The “machete actor” has lived a life of crazy adventures, the least crazy of which are his multiple marriages and life of philandering.
Key Takeaways
- Of his five children, only the youngest two were born in wedlock.
- Trejo spent most of his early years in and out of prison.
Danny Trejo, the American actor, has had quite a career in Hollywood.
The 80-year-old, who primarily plays menacing villains, such as El Jefe in “xXx,” Breacher in “The Flash,” and Totuga in “Breaking Bad,” has been in and out of prison for most of his early life.
His marriage and love life mimic his rocky criminal past.
Danny has been married and divorced four times and has five children.
He currently resides in his Mission Hills mansion in California and is single.
Trejo met his first wife, Laura, in 1962, following his release from Youth Training School, often called “California’s most violent juvenile prion.”
Laura’s parents disapproved of the relationship, but the couple married anyway, in the backyard of Trejo’s family home.
After his second confinement in Youth Traning School, Laura filed for divorce in 1965.
Trejo recalled that his addiction and criminal lifestyle contributed to the marriage’s downfall.
Following his final release from prison in 1969, Danny married his second wife, Debbie, in 1971 and divorced four years later, in 1975.
Not much is known of his second marriage, but Danny recalled that jealousy and infidelity on his part were what led to the eventual split.
The same year Danny and Debby divorced, he married his third wife, Joanne, and divorced her in 1978.
After his third divorce, Danny dated Diana Walton but didn’t marry her. They had their first and only child, Danny Boy Trejo, in 1981.
The couple broke up after 5 years of dating, after which Danny started dating Maeve Crommie, the mother of his next 2 children, Esmeralda and Jose.
Danny and Maeve dated for 10 years.
In 1997, after 19 years since his last marriage, Danny married fellow actress Debbie Shreve.
Since his acting career had already taken off by then, Debbie Shreve is the most well-known of Danny’s wives.
Debbie Shreve is the mother of Danny’s youngest two children- Gilbert and Danielle.
Danny filed for divorce in 2009.
Danny Trejo was born on May 16, 1944, in Los Angeles.
Born of an extramarital affair between his mother, Delores Rivera King, and construction worker father, Dionisio “Dan” Trejo, while Delores’s husband was fighting in World War II, Danny did not have the best start in life.
His father was abusive, and he moved between several places in Los Angeles and Texas due to his father’s criminal behavior.
Trejo began abusing substances at an early age after his uncle Gilbert introduced him. Gilbert would later be responsible for Trejo’s overdose on he*oin at the age of 12.
Danny Trejo working out on Muscle Beach, 1995.
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Danny participated in his first dr*g deal at 7, would later be arrested at 10, and experienced his first incarceration at Eastlake Juvenile Hall in 1956.
Throughout the 1960s, Danny’s life was spent between various stints in prison, in one of which he met Charles Manson. Danny would later describe him as a talented hypnosis.
In prison, Danny made a name for himself, often working as a debt collector and dealer and participating in or witnessing acts of serious violence.
He also focused on boxing while in prison and became a champion in San Quentin State Prison’s lightweight and welterweight divisions.
For his participation in a prison riot in 1968, Danny was put in solitary confinement and faced capital charges and, potentially, capital punishment.
There, he found faith, went through the 12-step program, and successfully overcame his addictions.
Trejo was released from prison for the final time in August 1969 on parole.
On August 24, 2023, he celebrated 55 years of sobriety.
Despite extraordinary hurdles in his early life, he has cemented a special place in Hollywood as the “machete actor.”
From a troubled youth marked by crime, addiction, and incarceration, Danny refused to give up on himself and emerged as a beloved icon with his menacing portrayals of villains on-screen.
In contrast to his intimidating presence in films, Danny has transformed into a lovable real-life character with a “fun uncle” vibe.
Even at 80 years old, Danny continues to live life to the fullest. His Instagram shows a man who loves his children and his chihuahua, not to mention Latin food, tequila, and America.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Danny owns taco and donut shops in Los Angeles, which also donate food to homeless shelters.
- His iconic chest tattoo features a woman wearing a sombrero, a tribute to his late mother and his Latin roots.
- Danny is politically active with left-leaning ideologies.
