Paul Calderón was born in Puerto Rico and at the age of six moved with his mom to NYC and spent the rest of his childhood and teenage years in the Lower East Side and Spanish Harlem. After serving a stint in the US army he returned to NY and enrolled at the Sonia Moore Studio to study acting.
In 1984 he was made a member of the Actors Studio and eight years later was one of the founding members of LAByrinth Theater Co. As an actor he has had the honor to work alongside the greatest talent of our time - Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Robert Redford, Sidney Lumet, Spike Lee, Christopher Walken, Steven Soderbergh, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Philip Seymour Hoffman; and others.
He lives in Brooklyn with his wife of many years, Catherine Calderón, whom he met his first day in acting class. They have two grown sons.
I am (use a max. of 3 words to describe yourself)… Hardworking.
Acting is... a mystery.
My last gig taught me... even more resiliency.
Proudest performance moment... I had to go onstage again the night after I asphyxiated and almost died on stage when I accidentally swallowed several blood capsules during a fight scene.
Most embarrassing audition... Too many to mention.
Most challenging part... Portraying a drag queen in a Sidney Lumet film, Q&A.
The moment I knew I wanted to be an actor... I was in the army and totally lost.
Dying to work with... they’re all dead. (Brando; George C. Scott).
Was born to play... a version of myself that is a little a more at ease.
Learn lines by... Finding the operative word of each sentence and repetition.
Get into character by... imagining the archetypal energy encompassing that personality.
Special skill I wouldn't put on my resume…
Movie I can’t stop talking about... Several: Bullitt (with Steve McQueen), The Godfather Part 1.
Top three Netflix / Amazon shows in my queue… The Last Tycoon; Damnation; Homecoming.
Currently reading… Hollywood Animal by Joe Eszterhas.
Car karaoke tune... I don’t drive.
If I weren't an actor, I'd be... totally adrift.
Stranger Things character that best represents me… embarrassed to say I don’t watch the show.
If they made a movie about my life, I’d be played by… Can’t really think of anyone……
Actor crush... used to be Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman back in the early ‘80’s.
Sign… ???????
If I were a color, I'd be… Light blue.
Hotel alias… Kalifornia.
LA spot that inspires or relaxes me… Book Soup.
The best advice I ever got… “Don’t make waves when you first start out.”
You can find me at… paulcalderon.net