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David Manzanares

David Manzanares

Actor and producer · Born March 21, 1965 (61) · New Mexico, USA

David Manzanares has worked on over 50 films, from small independent to large studio blockbusters. He was the Location Manager of Scott Cooper's "Crazy Heart" which received 3 Academy Award nominations and won 2 Oscars including Best Actor for 2009 for Jeff Bridges and Best Song for Best Original Song for "The Weary Kind". Other films that David has been involved with include, "The Magnificent Seven" with Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawk and Chris Pratt, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" with Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett, "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" with Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx. In 2015 David served as the Consulting Producer on several of Sony/Lifetime projects including "Beautiful & Twisted" with Rob Lowe and Candice Bergen, "Cleveland Abduction" with Taryn Manning and Raymond Cruz, "The Lizzie Borden Chronicles" with Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall and Cole Hauser and continues to work on developing new projects. David has composed and contributed music to multiple films and made for TV movies including Jim Sheridan's "Brothers", Sony/Lifetime's "Beautiful & Twisted" and "Cleveland Abduction" and his compositions have been played throughout the world including Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and United Kingdom. In 2015, David acted in multiple film projects including "The Magnificent Seven" with Chis Pratt and Ethan Hawke, "The Ridiculous Six" with Adam Sandler, Luc Wilson and Steve Zahn, "Graves" with Nick Nolte and Skyler Austin and "Cleveland Abduction" with Raymond Cruz and Taryn Manning. Notable filmmakers he's worked on projects with include Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ron Howard, Quentin Tarantino, Antoine Fuqua, Carl Franklin, Jim Sheridan, Steven Soderburgh, James Mangold, Michael Bay, Timmy Van Patten, Simon Wincer, Dean Semler, and Janusz Kaminski. A multi-generational native New Mexican, David grew up in Abiquiu, a small farming/ranching community 1 hr. North of Santa Fe. He attended High School in Espanola were he excelled in Basketball and Drama. His college years were spent at NMSU & Sonoma State University. He ultimately earned his BBA from NMSU with a double major in Marketing/Management and Sales & Promotion. He was introduced to the world of production when a UK based catalog crew unknowingly trespassed onto his family's ranch in Abiquiu. After reaching a successful settlement at gunpoint, David decided to jump head first into the unpredictable world of shooting, only this time, using a camera. Catalog's led to print Advertising, music video's, commercials... and eventually he found himself working in Television and on Features. Over the years David has enjoyed wearing the different hats of Actor, Music Artist, Producer, Location Scout, Location Manager, Production Manager, Production Coordinator, AD, Production Supervisor, Music Producer/Supervisor and most recently Cultural Advisor and Consulting Producer. His favorite part of the industry is, "All of it! Being a part of a creative and collaborative team where everyone's contribution is recognized and valued...that can be very rewarding". One of his mantras is, "The harder you work, the luckier you get", and so he has been lucky enough to list among his credits: Antoine Fuqua's "The Magnificent Seven" with Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke, Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull" with Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett, Steven Soderburgh's, "Haywire" with Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Channing Tatum, Carl Franklin's "Bless Me Ultima" with Mirian Colon, Luke Ganalon and Benito Martinez, Jim Sheridan's "Brothers" with Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhall and Natalie Portman, James Mangold's "3:10 to Yuma" with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, Simon Wincer's "Comanche Moon" with Steve Zahn and Val Kilmer, Michael Bay's "Transformers" with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, Walt Becker's "Wild Hogs" with John Travolta and Tim Allen, Wai-Keung Lau's "The Flock" with Richard Gere and Claire Danes, the Polish brother's "The Astronaut Farmer" with Billy Bob Thorton, Bruce Willis and Virginia Madsen, Steven Spielberg's "Into the West" with Tom Berenger, Josh Brolin and Wes Studi, Breck Eisner's "Sahara" with Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz and Steve Zahn, Billy Bob Thornton's "All the Pretty Horses" with Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz and Lawrence Kasdan's "Wyatt Earp" with Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman. He is happy to count as his past clients, "Pepsi/Pytka", "Jeep/Satellite Films", "Pace Picante Sause/Directorz!" "Victoria Secret/Lighthouse Pictures", "Ford/The Dxtrs", "Nike/Radical Media", "Wrangler/RSA London, ABC, NBC, BBC, Tim McGraw, Dona Karan/Cate Blanchette, Randy Travis, Will Smith, Clink Black, Ted Nugget, Guns N Roses, Michael Jackson, Porsche, Calvin Klein, Marlboro, and countless of magazines and catalogs. A native of Abiquiu, NM, he currently (2016) resides in Santa Fe and continues to write, produce, act and compose music. Presently (2016) he is very excited about translating a 1,000 + yr. old adventure story that has been passed down in his family for generations... and if that isn't enough to keep him occupied, he still finds time to perform and record with the band that he and his brother Michael helped popularize - "Manzanares". David show's no sign of slowing down anytime soon and is always ready for the next celluloid adventure! Career Highlights . Acting opposite Shirley MacLaine for the German Travel show - Voxtours. . Performing original music for Muhamad Ali. . Being directed by legendary film director Jim Sheridan for the film "Brothers" and having his song "Rocky Mountain Man" used in the scene. . Acting along side Jeff Bridges and Robert Duvall in the film "Crazy Heart" . Performing at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas while touring with his and his brother's band "Manzanares" . Being directed by film director Antoine Fuqua and acting along side Ethan Hawke and Chris Pratt for the film "The Magnificent Seven". . Acting opposite Nick Nolte for the television series "Graves". . Watching his son Max perform with his band "The MaxPack" at Zozobra for a crowd of 53,000. . Having his song "One More Time" used for the Sony/Lifetime movie "Cleveland Abduction". . Having he and his brother Michael's song "Vera Cruz" used in the Sony/Lifetime movie "Beautiful and Twisted" . Having he and his brother Michael's song "Gitarra Mia" used in the Sony/Lifetimes movie Cleveland Abduction". . Having he and his brother Michael's song "Muchacha" used in the film "Dorm Daze II".

