Anthony Caruso (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anthony Caruso
Caruso in an episode of The Public Defender (1955)
Born	(1916-04-07)April 7, 1916 Frankfort, Indiana, U.S.
Died	April 4, 2003(2003-04-04) (aged 86) Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film, television actor
Years active	1940–1990
Spouse(s)	Tonia Valente ​ ​ (m. 1940)​
Children	2

Anthony Caruso (born April 7, 1916 – died April 4, 2003) was an American actor. He appeared in over one hundred movies and TV shows. He often played bad guys and tough characters. One of his famous roles was Captain Juan Ortega in the first season of Walt Disney's Zorro.

Life and Acting Career

Anthony Caruso was born in Frankfort, Indiana. He started acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. There, he became friends with another actor named Alan Ladd. They stayed friends and even made 11 movies together!

Early Acting Days

Caruso gained early acting experience with The Hart Players. This was a traveling theater group that performed in tents. He also acted with the Federal Theatre Project. He was a star in plays at the Hollywood Playhouse.

His first movie was Johnny Apollo in 1940. It starred Tyrone Power.

TV Westerns and Other Shows

Caruso appeared in many TV Westerns. In 1954, he played Tiburcio Vásquez in Stories of the Century. He also appeared in Crusader, a series starring Brian Keith. Caruso was in the movie Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) with Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. In 1957, he was in an episode of Have Gun – Will Travel called "The Winchester Quarantine."

In 1956, Caruso acted alongside war hero Audie Murphy and Anne Bancroft in Walk the Proud Land. He played a character named Disalin.

In 1957, he was in "The Child" episode of The Restless Gun on NBC. In 1959, he played George Bradley in "Annie's Old Beau" on the children's Western series, Buckskin.

That same year, he played Matt Cleary in Wanted: Dead or Alive. This episode was called "The Littlest Client" and starred Steve McQueen. Also in 1959, he was a guest star on the ABC/Warner Brothers Western series, Sugarfoot. He appeared in the episode "The Extra Hand." He also appeared in "Syndicate Sanctuary" on The Untouchables.

More TV Roles

In 1960, Caruso played a Cherokee Indian chief named White Bull. This was in "The Long Trail" episode of the NBC Western series, Riverboat.

He appeared on Gunsmoke several times. In 1960, he played a cowboy named Gurney. In 1961, he was "Lone Wolf." In 1963, he played the main character, "Ash Farior." This was a special role for him. He showed sympathy and loyalty to his friend Ben (played by John Dehner). In 1964, he played "Sims" and "Bull Foot" on Gunsmoke. In 1962, he played Cody Durham in "Cody's Code."

In 1961, he appeared twice on the ABC/Warner Brothers drama series, The Roaring 20s. He played Lucky Lombardi in "The Maestro." He was also in "Pie in the Sky." Earlier in 1961, he was Velde in "Willy's Millionaire" on The Islanders.

Anthony Caruso as Bela Oxmyx in Star Trek: "A Piece of the Action"

Caruso was a guest star on The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. He also appeared three times on CBS's Perry Mason. In 1965, he played the murder victim in two Perry Mason episodes.

In 1964, he was a guest star on Bonanza in "The Saga of Squaw Charlie." He played a Native American man who was often ignored. His only friends were Ben Cartwright and a little girl. From 1966 to 1970, he was a guest star three times on The Virginian. In 1965, he appeared on The Addams Family as Don Xavier Molinas.

Some of his other well-known roles include:

• The alien gangster "Bela Oxmyx" in the classic Star Trek episode "A Piece of the Action".
• Chief Blackfish on the NBC series Daniel Boone.
• Mongo in the movie Tarzan and the Leopard Woman.
• Sengo in Tarzan and the Slave Girl.
• Louis Ciavelli, a safecracker, in The Asphalt Jungle.
• The funny Native American character "Red Cloud" on the 1965 Get Smart episode "Washington 4, Indians 3."

In 1970, Caruso was a guest star on the ABC crime drama The Silent Force. In 1974, he appeared in the last episode of the police drama Nakia. Caruso also played El Lobo many times on The High Chaparral.

Personal Life

Anthony Caruso met his wife, Tonia Valente, in 1939 in San Francisco. They met at the Alcazar Theater when her play was closing and his was opening. They were married for 63 years! Caruso enjoyed gardening and cooking. He had a son named Tonio.

Anthony Caruso passed away on April 4, 2003, at his home in Los Angeles, California. He was 86 years old, just three days before his 87th birthday.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Anthony Caruso para niños