He’s definitely most known as the sensitive business partner-embalmer Federico “Rico” Diaz in the hit dark comedy series Six Feet Under, about a dysfunctional family running a funeral home. However, thirty-something Freddy Rodriguez has taken on a number of other notable and memorable roles.

Rodriguez hails from Chicago, where he was born on January 17, 1975. One of his first major supporting roles as an actor was in the 1995 romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds, which starred Keanu Reeves, Anthony Quinn, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, and Debra Messing. Rodriguez played a member of the Aragón family, alongside Quinn, Sánchez-Gijón, Giancarlo Giannini, Angélica Aragón, and Evangelina Elizondo.

Rodriguez then appeared in the films Dead Presidents  in 1995 with Larenz Tate, Keith David, and Chris Tucker, as well as the teen coming-of-age comedy Can’t Hardly Wait, in which he appeared as an obnoxious jock and which starred Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ethan Embry.

In 1999 he took a short recurring guest role on the hit drama Party of Five, which starred Neve Campbell, Matthew Fox, Scott Wolf, and Lacey Chabert.

He snagged the role of Federico on Six Feet Under in 2001, a role he continued until the series’ end in 2005, starring alongside Peter Krause, Michael C. Hall, Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Matthew St. Patrick, Justina Machado, and Rachel Griffiths.

In 2003, Rodriguez appeared in a few films, such as Chasing Papi, Victor and Eddie, and Dallas 362, the latter of which starred Scott Caan, Jeff Goldblum, and Kelly Lynch. He then landed a recurring role as Carla’s brother on the hit medical comedy Scrubs, starring Zach Braff, as well as lending his voice talents to the cartoon Teen Titans.

Rodriguez has enjoyed the most success on the big screen in the short time since his Six Feet Under days ended, in largely supporting roles. Some examples include Havoc with Anne Hathaway and Harsh Times with Christian Bale and Eva Longoria, his first lead role in a blockbuster film in 2005. He also starred in Poseidon, Lady in the Water, and Bobby in 2006, the latter of which featured a star-studded ensemble including Anthony Hopkins, Elijah Wood, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Lindsay Lohan, Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Hunt, Heather Graham, Martin Sheen, Joshua Jackson, William H. Macy, Christian Slater, Ashton Kutcher, and Harry Belafonte.

Recently, Rodriguez guest starred on the long-running medical drama ER, and is also featured in Quentin Tarantino’s full-length, double-feature horror Grindhouse, slated for release later this year.

YUDDY