Danny Trejo is one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors, known for his tough guy image and his imposing demeanor. However, acting was not always Trejo’s prime vocation. As a young man, he got caught up in the world of gangs and violence in the streets of Los Angeles, which resulted in him spending time behind bars and developing a drug and alcohol problem. After achieving and maintaining sobriety, Trejo strived to help others overcome similar difficulties, which is ultimately how he landed his first acting gig. Trejo was on the set of the 1985 movie Runaway Train, assisting someone struggling with drug problems. Whilst on set he was recognized by one of the movie’s screenwriters, Edward Bunker, who had done time with Trejo. He was offered a role in the film based on his imposing appearance and his boxing abilities (per Uproxx), and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, nearly 40 years later, Trejo has made over 250 film and television appearances, becoming somewhat of a cult icon in the process. Whilst he has appeared in countless Hollywood blockbuster movies, he has also carved a niche for himself appearing in numerous gritty gangster flicks and schlocky b-movie grindhouse and horror movies, effectively becoming the "king of independent movies." With what has got to be one of the industry’s most expansive filmography, we have taken the time to narrow it down to the 10 greatest movies he has appeared in, and ranked them below.

10 Predators

The original Predator, released in 1987 and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, has gone down in history as one of the all-time greats in the action genre. Unfortunately, its 1990 sequel completely failed to live up to expectations and the franchise was buried — that is, until a decade later, when it was resurrected in the form of an all-new reboot starring Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, and Trejo. Considered superior to its predecessor, Predators takes the franchise back to its bloody action fueled roots. While perhaps not as good as the recently released Prey, it certainly does a better job of capturing what made the original so special than the poorly received 2018 iteration. It’s also fun to see Trejo playing to his strengths as a ruthless Mexican drug cartel gangster wreaking havoc with twin submachine guns.

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9 The Devil’s Rejects

A devilishly revolting trip into the warped mind of rockstar-turned-movie-director Rob Zombie, The Devil’s Rejects is probably the most horrifying film in his filmography. Following from the success of Zombie’s low-budget House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects catches up with the murderous Firefly family as they embark on a cross-country killing spree. Trejo plays a deadly bounty hunter hired by the sheriff to put an end to the family’s bloody shenanigans.

8 Spy Kids

Spy Kids was somewhat of a revelation. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez, who is a long-time collaborator of Trejo, and is known for his ultraviolent and very adult output. This time around, though, he focused his attention on families and children, and it was actually pretty decent. Rodriguez managed to make a family movie that didn’t talk down to kids or have to resort to an abundance of toilet humor, slapstick gags, or on overload of bright colors and loud noises to keep them entertained. The movie marks Trejo’s first appearance as Machete, who has now become a recurring character in Rodriguez’ movies, even headlining a couple.

Kind of James Bond-with-kids, Spy Kids follows two young siblings, played superbly by Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara, who are forced to quickly learn the family business of international espionage in order to rescue their parents after their mission goes awry. The result is an hour and a half of highly stylized action sequences and plenty of laughs in this fun family film that spawned three sequels and a spin-off animated series.

7 Blood In Blood Out

Blood In Blood out is an epic gangster movie, which focused on the entwining stories of three Latin American relatives and their ups and downs during the 70s and 80s, navigating the vicious street gangs of LA and life behind bars at the notorious San Quentin prison. In what was a fairly early role for Trejo, he appears as an inmate in the prison, which happened to be the same prison he served time in for real crimes he had committed before becoming a professional actor (via NY Post).

6 Machete

Machete is an ultraviolent, blood-spattered, exploitation flick that delivers an all-out attack on the senses. Trejo is at his most intimidating and grizzled as the titular character, a Mexican fedarali out for blood, and lots of it. The film is an expansion of a fake trailer of the same name shown as part of the promotion of Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's 2007 Grindhouse double-feature based on Trejo’s character from the Spy Kids movie. Totally over the top and ridiculous, but also entirely self-aware, with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek, Machete is a pleasure to behold, if you’ve got the stomach for it. It was also quite nice to see Steven Segal playing against type as the villain, back on the big screen for the first time in a major theatrically released movie since 2002’s Half Past Dead. Robert De Niro, Lindsay Lohan, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, and Cheech Marin also star.

5 Desperado

A sequel spawned from the success of Robert Rodriguez’s microbudget El Mariachi effort, Desperado ups the ante in almost every way possible. With a larger budget and spoken in English, we see Antonio Banderas step in to take over the lead role of El Mariachi, a notorious and feared nomad guitar player, as he seeks revenge on the drug lord who killed his lover. Desperado is chock-a-block full of graphic violence and clever dialogue (a particularly funny scene featuring Tarantino recalling a humorous story in a bar springs to mind), yet Trejo, playing a deadly assassin, doesn’t have a single line of dialogue. This was a deliberate choice from Rodriguez in order to make the character come across as more mysterious and imposing. The movie is also notable for providing Salma Hayek her breakout role, which is most definitely a good thing.

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4 Animal Factory

Well known as a fine character actor who has made countless movie and television appearances, Steve Buscemi’s directing credits are far less extensive. Each time he does step behind the camera, results are normally impressive. That can certainly be said for his neo-noir prison outing in 2000, Animal Factory. This gritty prison drama sees Edward Furlong playing a spoiled suburban teenager who unexpectedly finds himself serving time in San Quentin prison, ultimately having to adapt to the dangers that surround him in order to survive. Boosted by a fantastic supporting cast including Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke, Tom Arnold, and Trejo, who once again returns to the prison in which he spent time during his youth for committing real crimes.

3 From Dusk Till Dawn

One of the greatest genre switches in a movie since Psycho, From Dusk Till Dawn starts off as a pulpy crime thriller transforms into an utterly wild horror action vampire flick in the second act. It just so happens that both parts are thoroughly enjoyable and boosted by superb performances from one of the greatest casts of the era, including George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, Quentin Tarantino, and Harvey Keitel, along with Rodriguez-regulars Cheech Marin, Salma Hayek, and, of course, Trejo. There’s also the unforgettable appearances from genre legends Fred Williamson and Tom Savini (with an extremely interestingly located weapon). With all of its clever, witty, and engaging dialogue, combined with a ton of violence and action, From Dusk Till Dawn has gone on to reach true cult status.

2 Muppets Most Wanted

Some may find Muppets Most Wanted a surprising entry. It certainly appears that Trejo is still playing up to his tough guy persona as he appears as a prisoner here, only this time it’s in the whimsical world of The Muppets. There’s more than meets the eye to Trejo here, though, as it is later revealed he is the ultimate triple threat: a singer, dancer, and murderer. Muppets Most Wanted was met with critical acclaim with its humor, music, and emotion receiving particular praise.

1 Heat

Heat is a movie that has achieved somewhat of a legendary status among fans of iconic actors Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Not only was it the first time the pair had been in a movie together since the much-loved The Godfather Part II, released more than 20 years prior, it was in fact the first time the two actually appeared on-screen together. The movie, full of heart-pounding action, clever dialogue, and a twisty plot, follows De Niro’s character and his team of criminals, which includes Trejo, as they plan to pull of one last heist. On their heels, however, is Pacino as the police lieutenant. The movie has a superb supporting cast including Tom Sizemore, Jon Voight, Val Kilmer, and Ashley Judd, and was a huge hit with critics, making it onto Rolling Stone’s ranked list of "The 100 Greatest Movies of the '90s" and The Guardian’s list of "The Greatest Crime Films of All Time."