A graduate of UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television, Sanchez was born in Los Angeles to Cuban immigrants and raised in Palm Desert, California. His regular recurring roles on television, starting with Knots Landing (1979), include Seaquest DSV (1993), The Division (2001), The Client List (2011), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993), and No Good Nick (2019). He has appeared as a guest star on such television series as 24 (2001), Law & Order: Los Angeles (2010), Sons of Thunder (1999), MacGyver (2016), Bones (2005), Murder, She Wrote (1984), The Mentalist (2008), CSI: Miami (2002), and NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (2003). He appeared in Showtime's The Last Debate (2000) (directed by John Badham) and in such feature films as The Rookie (2002), Super 8 (2011), and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). Sanchez resides in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.