Dan Guerrero (performer)

Dan Guerrero
PartnerRichard Read (Guerrero 1979-2022)
Websitedanguerrero.com gaytino.com

Dan Guerrero (Gaytino) is an American performance artist, writer, producer, director[1] and gay Chicano activist.[2]

Early life

Born on October 14, 1940 at The Stork's Nest maternity hospital in Tucson, Arizona,[3] Guerrero is the eldest son of Chicano singer and songwriter, Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero[1] and Margaret Marmion Guerrero.[4]

Guerrero grew up in East Los Angeles, "north of Whittier Boulevard,"[3] where his father was building a career in music. His best friend in grade school was the Chicano artist, Carlos Almaraz, and they remained lifelong friends.[5] On Valentine's Day 1962, twenty-one-year old Guerrero left East Los Angeles (with Carlos) and moved to New York to pursue his dream of "Broadway stardom."[6]

Career

Guerrero worked in musical theater for many years including a performance at the Nixon White House before becoming a Broadway theatrical agent representing talent in the years from A Chorus Line to Cats, including Fran Drescher and Sarah Jessica Parker.[7] In 1982, Guerrero returned to Los Angeles, California where he continued his career in the entertainment industry as a casting director before moving on to producing and directing for television and stage.[8]

He has been honored twice by the Imágen Foundation for his positive portrayal of the Latino culture in his work,[9] and the Los Angeles Times Latino de Hoy awards at the Dolby Theater presented him with the inaugural LGBT Ambassador Award.[10] He sits on the Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation Board of Directors[11] and on the Advisory Board of the Neighborhood Music School.[12] The Los Angeles City Council named October 14, 2015 Dan Guerrero Day in Los Angeles, in honor of his 75th birthday.[13]

The Dan Guerrero Collection on Latino Arts and Entertainment, 1956-present, is located in the archives of the University of California, Santa Barbara[14] and the Dan Guerrero Papers, 1930-2009 are in the archival collection of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.[15]

Notable works

Best known for writing and performing his solo show, ¡Gaytino!, directed by Diane Rodriguez and produced by the Center Theatre Group, the play premiered in Los Angeles, California in 2004.[8] A theater reviewer in The Los Angeles Times described Guerrero as "a delightful emcee of his own journey of self-acceptace as a gay Latino,"[16] After touring much of the United States, Guerrero performed the play at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater in 2009.[7]

In 2008, Guerrero was appointed Community Scholar in the Department of Chicana/o Studies at UCLA,[17] where he developed and taught the course, “¡Gaytino¡: Performance and The Power of One." In 2014-2015, Guerrero was named Regents Lecturer in the Department of Chicana/o Studies and the LGBTQ Studies Program, where he reprised his "Power of One" course,[18] and taught it again in Summer 2018.[19]

Guerrero also produced Lalo Guerrero: The Original Chicano, a documentary on his father, Lalo Guerrero. The film aired nationally on PBS stations in the Voces series hosted by Edward James Olmos and included a DVD/CD release.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b Urquijo-Ruiz, Rita (2012). Wild tongues: Transnational Mexican Popular Culture. Chicana Matters Series. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72384-9.
  2. ^ Martinez, Norma (2017-07-28). "Dan Guerrero ¡Gaytino!". TPR. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  3. ^ a b Dan Guerrero, interview with Carolina Miranda, July 17 and 18, 2013, Los Angeles, California. CSRC Oral Histories Series, no. 16. Los Angeles: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press, 2014.
  4. ^ "Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero". www.arts.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  5. ^ "Carlos Almaraz", Wikipedia, 2025-12-10, retrieved 2026-03-12
  6. ^ Paul Hodgins, Gaytino Review. The Orange County Register, May 28, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Wren, Celia (June 19, 2008). "Gaytino: His Two True Selves". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ a b Rodríguez, Richard T (May 2007). "¡Gaytino! (review)". Theatre Journal. 59 (2): 309–310. doi:10.1353/tj.2007.0124. ISSN 1086-332X – via Project MUSE.
  9. ^ "Mexican-American Cultural Education Foundation". MACEF. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  10. ^ Dan Guerrero (Gaytino) (2016-10-28). LA Times Latinos de Hoy Awards. Retrieved 2026-03-17 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "VPAM Foundation". VPAM. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  12. ^ "Board". Neighborhood Music School. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  13. ^ Dan Guerrero (Gaytino) (2016-03-31). Dan Guerrero Day in City of Los Angeles. Retrieved 2026-03-12 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Dan Guerrero Collection on Latino Entertainment and the Arts, 1956-2017 - OAC". oac.cdlib.org. Archived from the original on 2025-10-07. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  15. ^ "Dan Guerrero Papers, 1930-2009 - OAC". oac.cdlib.org. Archived from the original on 2025-09-08. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  16. ^ McNulty, Charles (May 17, 2006). "Theater Review". The Los Angeles Times. pp. E4.
  17. ^ "Distinguished Community Scholars". UCLA Chavez. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  18. ^ "Course Archive". LGBTQ Studies - UCLA. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  19. ^ "City's Artists & Icons Series Presents: A Conversation and Q & A with Artist Dan Guerrero". City of West Hollywood. November 1, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  20. ^ Kan, Jack (2018-05-14). "Documentary about the "father of Chicano music" is screened during the "Celebration of Chicano Culture" series". El Camino College The Union. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
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