"He is a very fine actor and he understands all of the issues and all of the glories of his character's journey very, very well."   *****Tommy Lee Jones

TEXAS ACTOR, JULIO CÉSAR CEDILLO CAN'T BE CONTAINED

Raised between Texas and Mexico, Julio César Cedillo is best known for his showcase performance as the title character in THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA, which marked Tommy Lee Jones' directorial debut and went on to win two Palme d'Or awards at the 58th Cannes Film Festival.  The TORONTO SUN praises Julio as "Significantly, charismatic as the title character" and the DALLAS MORNING NEWS hails him as giving a "sensitive nuanced performance as a lonely northern Mexico Vaquero."

Julio spent five months in Mexico City working in eight episodes of the 5th season of Netlix’s worldwide hit show NARCOS : MEXICO. New characters pick up the new season featuring an international cast including Diego Luna and Scoot McNairy. This will be Julio’s second season on Narcos as Comandante Calderoni, Mexico's Elliott Ness. He's a tough federal cop balancing two worlds between the cartels and U.S. DEA agents. The show was Netflix’s number one show worldwide immediately after it’s premiere.

ROSE is a more recent feature for Julio as Ernesto, a New Mexico State Trooper who befriends Rose played by Cybill Shepherd, a widowed ex-cop who discovers that she may have a life threatening illness, and decides to go on a solo road trip in a motorized wheelchair to explore the beauty of the Southwest. Julio was also last seen in theaters as Fausto Alarcon, the cartel boss Benicio Del Toro is hunting down in Denis Villeneuve’s gripping film SICARIO also starring Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin. Sandy Cohen of the Associated Press describes the film as "a compelling, unflinching look at the deadly and complicated war on drugs.” Chris Vognar of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS gives high praise by writing ”Cedillo shines in a climactic scene with Benicio Del Toro…the tension is palpable.” Cedillo had originally turned down the role but Villeneuve promised to make the role unforgettable ultimately landing SICARIO as a competition film at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.  He also had the opportunity to play on the set of DAY 5 as Father Julio, a priest who has taken the charge of looking after young adults set in the immediate aftermath of a fatal sleep epidemic. The role was written for him by director Mark Bristol (known for his storyboard work on Tom Cruise’s The Mummy and Mission Impossible Six). Day 5 is the first dramatic series from Rooster Teeth Productions.  

On the indepedent film front Julio tackles another vaquero role but this time as Andres, a father trying to teach his estranged and rebellious daughter to hang on to strong values and culture in HOSTILE BORDER, by first time director, Michael Dwyer. “This is an amazing foil for co-star Cedillo…he perfectly exudes the rugged, chiseled facade of a man who’s had to work hard for everything he’s received in life,” commends Eduardo Victory of Chrome Yellow. Other favorite feature film projects include FRONTERA, a Magnolia Pictures starring Ed Harris, Michael Peña and Eva Longoria where Julio flexes his evil muscles as Ramon, the ruthless human smuggler. The film shows that while a border might divide the two countries, it can’t divide human decency. Eva Longoria can vouch for his performance as they both shared several intense scenes. Sheri Linden of the Hollywood Reporter applauds him as “a predatory coyote, played well by Julio Cesar Cedillo.” Other notable films include COWBOYS & ALIENS  where he was hand picked to play Bronc by Jon Favreau opposite a star studded cast with Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Sam Rockwell, also as Cholo Manelli in the film IN THE ELECTRIC MIST directed by renowned French director Bertrand Tavernier where Julio joins John Goodman and reuniting him with Tommy Lee Jones. Another career highlight lands Julio at the Sundance Film Festival for his efforts as Coach Chapa in the feature film titled Benavides Born.  The film set in South Texas was chosen to compete in the Dramatic Competition joining a select group of notable actors and films.  It later gained wide distribution and was released as ALL SHE CAN.  It made a temporary stop on HBO LATINO.

In addition to his strong feature film work, Julio Cedillo is also proud of his work on the small screen.  Among his extensive television credits to name a few, some of his favorites include QUEEN OF THE SOUTH as a guest star in five episodes during season one and season two.  Julio plays Manuel Jimenez, cartel boss of the Jimenez Cartel, also guest starring as Edgar Baco in NCIS NEW ORLEANS, his four-episode guest role as Franco, a mysterious hitman on FX’s THE BRIDGE for season two, guest appearance on THE WALKING DEAD as Lt. Welles, FOX's cop comedy THE GOOD GUYS as Carson, Lifetime's DROP DEAD DIVA as Aaron Sanchez, L.A.'s overtly confident district attorney battling it out with the show's star Brooke Elliott on the courtroom floor, as General Mestas on FOX's PRISON BREAK guest starring in three episodes, on the BBC hit series WIRE IN THE BLOOD as Luis Borgos, TNT's TWO FOR TEXAS opposite Kris Kristofferson, ABC'S FINDING THE WAY HOME co-starring opposite George C. Scott and as Carlos Aguilar EXPOSED, a webseries thriller by executive producer, McG (Charlie's Angels, Terminator Salvation), shot exclusively for the Warner Bros. website.

These accomplishments come on the heels of his more personal project THE FINDING, a short film he penned with Alonso Alvarez Barreda and shot entirely in Mexico. The film explores the relationship between a father and his son who are forced to cope with life after the death of the mother. The film made it's way around the world in more than 20 international film festivals, winning 5 international awards including the Humanitarian Award,  ALZA LA VOZ CONTRA LA VIOLENCIA DOMÉSTICA (Raise Your Voice Against Domestic Violence), given by the Expresión en Corto Film Festival.  It aired in Mexico on national television and in the metro buses throughout Mexico City. The proudest moment came when the film was chosen to participate in the Short Film Corner category at the Cannes Film Festival.

Julio César Cedillo is probably best summed up by a quote from August King, in the LATINO REVIEW:  … "He’s a hot commodity with potential beyond that of any Latin actor this side of the border. 

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