Biography
Luis Contreras, son of actor Roberto Contreras, was born on September 18, 1950. Slim and wiry, often sporting curly hair and a drooping mustache, with piercing dark eyes and an angular face, he was frequently cast as bums, bikers, criminals, or gang members. Contreras made his film debut as a Federale in Steven Spielberg's acclaimed science fiction classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." He also appeared as a zoot suiter in Spielberg's comedic ensemble film "1941." Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Luis worked extensively, often collaborating with director Walter Hill on films like "The Long Riders," "48 HRS.," "Extreme Prejudice," "Red Heat," "Geronimo: An American Legend," and "Last Man Standing." He was particularly memorable as a grocery store security guard in the cult sci-fi black comedy "Repo Man," the ruthless leader of a gang of cocaine cowboys in "Stand Alone," a hostile eye-patched biker in the quirky "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," and a deranged homeless man who terrorizes three teenage girls in the "A Night on the Town" episode of the horror anthology "After Midnight." Contreras also made guest appearances on TV shows such as "CHiPs," "Quincy M.E.," "T.J. Hooker," "Knight Rider," "Riptide," "Hill Street Blues," "Simon & Simon," "Night Court," "Hunter," "Matlock," and "Carnivale." Luis Contreras passed away from cancer at the age of 53 on June 20, 2004. He was survived by his daughter Marissa.
