Daniel Valdez
Daniel Valdez
Daniel Valdez attending a meeting, Delano, 1967. Photo by Emmon Clarke.
Daniel Valdez, brother of Luis Valdez, joined the NFWA in 1966 and, like his brother, he was part of the original group of Teatro Campesino. In the 1970s, Daniel appeared in the films Why Way Up and The China Syndrome. He played on Broadway Henry Reyna, the main character of the play Zoot Suit, written and directed by his brother Luis.
In 1981, he played the same role in the movie version, directed by Luis. Daniel was also an associate producer of La Bamba, and in 1987, he appeared and wrote songs for Born in East L.A.
Daniel Valdez, Doug Rippey, Luis Valdez, and Agustín Lira sing during the march to Sacramento, 1966. Photo by John Kouns.
Daniel Valdez performing a scene during DiGiorgio contract negotations, Delano, 1967
Daniel Valdez from Teatro Campesino is playing a scene from The Fifth Season in front of DiGiorgio Corporation lawyer Donald Conner (out of frame in this photograph) during a three-day long contract negotiation between the United Farm Workers (UFW) and DiGiorgio Corporation that took place at a former funeral home in Delano. The Fifth Season (La Quinta Temporada) is one of the quintessential actos of Teatro Campesino of the late 1960s. Valdez is playing the Fall season (autumn).
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