Sergio Calderón obit

Sergio Calderón, the “Head on a Stick” in ‘Men in Black,’ Dies at 77

 

He was not on the list.

Sergio Calderón, the amiable Mexican character actor who made his mark in such notable films as The In-Laws, Men in Black and Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End, has died. He was 77.

Calderón died Wednesday in a Los Angeles hospital of natural causes, a family spokesman announced.

Calderón portrayed a Mexican revolutionary at the turn of the 20th century in Duck, You Sucker! (1971), written and directed by Sergio Leone, and was a murderous Mexican chief of police opposite Albert Finney in John Huston’s Under the Volcano (1984).

He guest-starred as the colorful bandit Malavida Valdése on the premiere episode of NBC’s The A-Team in 1983, then returned as the river pirate El Cajón (The Coffin) at the start of the show’s third season a year later.

Calderón played Alfonso, one of the Hondurans, in the Arthur Hiller comedy The In-Laws (1979) — it was the role that got him his SAG card — and fans of the original Men in Black (1997) know him as the “head on a stick” held by an extraterrestrial “illegal alien” attempting to sneak across the U.S.-Mexico border in the Barry Sonnenfeld film.

Later, Calderón was the Spanish pirate lord Capt. Vallenueva in Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End (2007).

Born on July 21, 1945, Calderón moved from his home in a tropical village to Mexico City when he was 10 and studied at the Instituto Andrés Soler of the Asociación Nacional de Actores. He then made his onscreen debut in The Bridge in the Jungle (1970), starring Huston.

Among the three dozen or so films on his résumé were The Revengers (1972), The Children of Sánchez (1978), Le Chèvre (1981), Old Gringo (1989), The Missing (2003), The Ruins (2008) and Little Fockers (2010). He also showed up on the final season of the FX series Better Things last year.

Survivors include his wife, Karen Dakin; children Patrick Calderón-Dakin and Johanna Calderón-Dakin, vice president of the PR firm The Mesulam Group; son-in-law Raaj; and grandchildren Krishnaavi, Emiliano and Victoria.

 

Actor

Cristin Milioti and William Jackson Harper in The Resort (2022)

The Resort

Detective Silverio Narro

TV Series

2022

1 episode

 

Gillian Jacobs in The Seven Faces of Jane (2022)

The Seven Faces of Jane

Carter

2022

 

Pamela Adlon in Better Things (2016)

Better Things

Sergio the Barber (as Sergio Calderon)

TV Series

2022

1 episode

 

Santo (2015)

Santo

Balloon Seller

Short

2015

 

Funny or Die Presents... (2009)

Funny or Die Presents...

Janitor (segment "Do You Want to See a Dead Body?") (as Sergio Calderon)

TV Series

2011

1 episode

 

Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Ben Stiller, Jessica Alba, and Owen Wilson in Little Fockers (2010)

Little Fockers

Gustavo (as Sergio Calderon)

2010

 

The Ruins (2008)

The Ruins

Lead Mayan (as Sergio Calderon)

2008

 

Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Captain Vallenueva

2007

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Captain Eduardo Villaneuva (voice)

Video Game

2007

 

Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, and Jenna Boyd in The Missing (2003)

The Missing

Emiliano

2003

 

Burt Reynolds, Bruce Dern, Amy Jo Johnson, and Seth Peterson in Hard Ground (2003)

Hard Ground

General Jesus Navarro (as Sergio Calderon)

TV Movie

2003

 

Warden of Red Rock (2001)

Warden of Red Rock

Toro

TV Movie

2001

 

El aroma del Copal (1997)

El aroma del Copal

Efren

1997

 

Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in Men in Black (1997)

Men in Black

Jose

1997

 

Land's End (1995)

Land's End

Fisherman

TV Series

1996

1 episode

 

Have You Seen My Son (1996)

Have You Seen My Son

Temo

TV Movie

1996

 

Jennifer Lopez, Robert Loggia, and Lindsay Wagner in Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 (1993)

Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7

José

TV Movie

1993

 

Roberto Sosa in Highway Patrolman (1991)

Highway Patrolman

Pasajero Simon

1991

 

Danny Glover and Martin Short in Pure Luck (1991)

Pure Luck

Night Club Bartender

1991

 

The Man in the Golden Mask (1991)

The Man in the Golden Mask

Manager

1991

 

Border Shootout (1990)

Border Shootout

Rustler

1990

 

Gregory Peck, Jane Fonda, and Jimmy Smits in Old Gringo (1989)

Old Gringo

Zacarias (as Sergio Calderon)

1989

 

Blood Red (1989)

Blood Red

Perez (as Sergio Calderon)

1989

 

Phil Collins in Buster (1988)

Buster

Fruit Seller (as Sergio Calderon)

1988

 

Oceans of Fire (1986)

Oceans of Fire

Oil Worker

TV Movie

1986

 

George Peppard, Mr. T, Dirk Benedict, and Dwight Schultz in The A-Team (1983)

The A-Team

El CajonThe CoffinMalavida Valdez

TV Series

1983–1984

3 episodes

 

Under the Volcano (1984)

Under the Volcano

Chief of Municipality (as Sergio Calderon)

1984

 

Erendira (1983)

Erendira

Truck driver

1983

 

Valentín Lazaña (1982)

Valentín Lazaña

1982

 

Gérard Depardieu and Pierre Richard in La Chèvre (1981)

La Chèvre

Prisoner

1981

 

Las siete cucas (1981)

Las siete cucas

1981

 

High Risk (1981)

High Risk

Hueso (as Sergio Calderon)

1981

 

Para usted jefa (1980)

Para usted jefa

El nazi

1980

 

The In-Laws (1979)

The In-Laws

Alfonso (as Sergio Calderon)

1979

 

Ali MacGraw and Dean Paul Martin in Players (1979)

Players

Truck Driver (as Sergio Calderon)

1979

 

Anacrusa (1979)

Anacrusa

Policía

1979

 

El complot mongol (1978)

El complot mongol

El sapo

1978

 

The Children of Sanchez (1978)

The Children of Sanchez

Alberto

1978

 

La casta divina (1977)

La casta divina

Padre Chano

1977

 

Las poquianchis (De los pormenores y otros sucedidos del dominio público que acontecieron a las hermanas de triste memoria a quienes la maledicencia así las bautizó) (1976)

Las poquianchis (De los pormenores y otros sucedidos del dominio público que acontecieron a las hermanas de triste memoria a quienes la maledicencia así las bautizó)

Ibargüengoitia

1976

 

La India (1976)

La India

Sosegado

1976

 

El apando (1976)

El apando

Oficial

1976

 

Canoa: A Shameful Memory (1976)

Canoa: A Shameful Memory

Presidente municipal

1976

 

Las fuerzas vivas (1975)

Las fuerzas vivas

Gendarme

1975

 

A Home of Our Own (1975)

A Home of Our Own

First Man

TV Movie

1975

 

Los caciques (1975)

Los caciques

Chencho

1975

 

Mecánica nacional (1972)

Mecánica nacional

El Manchas

1972

 

William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Roger Hanin, Reinhard Kolldehoff, and Woody Strode in The Revengers (1972)

The Revengers

(uncredited)

1972

 

James Coburn and Rod Steiger in Duck, You Sucker! (1971)

Duck, You Sucker!

Revolutionary (uncredited)

1971

 

The Bridge in the Jungle (1970)

The Bridge in the Jungle

Pedro (as Sergio Calderon)

1970