Danny Trejo is from Echo Park in L.A. California.
As a child, he did not have a lot of money and would roam the streets. He would commit small crimes with his uncle and at one point was addicted to heroin. He was arrested many times and in and out of jail for 11 years.
When he was young, he developed a boxing talent, and wanted to become a professional; but he couldn't train when he was in jail.
After he overcame his drug addiction, Trejo was speaking at a recovery meeting and met the screenwriter and actor, Edward Bunker. This is how Danny Trejo received his first acting role in the film Runaway Train. Bunker also knew of Trejo's boxing skills, and payed him $320 a day to train the movie's star, Eric Roberts. how to box for one of the movie's scenes.
Since then he has taken on many roles in both movies and television shows.
You might have seen Danny in the movies Bulletproof, Cage, Marked for Death, Desperado, Heat, From Dusk til Dawn, From Dusk til Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money, & From Dusk til Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter, Anaconda, Trojan War, Point Blank, The Spy Kids series of movies, xXx, Lost, The Devil's Rejects, the remake of Halloween, Urban Justice, The Grind, The Good Guys, Predators, a leading role in Machete, and will be in the upcoming Harold and Kumar movie, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas.
Trejo has also made appearances on the television shows Baywatch, Fallen Angels, Renegade, NYPD Blue, Walker, Texas Ranger, The District, Kingpin, Alias, The Brothers Garcia, Monk, Grounded for Life, George Lopez, Desperate Housewives, The Knights of Prosperity, Blood Ties, Burn Notice, Breaking Bad, and Modern Family. He has had recurring roles on King of the Hill and The Young and the Restless.
Fun fact about Danny Trejo: He found out that director Rodriguez was his 2nd cousins when they filmed together on Desperado.