Biography, Actor, ‘Stand and Deliver’

1962-present

Who Is Lou Diamond Phillips?

Born on a military base in the Philippines, Lou Diamond Philips rose to fame with a series of hit films in the late 1980s, including La Bamba, Stand and Deliver and Young Guns. After a few flops in the early 1990s, Philips earned a Tony nomination for his work in The King and I on Broadway. He continues to make television appearances and plays poker competitively.

Early Life

Lou Diamond Phillips was born February 17, 1962, on the Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines, to Lucita Aranas (Filipino descent) and American naval officer Gerald Upchurch (Scottish, Irish descent). The young actor was eventually adopted by his mother's second husband, taking his stepfather's surname, Phillips.

Though he was raised in small-town Texas, Lou Diamond Phillips had stars in his eyes from a young age. Passing up the opportunity to go to Yale, he instead chose to attend the local University of Texas at Arlington, where he got his Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama. He was active in drama club productions and a local comedy troupe. Eager to break out of the small-town drama scene, Phillips capitalized on whatever opportunities came his way. The up-and-comer would often go to great lengths to meet idols (like Robert De Niro) when they passed through nearby Dallas.