Luis Valdez (born June 26, 1940) is an American playwright, actor, writer and film director. Regarded as the father of Chicano theater in the United States, Valdez is best known for his play Zoot Suit, his movie La Bamba, and his creation of El Teatro Campesino. A pioneer in the Chicano Movement, Valdez broadened the scope of theatre and arts of the Chicano community.
The Cisco Kid, La Bamba, Zoot Suit, Which Way Is Up?, Fighting for Our Lives, I Am Joaquin, Stage Left, Cruz Reynoso: Sowing the Seeds of Justice, Corridos! Tales of Passion and Revolution
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Fact
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He was awarded the 2016 National Medal of the Arts for his services to theatre and music.
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He was awarded the 1978 Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting for "Zoot Suit" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Founding director/professor of the Institute for Teledramatic Arts and Technology (TAT) at California State University of Monterey Bay, created in 1995. The major interlinks theater, video, film, radio and new media as different forms of theatrical expression.
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HE was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
$1.9 Million
