Luis Valdez was a Mexican American playwright and film director who founded El Teatro Campesino in the 1960s. He used theatre and film to bring attention to issues facing migrant farm workers and the Chicano community. Some of his most notable works included the play Zoot Suit and the films La Bamba and I Am Joaquin. Valdez drew from his experiences growing up in a migrant farm working family to create productions that furthered the causes of the United Farm Workers union.