With the announcement that Luis Guzmán would be playing the role of Gomez Addams in the upcoming series Wednesday, fans of the veteran actor couldn't help but look back on his best roles. Guzmán is known chiefly as a comedic performer, but he has also impressed with his dramatic skills.
From critically acclaimed films like Boogie Nights to crime dramas like Narcos, Guzmán's amazing career has taken him to the heights of both TV and movies. Though he is always great in everything he appears in, some of Guzmán's works garnered higher scores on IMDb.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - 7.3
Guzmán has a strong working relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson, and that has landed him roles in a slew of great flicks. Punch-Drunk Love is the story of Barry, a lonely man who puts his burgeoning relationship in jeopardy when he begins calling a phone sex line.
Not only does Guzmán shine as Lance, one of Barry's antagonistic co-workers, but Adam Sandler surprised many with his complex dramatic performance. Though Punch-Drunk Love isn't the best of what Paul Thomas Anderson has to offer, it featured a strong cast and was an interesting departure for the filmmaker.
Traffic (2000) - 7.6
Steven Soderbergh's films usually take on an epic scale, and they often need an epic-sized cast to go along with it. Traffic encompasses all aspects of the illegal drug trade and shows the story from the perspective of users, traffickers, and federal agents who want to put them away.
Having played criminals and cops alike, Guzman was perfect in his role as Ray Castro as he works undercover for the DEA. The overarching themes of the movie were complex and political, and many audience members were split. It is considered one of Steven Soderbergh's best movies, but it remains divisive to this day.
The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002) - 7.7
Adapting older literature into a modern film is a tricky thing to pull off, but the 2002 adaptation of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo breathed new life into the epic novel. When he is falsely imprisoned by a jealous friend, Edmond manages to escape and goes on an adventure to exact his revenge.
Fitting right in with his trademark jocular energy, Guzmán appears as Jacopo, an imprisoned pirate who swears loyalty to Edmond after he spares his life. Guzmán gets a chance to be comedic relief, and he adds another layer to the film that would have been lacking without him. The script took the best parts of the novel and distilled them, and it is an underrated adaptation of a classic book.
Carlito's Way (1993) - 7.9
Al Pacino's career in organized crime films has seen him play a host of different characters, and Carlito's Way was one of his most unique. Freshly released from a lengthy prison sentence, Carlito decides to go on the straight and narrow despite his close associations with organized crime.
Guzmán's earlier roles were usually as smaller characters, but his turn as Pachanga was one of the first flashes of his brilliance as a performer. As Carlito tries to push his old family away, his bodyguard Pachanga becomes increasingly alienated from his employer. While Pacino could be counted on to carry a film, a large part of the success of Carlito's Way was its supporting cast, namely Guzmán himself.
Boogie Nights (1997) - 7.9
Generally considered one of Paul Thomas Anderson's best films, Boogie Nights told his typically sprawling story with a host of colorful characters. Set in the San Fernando Valley of the 1970s, the film concerns an idealistic porn producer who is inspired to change the business after meeting his future star.
Despite a cast of excellent performers and characters, Luis Guzmán still managed to stand out as the ambitious nightclub owner Maurice. Unflinching and raw yet sidesplitting in its humor, Boogie Nights used its epic scale to capture a bygone age and show nearly every facet of the time it attempted to convey.
Code Black (2015–18) - 8.0
Hospital dramas are often hit or miss, but the short-lived series Code Black impressed viewers with its genuine emotions and realistic scenarios. Set in the understaffed and underfunded emergency room of a Los Angeles hospital, the series follow four young doctors as they learn their trade.
Guzmán landed a major role in the show as Salander, the firm-but-fair head nurse who genuinely cares for his charges. Unlike shows like Grey's Anatomy which grew to ridiculous proportions over the years, Code Black's brief run meant that the show was solid throughout. Guzmán is a powerful presence on the series and his work is what helped make it such a strong procedural.
Magnolia (1999) - 8.0
Interweaving its narratives brilliantly, Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia was a perfect illustration of his talent as a filmmaker. The film is of an epic nature, and blends together several plots involving a dying man reconnecting with his son, and a police officer trying to strike up a relationship with a witness.
Guzmán plays Luis, a rather inconsequential character in the story, but it goes to show what sort of performer he is. Stealing a scene is one thing, but a truly powerful actor can blend in when the film calls for it. Usually considered one of Tom Cruise's best roles, Magnolia saw the veteran actor stretch his horizons, and his plot line was the strongest of the entire movie.
Shameless (2011–21) - 8.6
Over its decade on the air, Shameless shocked viewers with its raunchy characters and over-the-top plot points. The series follows the Gallagher family, a band of ne'er-do-wells who make their way through life avoiding the law and usually doing the worst possible thing in every scenario.
The series introduced a host of memorable side characters throughout its run, and Guzmán's appearances as Mikey O'Shea were certainly a highlight. Competing against Frank to be the spokesman for Hobo Loco, O'Shea makes it his mission to outdo the eldest Gallagher in almost everything. Though the quality of the series had slipped by its final few seasons, there were still flashes of hilarious brilliance.
Oz (1997–2003)
Though the '00s is usually the decade associated with the rise of prestige TV, Oz proved that the late-'90s was also a hotbed for excellent programs. The series followed the day-to-day activities of a prison, and chronicled the lives of its inhabitants and the people who worked their.
Guzmán had a brilliant arc on the show as Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez, a gang member who arrives at Oz on a murder charge. Breaking his trend as a somewhat comedic performer, Guzmán brilliantly imbues Hernandez with enough unlikable sleaze to make him one of the show's best villains. Though Guzmán was just one of many amazing performers on the show, he still remains one of the most memorable.
Narcos (2015–17)
By the time Luis Guzmán arrived on Narcos, he was already a respected elder statesman of acting, and brought gravitas to the Netflix series. The series follows the over-the-top exploits of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Playing Gacha, a gun-toting recruit to Escobar's smuggling enterprise, Guzmán put his dramatic skills on display and impressed audiences who had only seen him as a background actor. Flexing his chameleon-like skills, Guzmán's turn as Gacha is nearly unrecognizable, and he reminded viewers just how good he could be.