Lou Diamond is a Golden Globe nominee for Stand and Deliver and his films have grossed nearly $350M domestic. Before making a name for himself as the ill-fated teenage rock star Ritchie Valens in La Bamba (1987), this striking, almond-eyed actor co-wrote and starred in the little-known Trespasses (1983). This earnest young performer (who's part Cherokee, part Hawaiian, part Chinese, part Spanish and part Scotch-Irish!) never seems to stop working. Highlights include: Stand and Deliver (1988, as a gang leader inspired by a great teacher), Young Guns (1988), Young Guns II (1990), and A Show of Force (1990, a Puerto Rico-based political thriller which gave him one of his best roles). He continued to work on both sides of the camera, as associate producer and star of Dakota (1988), screenwriter and star of Ambition (1991), and director and star of Sioux City (1994). Other films include Hollywood Homicide (2003), The Big Hit (1998), Courage Under Fire (1996) Disorganized Crime, Renegades (both 1989), Extreme Justice (a telefilm) and Shadow of the Wolf (both 1993). He also starred in Errol Morris' unreleased The Dark Wind (made in 1991).   (courtesy Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia)

Partial Filmography:
 Courtesy of IMDb