Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#3656
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Adrian Martinez works on versatility rather than volume, and the catalogue keeps proving that the quieter choice was the correct one.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Adrian Martinez appears in 32 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Adrian. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is the clearest case: a film rated 7.2 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for comedy, family, action. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Adam Shankman, James Hawes, Jerry Seinfeld and others, Adrian Martinez helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) as Hernando · In America (2003) as Shopkeeper · Kick-Ass (2010) as Ginger Goon
Career snapshot
Ranked #3656 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
32
2003–2026
Career length
23 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.2
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Average Nutevio score
5.9
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.2
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Most frequent director
Adam Shankman
1 film together
Longest collaboration
1×
With Adam Shankman
Most common genre
Comedy
19 titles
Average runtime
1h 43m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.3
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
6.4 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. I Feel Pretty, Once Upon a Time in Venice, Office Christmas Party — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
6.4
Across 15 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.4
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Righteous Kill, The Promotion.
Most productive era
2010s
15 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.93 films | 6.96 films | 4.74 films |
| Action | 6.02 films | 6.24 films | 6.91 film |
| Thriller | 6.35 films | 5.21 film | 5.94 films |
| Comedy | 5.83 films | 6.211 films | 3.85 films |
| Crime | 6.35 films | 6.64 films | — |
| Romance | — | 6.75 films | — |
| Horror | — | — | 6.41 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2003Pieces of April
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Man in Mohair Sweater.
Highest rated performance
2003In America
7.2 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Career peak
2015Focus
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
The current state of the argument.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
32 of 32 films
as Farhad
Directed by Glenn Ficarra
as Hernando
Directed by Ben Stiller
as Ginger Goon
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
as Security Guard
Directed by Sidney Lumet
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Farhad
Focus (2015)
Performance score7.3
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Farhad gives Adrian Martinez a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Hernando
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Performance score7.1
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Hernando is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Shopkeeper
In America (2003)
Performance score7.1
In America asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Shopkeeper is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Ginger Goon
Kick-Ass (2010)
Performance score7.0
Kick-Ass asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Ginger Goon is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Farhad
Start here. Focus is the clearest statement of what Adrian Martinez does — accessible, 105 minutes, and rated 6.9 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Adrian at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
In America (2003)
A deliberate change of key after Focus — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
Keeps the drama register of In America but asks for a colder reading of it.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Keeps the crime register of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
A deliberate change of key after Kick-Ass — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Jim Sheridan
Director
1 film together
Notably In America
Peter Hedges
Director
1 film together
Notably Pieces of April
Tim Story
Director
1 film together
Notably Taxi
Sydney Pollack
Director
1 film together
Notably The Interpreter
Sidney Lumet
Director
1 film together
Notably Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Steven Conrad
Director
1 film together
Notably The Promotion
Jon Avnet
Director
1 film together
Notably Righteous Kill
Tony Scott
Director
1 film together
Notably The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Roger Michell
Director
1 film together
Notably Morning Glory
Kevin Smith
Director
1 film together
Notably Cop Out
Matthew Vaughn
Director
1 film together
Notably Kick-Ass
Ryan Fleck
Director
1 film together
Notably It's Kind of a Funny Story
Stephen Daldry
Director
1 film together
Notably Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Matt Piedmont
Director
1 film together
Notably Casa de Mi Padre
Ben Stiller
Director
1 film together
Notably The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
David O. Russell
Director
1 film together
Notably American Hustle
Marc Webb
Director
1 film together
Notably The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Glenn Ficarra
Director
1 film together
Notably Focus
Jason Moore
Director
1 film together
Notably Sisters
Josh Gordon
Director
1 film together
Notably Office Christmas Party
Robb Cullen
Director
1 film together
Notably Once Upon a Time in Venice
Jamie Babbit
Director
1 film together
Notably The Stand In
Adrian Martinez
Director
1 film together
Notably iGilbert
Antoine Fuqua
Director
1 film together
Notably The Guilty
Jerry Seinfeld
Director
1 film together
Notably Unfrosted
James Hawes
Director
1 film together
Notably The Amateur
Adam Shankman
Director
1 film together
Notably The Man with the Bag
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Ben Stiller
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Secret Life of Walter MittyJim Sheridan
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
In AmericaMatthew Vaughn
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Kick-AssSidney Lumet
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Before the Devil Knows You're DeadStephen Daldry
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Extremely Loud & Incredibly CloseRyan Fleck
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
It's Kind of a Funny StoryJames Hawes
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The AmateurGlenn Ficarra
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FocusDavid O. Russell
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
American HustleMarc Webb
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Amazing Spider-Man 2Peter Hedges
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pieces of AprilAntoine Fuqua
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The GuiltyRoger Michell
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Morning GloryTony Scott
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3Sydney Pollack
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The InterpreterJason Moore
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SistersJon Avnet
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Righteous KillJosh Gordon
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Office Christmas PartyKevin Smith
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Cop OutTim Story
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TaxiAdrian Martinez
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
iGilbertJerry Seinfeld
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
UnfrostedJamie Babbit
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Stand InMatt Piedmont
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Casa de Mi PadreSteven Conrad
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The PromotionRobb Cullen
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Once Upon a Time in VeniceAdam Shankman
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Man with the BagSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
as Hector Black
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
It's Kind of a Funny Story
as Johnny
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
In America
as Shopkeeper
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Righteous Kill
as Glenn (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Focus
as Farhad
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Adrian Martinez has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
23 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
19 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Hernando
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Amateur
as Carlos
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
It's Kind of a Funny Story
as Johnny
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Righteous Kill
as Glenn (uncredited)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
as Bodega Cashier
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
as Bodega Cashier
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
as Hernando
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
as Bodega Cashier
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
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Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: family and comedy
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: family and comedy
Cillian Murphy
Built a career in the same territory: drama and history
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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