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 21, 1965 (61)
From
New Mexico, USA
Works as
Actor and producer
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all

What are David Manzanares' films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
36%
Morality
24%
Society
17%
Bonds
12%
Survival
11%

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 2

Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
3
Melancholic
3
Hopeful
2
Absurd
1
Cathartic
1
Other
4

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Manzanares' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Subscription and free streaming for David Manzanares' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

18 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.

  • Surrounded(2023)

    as Bartender

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
  • The Last Champion(2020)

    Producer · as J.L. Sarkin

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
  • Big Kill(2019)

    as Bob Pearson

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
  • Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
  • Sicario: Day of the Soldado(2018)

    as Arturo Hernandez (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • Faith Under Fire(2018)

    Co-Producer · as Benito 'Benny' Medina

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • Hostiles(2017)

    Location Manager

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
  • Memories of Miss O'Keeffe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Location Manager

  • Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
  • Graves(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Gerardo

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
  • The Magnificent Seven(2016)

    as Referee / Eddy

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • The Ridiculous 6(2015)

    as Cicero Gang Member

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
  • Haywire(2011)

    Location Manager

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
  • Crazy Heart(2009)

    as Nick

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • Brothers(2009)

    as Bartender 'Dave'

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • The Keeper(2009)

    as Police Officer #1

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
  • Sahara(2005)

    Location Scout

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 68th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles from 2005 to 2023; peak year 2009.

Film career

20052023

Peak 2009 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 2009Screen debut· The Keeper

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting12 of 17: 11 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdProducing2 of 17: 1 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew4 of 17: 4 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2000s4 · 3 acting · 1 crew2010s11 · 7 acting · 5 crew2020s2 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do David Manzanares' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th3

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does David Manzanares work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Manzanares' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Judith Verno shares the most, 3.

Directors

Editors

Producers