Emilio Rivera (born February 24, 1961) is an American film and television actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known for his portrayal of Marcus Álvarez in Sons of Anarchy and its spin-off, Mayans M.C.. He is also known for his depiction of criminals and law enforcement officers.
Rivera is of Mexican descent. He is the oldest child of four brothers and three sisters. As a young boy, he was raised in Elysian Valley also known as Frogtown, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. At 18 years old, Rivera enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1979.
Rivera's first feature role was in the TV series Renegade with Lorenzo Lamas. He also had a role in the feature film Con Air, co-starring Nicolas Cage. Emilio has appeared in several commercials, television programs and feature films including Traffic, The Cable Guy, NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills, 90210, Walker, Texas Ranger, Hitman: Agent 47, JAG, ER, A Man Apart with Vin Diesel, John Cusack's film Never Get Outta the Boat, Friday After Next, Ali G Indahouse, Rush, Howard Stern's Son of the Beach, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Z Nation, and Michael Mann's new series Metro. He also played Marcus Álvarez in Sons of Anarchy for seven seasons and currently plays Alvarez in Mayans M.C..