Later he made the transition to television when he co-starred with Don Johnson and Yasmine Bleeth in the police show Nash Bridges (1996-2001), in which they played San Francisco police-detective partners. In recent years he has been active in playing supporting roles in films and performing voice overs for animated features. His current television work includes a supporting role in Judging Amy, where he plays an independently wealthy landscape designer. He's also a favorite of director Robert Rodriguez, who has worked with Marin six times following the last two installments of his El Mariachi trilogy, the Spy Kids trilogy, and From Dusk Till Dawn. He also provided his voice for several Disney animated films, most notably Oliver & Company (1988), The Lion King (1994) and Cars (2006). He also made a small appearance as a dockworker in the movie Ghostbusters 2.

Marin is one of the foremost collectors of Chicano art in the United States, and his private collection is claimed to be the world's largest. Two national touring exhibitions have featured works from his collection. He's also an avid golfer, although Marin initially disliked the sport until he co-starred in Tin Cup.

Marin was born with a cleft lip, which has long since been repaired. He speaks fluent Spanish and uses it in some of the movies he stars in. Marin's trademark is his character's Mexican-accented voice.

The actor took a cue from his Nash Bridges counterpart as he resides in the San Francisco Bay Area year round, as a resident of the city's ritzy Seacliff neighborhood.

Recently, Marin reprised his role as Banzai the Hyena from The Lion King for the video game Kingdom Hearts II.