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Michael Peña

Michael Peña

Actor, also producer · Born January 13, 1976 (50) · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Screen Actors Guild Award winner · 2 other major award bodies

Michael Anthony Peña (born January 13, 1976) is an American film and television actor, probably best known for his prominent roles in Crash, Observe and Report, and Oliver Stone's World Trade Center. He also appeared in the Nickelback music video for their song Savin' Me. Peña portrays Luis in the Ant Man film series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing as the character in Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Peña, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 13, 1976 (50)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
83 on MovieCove · 103 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 37% in 30 days

What are Michael Peña's films like?

Across their 57 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Action19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Animation6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
24%
Morality
22%
Self
21%
Survival
13%
Society
12%
Power
5%
Ideas
4%
Family bonds16 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship10 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity10 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption9 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice8 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 54 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 24 · Serious 17 · Dark 13

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 28 · Stylized 16 · Heightened 10

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 24 · Intense 24

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 17 · Shifting 30 · Whiplash 7

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 18 · Funny 14

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 36 · Relentless 8

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 19 · Engaged 27 · Full focus 8

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 18 · Affecting 23 · Heavy 13

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 40 · Open-ended 12 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

35 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 11 of 35 analyzed roles.

Ally
11 of 35
Mentor
5 of 35
Hero
5 of 35
Shadow
4 of 35
Trickster
4 of 35
Threshold guardian
3 of 35
Herald
2 of 35
Shapeshifter
1 of 35
Show the 35 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
37
Hopeful
18
Absurd
16
Thrilling
18
Melancholic
14
Other
52

How their films linger

Feel-good20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy20
  • Bittersweet27
  • Ambiguous8
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

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 Michael Peña's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 61 of their 83 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Peña's 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

103 credits, 83 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die(2025)

    as Mark

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Dugout Dads(2026)

    Show as Michael Pena

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • All Her Fault(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · as Detective Alcaras

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • A Working Man(2025)

    as Joe Garcia

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • ASCO: Without Permission (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Actor

  • Unstoppable(2024)

    as Coach Bobby Williams

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Landman(2024)

    Show 1 episode · as Armando

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • A Million Miles Away(2023)

    as José Hernández

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Secret Headquarters(2022)

    as Argon

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Moonfall(2022)

    as Tom Lopez

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Bud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Father

  • Tom & Jerry(2021)

    as Terence Mendoza

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Marvel Studios: Legends(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Luis (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Fantasy Island(2020)

    as Mr. Roarke

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Jexi(2019)

    as Kai

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Dora and the Lost City of Gold(2019)

    as Cole - Dora's Father

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Mule(2018)

    as Agent Treviño

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Narcos: Mexico(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · as Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Next Gen(2018)

    as Momo (voice)

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Jack Ryan(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · as Domingo Chavez

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Extinction(2018)

    as Peter

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp(2018)

    as Luis

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • A Wrinkle in Time(2018)

    as Red

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • 12 Strong(2018)

    as Sam Diller

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • My Little Pony: The Movie(2017)

    as Grubber (voice)

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Lego Ninjago Movie(2017)

    as Kai (voice)

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Dumpster Diving (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Miguel

  • CHIPS(2017)

    Executive Producer · as Frank 'Ponch' Poncherello

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Collateral Beauty(2016)

    as Simon Scott

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • War on Everyone(2016)

    as Bob Bolaño

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Morris and the Cow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Ill Mil (voice)

  • Hell and Back(2015)

    as Abigor (voice)

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Martian(2015)

    as Rick Martinez

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Bill Buddy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Manny

  • Vacation(2015)

    as New Mexico Cop

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Vatican Tapes(2015)

    as Père Lozano

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Ant-Man(2015)

    as Luis

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • ARES: live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 6 episodes · as Rick Martinez

  • Fury(2014)

    as Trini 'Gordo' Garcia

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Gracepoint(2014)

    Show 10 episodes · as Mark Solano

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Frontera(2014)

    as Miguel

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Underwater Dreams(2014)

    Producer · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Cesar Chavez(2014)

    as Cesar E. Chavez

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Chozen(2014)

