Lou Diamond Phillips – Biography, Net worth, Children, Spouse, Nationality and Ethnicity

Lou Diamond Phillips is an American actor and director; an Independent Spirit Award winner and a one-time Golden Globe Award nominee. With that charming intro, don’t be fooled into thinking he’s managed to climb the film industry’s ladder of success. Lou had a very humble beginning starting his acting career with supporting roles before his big break came in 1987 when he starred as the rock star – Ritchie Valens in the film La Bamba.

Diamond Phillips has since appeared in over 100 TV and feature films and has won several other awards as a testament to his excellence in the industry. Below are all the other facts you should know about the Hollywood icon.

Biography, nationality and ethnicity

The Hollywood actor was born in a US Subic Bay naval station in the Philippines on February 17, 1962 to Gerald Amon Upchurch and Lucita Umayam Arañas. His father – a Navy C-130 crew chief is of Irish-Scottish descent and his mother is Filipino.

He was named after a sea legend: “Leland LouDiamant”. He took his surname “Phillips” from his stepfather after the death of his birth father. Lou grew up in Texas. and attended Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, graduating in 1980. After graduating from high school, he received scholarships to study at the US Naval Academy and Yale University, but turned down the offer and chose to study at the University of Texas, Arlington, where he would later pocket a BFA in drama.

During his undergraduate studies, Lou Diamond Phillips got strong in theater work, which included production and screenwriting. He has also appeared in several independent films in Texas. As mentioned above, his break in the industry came in 1987 when he played Ritchie Valens in the drama LA Bamba. The film propelled him into the limelight as one of the promising young actors in Hollywood.

The fame he gained from his performance in LA Bamba also earned him several other roles, including his role as Angel David Guzman in Stand Up and Deliver, which not only earned him the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor, but also a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture. He has starred in other hit movies including Troublesome Moon, Young Guns I & II, Renegades, Disorganized Crime Show of Force The Dark Wind Sioux City, S Hadow of the Wolf, Harley Untold West He also played in courage under fireNext to Denzel Washington.

Lou Diamond Phillips not only plays on screen, but also on stage. He made his Broadway debut with Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers. The King and I which earned him Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations, as well as a Theater World Award for portraying The King. His other stage appearances include King Arthur in 2007. In 2014 he reprized his role as the King of Siam in Opera Australia’s Melbourne production of The King and I.

Lou Diamond Phillips has appeared on a number of TV and radio series including 24, Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone and Numb3rs. He also played a supporting role in the TV sitcom ” George Lopez “.

Lou Diamond Phillips Net Worth

The actor’s net worth is currently estimated at $6 million resulting from both his career as a screen and stage actor as well as his other income. Lou Diamond Phillips has been a poker player since college and has competed in several competitions including the Poker World Championship.

In 2009, he placed money at the $10,000 July World Series of Poker World Championship, despite busting on the original field of 6,494, finishing 186th and earning $36,626.

His spouse, children

Lou Diamond Phillips has been married to YvonneBoismier since August 2007. Yvonne is a makeup artist and they are parents to an adorable daughter named Indigo. However, his marriage to Boismier is not his first. His first marriage was in 1987 to an assistant director named Julie Cypher, whom he met on set Guilt. The couple announced their divorce three years later after Cypher came out as a lesbian and began dating Melissa Etheridge.

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Two years after his divorce, he met Canadian actress Jennifer Tilly on the set of the film Shadow of the Wolf, the duo began dating and later got engaged but never married. Lou’s second marriage was to penthouse model and TV personality Kelly Phillips, with whom he has three beautiful daughters – Grace and Isabella (twins) and Lili. The couple separated in 2004 and finalized their divorce in 2007.

Other facts

• In addition to being an actor, Lou was also a singer with the Los Angeles-based rock group “Pipefitters” in the early 1990’s.
• In 2006, he was arrested for domestic violence against his wife, Yvonne Boismier, and sentenced to three years’ probation and 200 hours of community service.