Eloy Phil Casados' film making career began with a fortunate break when he was hired as an extra in The Lawyer (1970),directed by Sidney J. Furie, through the state employment office. This opportunity led to him being hired full-time as a stand-in for the leading man, marking the start of his journey in the film industry.
During his time studying Art at the University of New Mexico, Casados worked both in front of and behind the camera on numerous Hollywood movies that were shot in New Mexico. His first SAG role, opposite Robert Forster, came from a walk-on audition with the director on the set of Pieces of Dreams (1970).
Casados' career took an interesting turn when he was rehearsing with Anthony Quinn in Albuquerque and was approached by a SAG rep from Hollywood, who informed him that he needed to join SAG or leave the set. Quinn, finding this amusing, arranged for the producers to pay Casados' SAG initiation fee, allowing him to continue filming. Casados later played a key role in co-founding the first New Mexico SAG local.
In 1975, Casados moved to Hollywood with the dream of working on a film written by his favorite screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. His dream came true in 1977 when he played the title role in Trumbo's final screenplay, Ishi: The Last of His Tribe (1978). He also collaborated with Academy Award-winning composer Maurice Jarre to narrate an album of the Ishi soundtrack for the American Congress of Indians, earning him induction into the American Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Some notable highlights of Casados' career include being hired by Universal Studios to read for the part of Tony Montana and auditioning actors with Brian De Palma for Scarface (1983). He also played singer Louis Prima in Ron Shelton's film Cobb (1994) and appeared in eight Shelton films. Internationally, he worked in England, playing Squanto in the BBC production of the pilgrim story The New World, and narrated at the Disney Concert Hall with conductor Victor Veneer and the California Philharmonic.
As a writer, director, editor, camera operator, and artist, Casados was married with three daughters until his passing in 2016.
