Folsom Fun Fact- Danny Trejo

One of my fave movies is From Dusk Till Dawn. It's simply a great setup for a vampire movie, and honestly, the vampire angle is introduced in such a great way that if you didn't know this was a horror flick to start with, you'd be pretty surprised when it came up.

Danny Trejo plays quite the badass vampire in this film, and as a matter of fact, is the only actor to appear in all three Dusk Till Dawn movies. While you may not know his name, Trejo is one of those actors who is constantly working, constanly on screen.

According to a book my husband read, Trejo did some time in Folsom Prison. (Thus, the Folsom Fun Fact.) Apparently, he was a bad dog in his younger years, serving time in San Quenten and several other prisons, as well. According to IMDB.com, he's reported as saying: "It was the funniest thing I'd ever heard. I'd been in Soledad, San Quentin, Folsom, Vacaville, Susanville, Sierra - and here's a guy asking 'Can you act like a convict?' I remember I said, 'I'll give it a shot'."

Obviously, he has since completely reformed his life and gone on to be very successful at playing tough guys and villians. He's also invested his time counseling drug-addicted and at-risk youth.

I like Trejo as an actor and as a living example that you don't have to be GQ gorgeous to be a working actor in Hollywood. I respect him because he was strong enough to turn his life around. No excuses, no "I came from a bad home and I'll just be this way forever" bullshit. He strikes me as a very "real" guy, and I'd love to meet him one day and shoot the breeze for awhile.