Randy Vasquez

Vasquez was born in Escondido, California. He attended Escondido High School and is a cousin of actor and director James Vasquez, who also grew up in Escondido. His father, a school teacher and accountant, is of Mexican ancestry and his mother was a coal miner's daughter, originally from West Virginia. Vasquez's parents divorced in 1966 and he elected to live with his father in Escondido. He initially attended the University of California, Los Angeles before dropping out in 1979 to become an actor. Talent manager Bob Marcucci spotted him in an acting class and helped him find auditions. In 1984, he got his first role, a small part on Highway to Heaven.Since debuting on television in 1984, Vasquez has made several appearances in TV series, most notably as Marcos in Acapulco H.E.A.T. and as Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez in JAG. In 1998, he was cast as bartender Paolo Kaire on Love Boat: The Next Wave. In 2002, he moved into film direction with Testimony, a documentary about Salvadorean activist Maria Guardado. In 2005, he directed a comedic drama titled Perceptions. In 2009, Vasquez returned to UCLA, where he earned a bachelor's degree in American Indian Studies. His 2011 film The Thick Dark Fog won the Best Documentary award at the 36th annual American Indian Film Festival. In 2017, he directed a third documentary, Badger Creek, a film about a Blackfeet Nation family. In 2023 Randy starred as Detective Ruiz in the indie suspense thriller What You Wish For.