A native of Brooklyn, New York of Honduran descent, Hernández began acting in high school.

[2] He briefly studied acting at the City College of New York[3] and worked as a stage actor before moving to Los Angeles, California.

[2] Early in his career, Hernández appeared in episodes of Law & Order, 24 and Numbers, as well as the film Hotel for Dogs.

[8] Andy Greenwald of Grantland described Hernández's work in the series as "wonderful [...] making a fringe character both memorable and strangely noble in his limited screen time.

"[9] In 2015, Hernández portrayed a corrupt Sonora state policeman in Denis Villeneuve's crime action-thriller Sicario.