Richard Cabral

Richard Cabral is an American actor whose life story reads like a gritty urban novel, marked by early hardship, gang affiliation, and a remarkable turn toward redemption. Born on August 28, 1984 in Los Angeles, California, he grew up in East Los Angeles within a second‑generation Mexican‑American family that was entangled in the local gang scene; by age 13 he was already incarcerated for stealing a wallet and by fifteen he had fallen into a crack‑cocaine addiction. Despite these setbacks, Cabral earned his GED as a teenager, only to be sentenced again for a violent assault involving a firearm, spending the next decade behind bars until his release at twenty‑five. This turbulent upbringing gave him an intimate understanding of street culture, which later informed both his music and his acting, allowing him to portray complex, authentic characters with a lived‑in perspective that few can match. His early forays into the Chicano rap world under the monikers “Baby Jokes” and “Joker” produced several albums that chronicled the harsh realities of gang life, providing a creative outlet that foreshadowed his eventual shift toward performance art.

After his release, Cabral entered Homeboy Industries’ gang‑intervention program, where a chance audition launched his acting career. He debuted on television in 2009 with a role on Southland, and quickly built a diverse résumé that includes a 2010 appearance in Bruno Mars’s “Grenade” music video, a standout performance as Hector Tontz in the Emmy‑nominated mini‑series American Crime, and a recurring role as Augustus in the FX series Mayans M.C.. In 2016 he co‑wrote the one‑man show Fighting Shadows, channeling his personal experiences into theater, and continues to expand his repertoire as an occasional producer and writer. Cabral’s journey from street‑level adversity to critical acclaim underscores his resilience and dedication to storytelling, making him a compelling figure in contemporary American television and film.