    Show 13 episodes · as Ricky

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows

  • American Hustle(2013)

    as Paco Hernandez / Sheik Abdullah

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Turbo(2013)

    as Tito (voice)

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Gangster Squad(2013)

    as Navidad Ramirez

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • End of Watch(2012)

    as Mike Zavala

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Tower Heist(2011)

    as Enrique Dev’Reaux

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • 30 Minutes or Less(2011)

    as Chango

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Everything Must Go(2010)

    as Frank Garcia

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Good Doctor(2011)

    as Jimmy

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Lincoln Lawyer(2011)

    as Jesus Martinez

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Battle Los Angeles(2011)

    as Joe Rincon

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done(2009)

    as Detective Vargas

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Observe and Report(2009)

    as Dennis

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Eastbound & Down(2009)

    Show 5 episodes · as Mr. Cisneros

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Lucky Ones(2008)

    as T.K. Poole

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Miley and Mandy Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Lions for Lambs(2007)

    as Ernest Rodriguez

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Shooter(2007)

    as Nick Memphis

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Babel(2006)

    as John - Border Patrol

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • World Trade Center(2006)

    as Will Jimeno

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Fifty Pills(2006)

    as Eduardo

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Walkout(2006)

    as Sal Castro

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Sueño(2005)

    as Jimmy

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • My Name Is Earl(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Circus

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Little Athens(2005)

    as Carlos

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Crash(2004)

    as Daniel Ruiz

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • American Dad!(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · as Maguerite (voice)

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Million Dollar Baby(2004)

    as Omar

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Calcium Kid(2004)

    as Jose Mendez

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Love Object(2003)

    as Ramirez

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The United States of Leland(2003)

    as Guillermo

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Buffalo Soldiers(2001)

    as Garcia

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Noah

  • Andy Richter Controls the Universe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Shield(2002)

    Show 10 episodes · as Armando Renta

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Men, Women & Dogs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · as Miguel

  • Semper Fi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Douglas Cepeda

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Juanito Concha

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Gone in 60 Seconds(2000)

    as Ignacio

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Roswell(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · as Fly

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Bellyfruit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Oscar

  • Felicity(1998)

    Show 5 episodes · as Brian Burke

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • La Cucaracha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Orderly

  • Boogie Boy(1998)

    as Drug Dealer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Star Maps(1997)

    as Star Map Boy

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • My Fellow Americans(1996)

    as Ernesto

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Profiler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Alex Lopez

  • 7th Heaven(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Roger

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • The Sentinel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Johnny

  • Pacific Blue(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Rabbit

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • Moesha(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Alejandro

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • Touched by an Angel(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Ray Estes

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • ER(1994)

    Show 3 episodes · as Police Officer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Running Free(1994)

    as Bunk

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Homicide: Life on the Street(1993)

    Show 2 episodes · as Luis Carranza

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Incógnito (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Frank Aguila

  • Judgment Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Subversion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Tumor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Turpentine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 102 titles, 97 of them dated from 1993 to 2026; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

The Martian (2015)

$631M worldwide

Highest rated

The Martian (2015)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Fury (2014)

Film career

MilestoneAward win
19932026

Peak 2017 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 28 MovieCove titles. 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting102 of 102: 101 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score54thProducing1 of 102: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s16 · acting2000s27 · acting2010s41 · 41 acting · 1 crew2020s13 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 11% of 54 roles
98081318

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. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Screen Actors Guild Award from 3 major nominations, 2013–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
  2. 2014
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  3. 2013
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Male

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Michael Peña's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 52nd percentile, the median of all 62; across their 54 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 54

Midcredits score across 83 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up26
  • 50th to 74th20
  • 25th to 49th23
  • Below 25th14

Shape of the crowd

31 of their 83 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved12
  • Cult Classic6
  • Crowd Pleaser31
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed26

Most divisive · actor

Running Free (1994)

77th percentile spread · 32% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 51 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 45. 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.

Is Michael Peña's work okay for kids?

Across up to 43 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore40 titles31–87 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity43 titles10–64 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity41 titles24–90 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs40 titles6–66 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense39 titles24–68 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Michael Peña work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Peña's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bobby Cannavale shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles