Damian Chapa is a multifaceted American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer, known for his work in films like "Blood In Blood Out" and "Street Fighter," and for directing films like "Brando Unauthorized". 

He and Leonardo DiCaprio were both in the running to do competing James Dean biopics in 1995. The James Dean Foundation, who held rights for the project, endorsed Chapa over DiCaprio. The project came to a screeching halt, however, when all its producers were murdered at a street light in Culver City, California, as outlined in the book Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Rod Lurie.