[1] His father, a school teacher and accountant, is of Mexican ancestry and his mother was a coal miner's daughter, originally from West Virginia.
Talent manager Bob Marcucci spotted him in an acting class and helped him find auditions.
Since debuting on television in 1984, Vasquez has made several appearances in TV series, most notably as Marcos in Acapulco H.E.A.T.
In 2002, he moved into film direction with Testimony, a documentary about Salvadorean activist Maria Guardado.
In 2009, Vasquez returned to UCLA, where he earned a bachelor's degree in American Indian Studies.