May 16

Hell yeah! It's Danny Trejo day! He's the most exciting That Guy to graduate to movie star since Samuel L Jackson. The most amazing thing to me is the fact that he's eligible for AARP membership.
He's also a good example that the movie business is all about who you know, all about networking. In the early 80's, he met someone in his 12-step support group in the movie business, who got him a job as an film extra. (The film would be called Runaway Train.) On the set, the film's screenwriter recognized Trejo from when they did time in San Quentin; he got Trejo promoted to boxing trainer for one of the film's actors. Those sparring sessions impressed the director enough to boost Trejo to a larger speaking role - and that is how a career in movies begins.
Speaking of who you know, he's apparently cousins with Robert Rodriguez, who's given him his best roles, including his topliner, "Machete". Incredibly, it started as a gag trailer in "Grindhouse", a trailer too awesome not to be made real: