The King Hector Lavoe (Antony Felton) - Hector Maisonave 2011: Diega! (James Aviles Martin) - Guillermo Diego In production : An Artist's Emblem (Michael J. Narvaez) - Paco the activist

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes 1966 The Fugitive Sam Episode: "The Last Oasis" 1967 Wings of Fire Luis Passos TV movie. AKA The Cloudburst 1970 Bonanza Ramon Cardenas Episode: "El Jefe" 1971 Sesame Street Miguel 4 episodes 1974 Kojak Paolo Olivarez Episode: "A Souvenir from Atlantic City" 1976 Kojak Thomas Serio Episode: "An Unfair Trade" 1985 Miami Vice Grocero Episode: "Smuggler's Blues" 1986 American Playhouse Ramon Iglesia Episode: "The House of Ramon Iglesia" 1986 The Equalizer Captain Vincente Episode: "Prelude" 1986 Florida Straits Innocente TV movie. Director: Mike Hodges 1990 Kojak: It's Always Something Dr. Claudio Guzman TV movie 1992 Law & Order Mr. Cristobal Episode: "Prince of Darkness" 2005 Carlito's Way: Rise to Power Eddie TV movie. Director: Michael Bregman

References Footnotes

Bibliography

External links

Jaime Sánchez at the Lortel Archives Jaime Sanchez at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection

|77250/Jaime-Sanchez#overview Jaime Sánchez at Turner Classic Movies