Background
Frey was born in Tijuana, Mexico. His father was Swiss-American and his mother was naturalized United States citizen of Mexican descent.
Frey was born in Tijuana, Mexico. His father was Swiss-American and his mother was naturalized United States citizen of Mexican descent.
His family moved to San Diego, California, where he attended parochial schools, and later studied film and graduated from the University of San Diego.
His investigative work has been featured on 60 Minutes, Public Broadcasting Service, National Broadcasting Company News, Columbia Broadcasting System News, The Weather Channel, Dan Rather Reports, Fusion television, Current television, Univision and Telemundo to name a few. John Carlos Frey has also written articles for the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, Salon, Need to Know online, the Washington Monthly, and El Diario (in Spanish). Frey is currently a Reporting Fellow at the Investigative Fund and a Special Correspondent for The NewsHour on Public Broadcasting Service.
Early in his life, Frey sought to hide his Mexican heritage.
“I wanted to pass as American, I didn’t want to accept that I was part Mexican”, Frey said.
“lieutenant was really easy to leave my culture behind.” Frey"s mother was once picked up by United States Border Patrol agents and deported because she was unable to convince them of her legal status. Before becoming a documentary filmmaker and journalist Frey was a Hollywood actor for ten years.
His acting career includes roles in The Practice, Days of Our Lives, Married With Children, Judge Advocate General, Weird Science, Party of Five and Freaky Friday among others Frey"s independently produced documentaries include Invisible Mexicans of Deer Canyon, The Invisible Chapel, The 800 Mile Wall, One Border One Body and Life and Death on the Border.
Frey was the main correspondent for the February 15, 2013 episode of Public Broadcasting Service"s "Need To Know", titled: "Outlawed In Arizona" highlighting a years-long dispute over a Mexican-American studies program in Tucson, Arizona.
Quotations: “I wanted to pass as American, I didn’t want to accept that I was part Mexican”.