Raymond Cruz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raymond Cruz
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Cruz in 2024
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| Born | September 10, 1964 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | East Los Angeles College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse(s) | Simi Mehta |
Raymond Cruz (born September 10, 1964) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing Detective Julio Sanchez in the TV shows The Closer and Major Crimes. He also played Tuco Salamanca in the crime dramas Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Early Life
Raymond Cruz was born in Los Angeles. He grew up in East Los Angeles. This area was known for crime. Raymond is of Mexican descent.
He has shared that reading books helped him stay away from gangs. He loved American literature. His favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Career Highlights
Raymond Cruz has acted in many movies and TV shows. He often plays tough or serious characters. One of his early film roles was Ding Chavez in Clear and Present Danger. He also appeared as Hector in Out For Justice.
He played Joey Six in The Substitute. He was U.S. Marine Sergeant Rojas in The Rock. You might also remember him as Jesus in From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. He was Private Vincent DiStephano in Alien Resurrection. He played Ramirez in Under Siege.
In 2005, he was Chino in the movie Havoc. He also appeared in Gremlins 2: The New Batch. He played a gang member named Sniper in Training Day. He was a Los Angeles firefighter in Collateral Damage.
Raymond Cruz is very famous for his TV roles. He played Detective Julio Sanchez for many years. This role was in The Closer for seven seasons. He then continued playing Julio Sanchez in the spin-off show Major Crimes for six more seasons.
He also played the memorable character Tuco Salamanca. This role was in Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2009. He played Tuco again in Better Call Saul. This show is a prequel to Breaking Bad.
He had other recurring roles too. He played Paco on My Name Is Earl. He was also Alejandro Perez on Nip/Tuck. He has appeared in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The X-Files, and 24. He also made guest appearances in CSI shows.
Personal Life
Raymond Cruz is married to actress Simi Mehta. They worked together on an episode of The X-Files called "El Mundo Gira".
Selected Film and Television Roles
Raymond Cruz has had a long and successful career. Here are some of his notable roles:
- 1991: Out for Justice as Hector
- 1993: Blood In Blood Out as Chuey
- 1994: Clear and Present Danger as Ding Chavez
- 1996: The Rock as Sergeant Rojas
- 1997: Alien Resurrection as Private Vincent DiStephano
- 2001: Training Day as Sniper
- 2005–2012: The Closer as Detective Julio Sanchez
- 2008–2009: Breaking Bad as Tuco Salamanca
- 2012–2018: Major Crimes as Julio Sanchez
- 2015–2016: Better Call Saul as Tuco Salamanca
- 2015: Cleveland Abduction as Ariel Castro (Television film)
- 2019: The Curse of La Llorona as Rafael Olvera
See also
In Spanish: Raymond Cruz para niños
