A handsome, multi-ethnic leading player, Phillips made his film debut as both actor and co-screenwriter with "Trespasses" (filmed in 1983, released in 1987), a crime melodrama set in Texas. He rose to prominence as doomed 1950s rock-and-roll star Ritchie Valens in "La Bamba" (1987). A charismatic and conscientious performer, he subsequently distinguished himself as gang member Angel in Ramon Menendez's high school drama, "Stand and Deliver" and was one of the titular "Young Guns" (both 1988). He has played cops ("Renegades" 1989), Latinos ("A Show of Force" 1990) and Native Americans ("The Dark Wind" 1991, "Shadow of the Wolf" 1992). He worked behind the camera as director and also starred in "Dangerous Touch" and "Sioux City" (both 1994).
In 1996, Phillips made his Broadway debut as the King of Siam in the acclaimed revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King & I". That same year, he was on the big screen as a soldier colleague of Meg Ryan's in "Courage Under Fire".
- Also Credited As:
Lou Upchurch
- Born:
February 17, 1962 in Subic Bay Naval Air Station, The Philippines
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Job Titles:
Actor, Assistant director, Screenwriter
Family
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Daughter: Grace Moorea Phillips. Twin of Isabella; born Oct. 5, 1997; mother, Kelly Preston
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Daughter: Indigo Sanara Phillips. Born Oct. 9, 2007; mother, Yvonne Marie
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Daughter: Isabella Patricia Phillips. Twin of Grace; born Oct. 5, 1997; mother, Kelly Preston
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Daughter: Lili Jordan Phillips. Born Sep. 26, 1999; mother, Kelly Preston
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Father: Gerald Upchurch. Scottish/Irish/Cherokee heritage; died when Phillips was young
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Step-father: George Phillips.
Significant Others
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Wife: Kelly Preston. Born c. 1968; married April 24, 1994; divorced in 2007
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Wife: Kelly Preston. born c. 1968; married on April 24, 1994; not to be confused with actress Kelly Preston who is married to John Travolta
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Wife: Yvonne Boismier. Married August 2007
Milestones
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1983 Worked as assistant director/instructor with Film Actors Lab
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1983 Wrote first screenplay, "Trespasses" (also actor)
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1987 Breakthrough role, playing Ritchie Valens in "La Bamba"
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1988 Co-starred with Edward James Olmos in the inner-city high school drama, "Stand and Deliver"
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1988 Co-starred with Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland in the western "Young Guns"
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1990 Reprised role for "Young Guns II"
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1994 Directed first feature, "Dangerous Touch" (also scripted and starred)
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1996 Broadway debut as the King of Siam in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I"
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1996 Co-starred with Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan in "Courage Under Fire"
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2001 Starred in the short-lived drama series "Wolf Lake" (CBS); episodes later aired on UPN in 2002
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2002 Had recurring role on the Fox drama "24"
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2005 Cast in a recurring role on the CBS series, "Numb3rs" as Agent Ian Edgerton
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Acted in regional theater productions including, "Whose Life Is It, Anyway?" and "Hamlet"
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Raised in Arlington, Texas