Danny Trejo admits he was going down a dark path before his career in Hollywood.
The 77-year-old actor said he 'could have died' if he hadn't found a career in entertainment, opening up to The Sun to promote his book Trejo: My Life Of Crime, Redemption And Hollywood.
Danny - who now has over 400 film credits to his name - told the paper he 'wasn’t surprised,' when his involvement in a prison riot almost sent him to 'the gas chamber,' saying: 'I was always told, "You’ll either die in prison or of an act of violence on the street," and I believed it.'
Lucky: Danny Trejo admitted he 'could have died' and was likely facing 'the gas chamber' before he was given a second chance and found his way to Hollywood
Open book: The 77-year-old actor opened up to The Sun to promote his book Trejo: My Life Of Crime, Redemption And Hollywood
Though he had endured stints at San Quentin and Folsom, Trejo found himself in serious trouble after being involved in a 'one-thousand person riot' at Soledad State Prison in California.
The Machete actor - who grew up in a troubled home in Pacoima, California - was in hot water for accidentally hitting a guard in the head with a rock while trying to lob it at other prisoners, told he was facing the death penalty for attempted murder.
He remembered asking God for mercy, saying: 'We were expecting the gas chamber, which I accepted but I thought, "Let me die with dignity, I don't want to pee my pants, to s*** and scream."'
'I pleaded, "God, if you let me die with dignity, I'll say your name every day and do what I can for my fellow inmates."
'The
