- José María Yazpik is a Mexican American actor and director who was born in Mexico City
- He is not married, yet, he is the father of two children, Leona Yazpik and Martina Yazpik who were born from his relationships with Iliana Fox and Johanna Murillo respectively
- Also, Yazpik has garnered a net worth of over $2 million from his career of many years
José María Yazpik rose to fame through his career as an actor and director well known for his role interpretation in Narcos(2017). The 54-year-old was born in New Mexico before later moving to the US where he grew in the border town of San Diego.
Aside from his screen roles and successful career of more than three decades, Yazpik is the father of two children whom he had from his relationships with Iliana Fox and Johanna Murillo, his long term partner. Beside this, here is all we know about him.
A Look at his Early Life and Family Background
José María Yazpik was born on November 13, 1970, in Mexico City, Mexico to his parents, José María Meza and Cristina Tazpik. He has two siblings, Carlos and Cristina. His father worked as a gynecologist while his mother was a housewife.
He left Mexico City for San Diego with his family when he was 12 years old so his father could start a practice.
During the family’s stay in San Diego, he was enrolled at the all-boys school, St. Augustine High School. It was while there that he developed an interest in acting and sports. This made some of his teachers to encourage him to consider a career in the entertainment industry.
José María Yazpik’s Career and Rise to Stardom
He Started Out as a Legal Practitioner
Despite his passion for acting, he chose to pursue a career in the legal profession. Thusly, when he moved to San Diego after High school, he enrolled to study law. Reportedly, he changed his mind in his first career year due to personal reasons.
Following this decision, he returned to his hometown in Mexico City and enroll at Centro de Estudios de Actuacio de Televisa, one of the most esteemed acting academies in Mexico owned by the media giant Televisa.
To further hone his skills he signed a contract with a media outlet which allowed him to get small roles. However, Yazpik was dissatisfied with the small roles he was getting which did not allow him to express himself.
He almost gave up but was forced by his contract stipulations to continue taking those roles like the 1995 soap opera The Dove. While this role offered him the chance to express himself well, it was short-lived due to the death of his co-actor and star of the show, Gerardo Hemmer.
His Breakthrough was in La Vida en el espejo
After years of juggling small roles, Yazpik had a breakthrough in his role as Mauricio Roman Franco in La Vida en el espejo(1999-2000). He appeared in 153 episodes of the series and sealed his place in the hearts of many fans of the show.
He has also broadened his career with his role as Amado Carrilo Fuentes, a narcotics officer in the 2017 crime series, Narcos. The movie which is about the life of the 80s drug Lord Pablo Escobar was made on a budget of $25 million and received positive reviews.
Considering his career rise, the actor has taken roles in both English and Spanish movies. Through this experience, the Mexico City-born revealed that it is easier to act in English due to the simplicity of the language. Also, his role in Narcos goes beyond the screen. Reportedly, he witnessed some of the things portrayed in the movie firsthand and had even carpooled to school with some of their descendants.
Moving forward, he has appeared in three seasons of its sequel, Narcos: Mexico which ran between 2018-2021. He has shared the screen with actors like Pedro Pascal, and Manolo Cardona.
Selected Filmography
The 54-year-old Made his Debut as a Director in 2019
Having made his mark as an actor in more than two decades, he showcased his skills as the director of Polvo(2019). At first, he wanted to be a cast member due to the storyline which revolved around his hometown.
However, he later changed his mind after he realized that directing the movie will give him a better chance of portraying the story.
See Also: Who Is Andrea Chaparro? 10 Fascinating Facts No One Told You About The Mexican Actress
Who is José María Yazpik’s Wife?
Yazpik does not seem to be married at the moment. However, the Everybody Loves Somebody actor was in a long-time relationship with his fellow actress, Johanna Murillo.
It is unclear how the pair met, yet it is assumed that it is in the line of their work as actors. They have been together since 2015 and even shared the screen as on-screen couple’s in Narcos.
Other Women That the Beverly Hills Chihuahua Actor Dated
Prior to his love relationship with Murillo, he was in a relationship with Iliana Fox. During his relationship with the actress, they welcomed a daughter named Leona Yazpik on November 17, 2010. While having a daughter was a proud moment in his life, his relationship with her mother, Fox went South the next year. Nonetheless, this has not affected his interactions with his daughter’s mother.
They revealed that they would put out a united front for the sake of their daughter. In 2014, they participated in the 5 years memorial of the 49 children killed by fire in the ABC nursery in 2009. While raising awareness on his Twitter account, Yazpik explained that being a father has changed his view of how these parents feel.
Apart from this, Yazpik and Fox have shown up for each other’s events despite not being together.
He is a Father of Two Children
As captured, he had a daughter with Iliana during their love affair. It turns out the he has another daughter that is not as well known. He had his second child, named Martina with Johanna Murillo in 2018.
Eversince the new addition to his life, the proud father has not delayed sharing adorable moments of his precious daughters lives.
How Tall is the Narcos Actor?
At the moment, Yazpik has not revealed his height. However, his pictures that he shares both off and on the red carpet suggests that he is a tall actor.
Based on some of these pictures, his height is comparable to the Mexican actor and director, Diego Luna who stands tall at 5 ft 10(1.78m).
Moreso, his height is quite fitting for some of the roles he took over the years which range from law enforcer to a good looking gay man.
José María Yazpik Net Worth
The Narcos actor has an estimated net worth of over $2 million. He made this through his acting career over two decades. Through his online activity, it can be speculated that he earns more than this amount.
Also, his lifestyle suggests that he loves to spend his fortune on vacations and fun activities with friends and his daughter.
