El Paso is known for its sunsets, food, and border-town culture, but did you know some of Hollywood\u2019s most recognizable faces, award-winning talents, and cult favorites all got their start in the Sun City? From Oscar winners to Disney voices, here are some famous El Pasoans that might surprise you.<\/p>\n
1. F. Murray Abraham<\/p>\n
Yes,\u00a0that\u00a0F. Murray Abraham, the Academy Award-winning actor who played Salieri in\u00a0Amadeus, was born right here in El Paso. He even grew up performing in school plays at UTEP before heading to Hollywood. Beyond the Oscar, you\u2019ve seen him everywhere: Tony Montana\u2019s shady pal Omar in\u00a0Scarface, the dignified Mr. Moustafa in\u00a0The Grand Budapest Hotel, and the sharp-tongued Bert in HBO\u2019s\u00a0White Lotus. Fun fact? Abraham also voiced Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god, in Marvel\u2019s\u00a0Moon Knight. From Shakespeare to superheroes, this El Pasoan has done it all.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: EL PASO SCREENING OF WB’S “ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER”<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Alan Tudyk<\/p>\n Beloved in the nerd universe, Alan Tudyk is basically Hollywood\u2019s secret weapon. Born in El Paso, he became known as the wise-cracking pilot Wash in\u00a0Firefly\u00a0before going full droid sass as K-2SO in\u00a0Rogue One. But Tudyk\u2019s voice work is where things get wild:<\/p>\n Hei Hei the chicken in\u00a0Moana\u00a0(yes, every cluck was him).<\/p>\n King Candy in\u00a0Wreck-It Ralph.<\/p>\n KnowsMore, the pop-up ad search engine in\u00a0Ralph Breaks the Internet.<\/p>\n The Duke of Weselton in\u00a0Frozen\u00a0and Duke Weaseltown in\u00a0Zootopia.<\/p>\n Iago the parrot in Disney\u2019s live-action\u00a0Aladdin.<\/p>\n Tuk Tuk the armadillo\/pill bug creature in\u00a0Raya and the Last Dragon.<\/p>\n Pico the toucan in\u00a0Encanto.<\/p>\n Joker in HBO\u2019s\u00a0Harley Quinn.<\/p>\n Clayface in HBO\u2019s\u00a0Harley Quinn\u00a0and\u00a0in DCU\u2019s upcoming\u00a0Creature Commandos.<\/p>\n Mr. Nobody in DC\u2019s\u00a0Doom Patrol.<\/p>\n Sonny, the robot in\u00a0I, Robot.<\/p>\n Steve the Pirate in\u00a0Dodgeball.<\/p>\n Hoban \u201cWash\u201d Washburne in\u00a0Firefly\u00a0and\u00a0Serenity.<\/p>\n Van Wayne (Bruce Wayne\u2019s cousin) in\u00a0Powerless.<\/p>\n Alpha in\u00a0Dollhouse.<\/p>\n Wat in\u00a0A Knight\u2019s Tale.<\/p>\n Dutch in\u00a0Transformers: Dark of the Moon.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s just scratching the surface. Tudyk has voiced dozens of random animals and background characters in nearly every modern Disney animated film (Zootopia,\u00a0Big Hero 6,\u00a0Frozen II,\u00a0Strange World,\u00a0yep, he\u2019s in all of them). If you\u2019ve watched a Disney movie in the last decade, odds are you\u2019ve heard Tudyk without even knowing it.<\/p>\n Most recently, Tudyk became a major part of James Gunn\u2019s new DC Universe. In\u00a0Superman\u00a0(2025), he voiced \u201c4,\u201d one of Superman\u2019s robot servants, but here\u2019s a fun fact: Tudyk actually ad-libbed the line where \u201c4\u201d decides he\u2019d rather be called Gary, a moment that Gunn loved so much he kept it in the final cut. It\u2019s little touches like that that show off Tudyk\u2019s improvisational brilliance.<\/p>\n READ MORE: THE STAR STUDDED LINE UP FOR THE EL PASO FILM FEST<\/a><\/p>\n 3. Debbie Reynolds<\/p>\n The original Hollywood sweetheart was born in El Paso before her family relocated to California during the Great Depression. She was discovered at age 16 after winning a beauty pageant, which catapulted her into\u00a0Singin\u2019 in the Rain\u00a0and beyond. Reynolds later became known to a new generation as Aggie Cromwell in Disney Channel\u2019s\u00a0Halloweentown\u00a0movies. Trivia gem: She had one of the largest Hollywood memorabilia collections in the world, including costumes from\u00a0The Wizard of Oz\u00a0and\u00a0The Sound of Music.<\/p>\n 4. Lupe Ontiveros<\/p>\n Born in El Paso, Ontiveros spent much of her career playing maids and working-class characters, a fact she openly spoke about with both frustration and pride. Over her 30-year career, she racked up more than 150 roles, including:<\/p>\n Yolanda Sald\u00edvar in\u00a0Selena\u00a0(a performance burned into every Texan\u2019s memory).<\/p>\n A recurring role in\u00a0Desperate Housewives.<\/p>\n Real Women Have Curves, where she played opposite America Ferrera.<\/p>\n Trivia nugget: Ontiveros once estimated she had played a maid more than 300 times in film and television, but she owned every role with depth and dignity, making her one of the most respected Latina actresses of her generation.<\/p>\n