José Antonio Plana[1] (born April 19, 1952), better known as
Tony Plana, is a
Cuban American actor and
director.
[2] He is known for playing
Betty Suarez's father,
Ignacio Suarez, on the
ABC television show
Ugly Betty and also for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game
Grim Fandango. While he is known to a broad audience for his roles in
feature films and
television, Plana is also known for his skills in
acting and
directing for the
stage. He has created and directed a number of productions of the works of
Shakespeare for
minority audiences and he has been active in the
Los Angeles,
Washington, D.C. and
New York City theater communities, including leading appearances on
Broadway and at
New York City's
Public Theater. He originated the role of Rudy in the L.A. production of the
Luis Valdez play
Zoot Suit, going on to play Rudy in
the film version as well.
[5]. Plana has acted, directed and written for
television in
series,
mini-series, and
specials such as
Hill Street Blues,
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Resurrection Boulevard, Commander in Chief, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The West Wing, 24,
Cagney & Lacey and many others.