[1] He went on to star in a multitude of other films, many of which were small parts as inmates, gangsters, or other criminals,[2] appearing in Desperado, Heat (both 1995), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Con Air (1997), The Replacement Killers (1998), Reindeer Games (2000), and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), among others.

Shortly after his birth, Trejo and his family briefly lived in San Antonio, Texas; they fled Los Angeles because Dionisio was wanted by police for stabbing another man.

[18] While doing a stint in Los Angeles County jail in 1961, he met Charles Manson, whom he described as a "dirty, greasy, scrawny white boy" who was allegedly a talented hypnotist.

From that fracas, Trejo ended up in solitary confinement, facing capital charges and, potentially, the death penalty, after hitting a guard with a rock.

[35][11] Prior to his film career, Trejo worked as a labor foreman for developer Saul Pick, and contributed toward the construction of the Cinerama Dome.

[37][38][39] Trejo worked with Western Pacific Med Corp in the 1980s, assisting them with the establishing and operating of sober living houses within the San Fernando Valley.

[41] He met a "good looking tattooed kid" during a meeting in one such house, who explained that he worked as a film extra and was paid $50 per day to stand there.

Late one night, Trejo received a call from a teenaged patient, asking for his assistance in dealing with cocaine problems on the set of Runaway Train (1985).

Edward Bunker, a former convict turned published crime author who was writing the screenplay for the film, recognized Trejo from their time together at San Quentin.

He ultimately secured the role, which reunited him with Michael Mann, who had directed him in the television miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story a few years prior.

The producers were worried given a possible coup d'état had made parts of the country unsafe to travel; a group of teenagers brandished AK47's on one occasion, demanding Trejo's combat boots.

Trejo met many of his longtime friends on set, including: John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, and Dave Chappelle.

[60] After concluding Animal Factory in 1999, he contracted Hepatitis C and "had to drag [his] ass" from Canada to Austin, Texas, to begin filming of Spy Kids in 2000.

Having already made Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn together, the opportunity to collaborate with Robert Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas, and Cheech Marin once again "felt like [a] family reunion.

[62] By the time of Bubble Boy in 2001, his illness had progressed to the point that much of the cast had noticed his weight loss; Trejo states that his past drug use had caught up with him.

[61][62] Throughout the 2000s, Trejo appeared in productions including: XXX; Once Upon a Time in Mexico; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy; The Devil's Rejects; Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror; Delta Farce; Grindhouse; Rob Zombie's Halloween; Urban Justice (alongside Steven Seagal); and Valley of Angels.

His life is documented in the independent biographical film, Champion, featuring some of Trejo's close friends: Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Steve Buscemi, and Robert Rodriguez.

In 2011, he appeared in the action film Recoil as Drayke Selgado, with WWE wrestler and actor Steve Austin and played the role of the Ripper in Cross.

That same year, Trejo appeared again with Ron Perlman, in a supporting role as Romero 'Romeo' Parada on season four of the FX television drama Sons of Anarchy.

In 2019, Trejo played the roles of Jose in Wish Man, Eduardo Hernandez in Grand-Daddy Day Care, Miguel in The Short History of the Long Road, Carlos in The Outsider, himself in Madness in the Method, Grave-digger in Bullets of Justice, Rondo in 3 From Hell and himself in Slayer: The Repent less Killogy.

Trejo later mentioned in the interview that he "couldn't stop laughing" after the panel had thought that "Raccoon" was originally portrayed by Danny DeVito.

[citation needed] In 2022, Trejo made his official Star Wars debut in the Disney+ space Western television series The Book of Boba Fett as a Rancor keeper on the episode "Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa".

[75] In 2023, Danny Trejo made a surprise appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15, episode 7 “The Daytona Wind 2” acting challenge and referenced iconic queens of the past.

In 2004, Trejo made an appearance in the videogame Def Jam: Fight for NY, playing one of the villains, an enforcer for Snoop Dogg's character.

[citation needed] He can only be seen in the introduction of the game Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball MAX'D ("Play for Real", B-Real & DJ Lethal).

[82] Trejo has made a number of cameo appearances in various music videos throughout his career; these include Kid Frost - “La Familia”, Sepultura - “Attitude”, Jay Chou's short film-music video “Double Blade”, Mobb Deep - “Got It Twisted”, Rehab - “Bartender Song (Sittin’ at a Bar)”, Enrique Inglesias - “Loco”, Tyga - “MAMACITA ft. YG, Sanata”, YG - “I Dance ft. Duki, Cuco”[83] and ROSALÍA - “LA FAMA ft.

He's also mentioned in Edward Bunker's prison autobiography Education of a Felon (titled Mr. Blue in England), calling him the Rona Barrett of San Quentin because Danny knew all the gossip.

In January 2016, these included a taco restaurant on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles; his own brands of beer, coffee, and various merchandise; with ice cream sandwiches under development.

[98] Trejo believes his drug use and criminal lifestyle contributed to their marriage's demise; Laura filed for divorce during his second confinement at Youth Training School.

"[117] Trejo is characterized in his acting roles by his distinctive appearance; in addition to his heavily lined face, scarred from cystic acne and boxing brawls, and the long hair often in a ponytail and full mustache that he usually sports.