Taking even the briefest look at Danny Trejo’s filmography reveals an impressive list of credits well into the hundreds, with dozens of projects in various stages of production. It’s demonstrative of someone with an incredible drive and work ethic. What’s even more inspiring is the arduous road Trejo traveled to get from troubled youth to tough guy action icon. 

New documentary Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo chronicles Trejo’s unbelievable life journey and how he overcame a life of crime and addiction to achieve one of the most prolific Hollywood careers. Directed by Brett Harvey, Inmate #1 has Trejo take the viewer on a voyage through his heartbreaks and triumphs, with interviews by those that know him best, including Michelle Rodriguez, Robert Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, and his immediate family.

Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo releases on Digital HD on July 7, 2020. In anticipation, we’re celebrating the actor’s most badass roles in the genre space.

Desperado – Navajas

No, this crime thriller isn’t a genre film in any way, but it’s an essential contribution to the genre for two reasons; it was a breakout role for the actor, and it marked the start of endless collaborations with director Robert Rodriguez. In the film, Trejo plays Navajas, a Colombian assassin contracted to kill Antonio Banderas’ El Mariachi. Navajas’s specialty is knife-throwing, and he demonstrates his lethal skills by slaying the American (Steve Buscemi) then injuring El Mariachi before being double-crossed. Trejo exudes menace and power; he’s an assassin who brings knives to a gunfight and easily holds his own. For a while, anyway. It’s easy to see how this role helped catapult Trejo into the mainstream.

Predators – Cuchillo

A common side-effect of playing tough action characters so well is that Trejo often portrays roles named after weapons. Take Cuchillo, which is Spanish for knife. Cuchillo doesn’t last long on the alien planet turned hunting ground in Predators, but he still packs a punch in his brief appearance. Selected for being one of Earth’s deadliest opponents, Cuchillo is a dual submachine gun-wielding drug cartel enforcer. A street smart, ruthless killer, Cuchillo would’ve been extremely intimidating in any other circumstance.

Halloween – Ismael Cruz

Sometimes the most badass characters are simply the most compassionate. Playing against type, Trejo’s Ismael is a Smith Grove Sanitorium floor warden that grows fond of Michael Myers over the decades of the killer’s incarceration. He chases a reporter away from Michael’s mother and often gives fatherly advice to young Michael. Poor Ismael is on the cusp of retirement when Michael breaks free and brutally murders him. Ismael represents the remnants of what little humanity Michael Myers had left, in some ways, and Trejo brings the empathy to heighten the utter devastation of his death scene.

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series – The Regulator 

In this series, based on the film, Trejo plays a supernatural warrior and enforcer of the Nine Lords of the Night’s leader. Introduced in season two, the Regulator is tasked with hunting down and bringing back the escaped Santanico Pandemonium. With superhuman strength and near invincibility, this warrior slays everything in his path to fulfilling orders and revels in the violence. In a series filled with vampires and other mythical creatures, the Regulator is among the most unnerving. Trejo plays him with that trademark tough guy ferocity.

The Devil’s Rejects – Rondo

One half of the “Unholy Two,” Rondo is an amoral bounty hunter hired by the vengeful Sheriff Wydell in locating the Firefly clan. Rondo revels in his job, gleefully dispatching his targets or anyone that comes between him and his targets. He’s also the more level-headed, business-savvy member of the bounty hunting duo. Rondo appears in 3 From Hell, shown to have been imprisoned along with Otis, who then murders him before escaping. Rondo’s son Aquarius seeks revenge, sparking the final act confrontational bloodbath.

From Dusk Till Dawn – Razor Charlie

One of the most memorable vampires in this fan-favorite, Trejo plays the no-nonsense bartender of the infamous Titty Twister. His gruff persona offers up some comedic relief, before the significant turning point that turns the bar into a feeding frenzy buffet for vampires. His showdown with Sex Machine (Tom Savini) results in his death, but Razor Charlie appears again in the prequel From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter to further flesh out his character’s past in 1913.

Machete and Machete Kills – Isador “Machete” Cortez

This popular exploitation movie character was explicitly written for Trejo. A former Mexican Federale with a machete as the preferred weapon of choice, Machete is the definitive badass. After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, Machete embarks on an epic quest for vengeance. Despite leaving an insane number of dead bodies in his wake, Machete has a heart of gold; he works with an ICE Agent (Jessica Alba) and a justice fighter (Michelle Rodriguez) to help undocumented immigrants. The exploitation goes over the top in a big way in the sequel, furthering Machete’s body count and story. Of all of Trejo’s badass roles, Machete demonstrated just how easily the actor could handle the lead. Here’s to hoping we get the third teased entry, Machete Kills in Space.

See more of Danny Trejo’s life and work in Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo on July 7, 2020, on Digital HD.