Joseph Valdez is a man who takes himself very seriously. When he’s not “busy” reciting affirmations in the mirror, you can catch him: reading about some dead guy in history, screaming obscenities at the TV during an A’s game, or being "method."
Joseph wasn’t always so serious. Growing up in the midtown streets of Sacramento, Joseph dazzled on the baseball field, flexed with the Nintendo 64, and even played “deuces” in his high school Spanish class. Word has it that you can still hear Mr. Silhi’s voice echoing down the halls of Sacramento High, “Joe, I hate you!”
It was when Joseph left for the University of Southern California that he become serious. Joseph, you see, was awarded two “prestigious” scholarships, the Presidential Scholarship and the National Hispanic Scholarship to study the illustrious performing arts. Joseph worked tirelessly day and night training his voice and becoming in touch with his emotions and became an expert in the art of make-believe. The sleepless nights paid off as he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
After graduating, Joseph was determined to play make believe for the rest of his life. Two of his most acclaimed performances were in solo plays he wrote, Little Big Joe the Bug Squasher and Swimming to China in My Birthday Suit. Not only was Joseph heralded in these two epic performances for his versatility and fearlessness, but he also made it through the hour-plus performances without anyone throwing tomatoes. He even received a few standing ovations. Probably because people were happy to go home.
Joseph has also acted in several other theatre productions and films. Recently, he wrapped shooting on the feature film, Ouroburos, by Basma Alsharif and and the short independent film, Drive, by Vimal Mohan. He also starred in Donal O’Kelly’s world premiere of The Memory Stick, a co-international production produced by the City Arts Council of Dublin, Ireland and San Jose Stage Company.