Enrique Acosta

Enrique Acosta was a Mexican American movie actor. He appeared in multiple films from 1925 to 1947, such as "Don Q, Son of Zorro" (1925) and "A Message to Garcia" (1936). Early life Acosta emigrated with his family to Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America, from Mexico after 1910, to escape the violence created by the Mexican Revolution. His theater career began in Mexico, though there is not yet significant information. After he emigrated, Enrique Acosta, bilingual in English and Spanish, acted in many of Hal Roach's Spanish-language shorts in the early 20th century, as well as films where he spoke English. He lived with his three sons and wife, Josefa A Acosta, in Culver City near the Hal Roach studios. Some of his extended family resided in Playa del Rey, California—including his adult son, Joaquín Enrique Acosta Sr., and daughter in law, Catalina Ortiz Acosta, a pianist working with Juanita Roos, wife of Charles Roos in the Indianist Movement. In the early 20th Century, Culver City was a Sundown town, making it necessary for the Acosta family to declare themselves "white" to live and work in Culver City during that time. Declaring themselves to be white on birth certificates and other public documents was common practice for many Mexican Americans in Los Angeles County during the 20th century. Career Being bilingual in both Spanish and English, Acosta was able to obtain niche opportunities as a Latino supporting actor in the nascent Southern California film industry, Enrique Acosta was both a silent film actor then continued his acting career into "talkies", the name at the time for sound film. He was described as, "... a character actor with Mexican Indian features, a burly frame..."