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 famous for playing Detective Julio Sanchez in the TV series The Closer and its spin-off, Major Crimes. He is also well-known for his role as the villain Tuco Salamanca in the popular shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
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Early Life and Education
Raymond Cruz grew up in East Los Angeles, California. His neighborhood was a tough place to live, and he saw many difficult things as a child. To stay out of trouble, Cruz became very interested in American literature. He said that reading books helped him choose a better path in life. His favorite novel is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
After high school, Cruz attended East Los Angeles College to continue his education. His love for stories and characters eventually led him to a career in acting.
Acting Career
Cruz has played many different characters in movies and on television. He often plays strong and memorable characters.
Famous Movie Roles
In the movies, Cruz has appeared in many action-packed films. He played a soldier named Ding Chavez in Clear and Present Danger and a U.S. Marine in The Rock. He was also in the science-fiction movie Alien Resurrection as Private Vincent DiStephano.
Some of his other movie roles include:
- Hector in Out For Justice
- Joey Six in The Substitute
- Chuey in Blood In Blood Out
- Sniper in Training Day
Famous Television Roles
Cruz is very well known for his work on television. For seven seasons, he played Detective Julio Sanchez on the crime show The Closer. He continued to play the same character for six more seasons on the spin-off show, Major Crimes.
One of his most famous roles was Tuco Salamanca in the drama series Breaking Bad. He played this intense and unpredictable character in 2008 and 2009. He later returned to play a younger version of Tuco in the prequel series, Better Call Saul, from 2015 to 2016.
He has also appeared as a guest star in many other shows, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The X-Files, and CSI.
Personal Life
Raymond Cruz is married to Simi Mehta, who is also an actress. They acted together in an episode of The X-Files called "El Mundo Gira".
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Maid to Order | Sam | |
| 1988 | Twice Dead | Gang Member | |
| 1989 | I Know My First Name Is Steven | Punk | |
| 1990 | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | The Messenger | |
| Cold Dog Soup | Gang Member | ||
| 1991 | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Montoya | Television film |
| Dead Again | Store Clerk | ||
| Out for Justice | Hector | ||
| Fallen Angels | Diego | Television film | |
| 1992 | Man Trouble | Balco | |
| Nails | Paco Sanchez | Television film | |
| Judgement | Cyclone | ||
| Under Siege | Ramirez | ||
| 1993 | Blood In Blood Out | Chuey | |
| When the Party's Over | Mario | ||
| 1994 | Dead Badge | Tomas Gomez | |
| Clear and Present Danger | Ding Chavez | ||
| Dragstrip Girl | Doogie | Television film | |
| 1995 | Operation Dumbo Drop | Staff Sergeant Adams | Uncredited |
| 1996 | The Substitute | Joey "Six" | |
| The Rock | Sergeant Rojas | Uncredited | |
| Up Close & Personal | Fernando Buttanda | ||
| Broken Arrow | USAF Lieutenant Colonel | Uncredited | |
| 1997 | Last Stand at Saber River | Manuel | Television film |
| Alien Resurrection | Private Vincent DiStephano | ||
| 1998 | Playing Patti | ||
| 1999 | From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money | Jesus | |
| The Last Marshal | T-Boy | ||
| 2000 | Blood Money | Gutierrez | Television film |
| 2001 | Training Day | Sniper | |
| 2002 | Collateral Damage | Junior | |
| 2004 | Just Hustle | Spanish Professor | |
| My Name is Modesty | Raphael Garcia | ||
| 2005 | Havoc | Chino | |
| Brothers in Arms | Reverend | ||
| 2006 | 10 Tricks | Sal | |
| 2015 | Cleveland Abduction | Ariel Castro | Television film |
| 2019 | The Curse of La Llorona | Rafael Olvera | |
| 2020 | Wander | Luis Santiago | |
| 2021 | Blue Miracle | Hector | |
| 2023 | Medellin | El Diablo | |
| 2025 | Love, Danielle | Stan DeManuel | |
| Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires | TBA (voice) | Direct-to-Video |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Hal | Episode: "Down to a Sunless Sea" |
| Cagney & Lacey | Alonzo | Episode: "Land of the Free" | |
| CBS Schoolbreak Special | Angel Perez | Episode: "Gangs" | |
| Vietnam War Story | Diaz | Episode: "Separated" | |
| Knots Landing | Van Driver, Young Man | 2 episodes | |
| 1989 | A Nightmare on ... Street | Felipe | Short Film |
| 1990 | Hunter | Tomas Delgado | Episode: "La Familia" |
| Freddy's Nightmares | Johnny "Mac" McFarland | Episode: "Life Sentence" | |
| Matlock | Alien Worker | Episode: "The Cookie Monster" | |
| Lifestories | Episode: "Frank Brody" | ||
| China Beach | Lopez | Episode: "One Small Step" | |
| 1993 | Murder, She Wrote | José "Joseph" Galvan | Episode: "Double Jeopardy" |
| 1995 | The Marshal | Rossiter | Episode: "The Ballad of Lucas Burke" |
| Walker, Texas Ranger | Sergeant Perez | Episode: "Case Closed" | |
| 1995–2000 | NYPD Blue | Raoul / Rico | 2 episodes |
| 1995–2000 | The Eddie Files | Johnny | 16 episodes |
| 1997 | The X-Files | Eladio Buente | Episode: "El Mundo Gira" |
| Cracker | MacCormick | Episode: "'Tis Pity She's a ..." | |
| 413 Hope St. | Rico | Episode: "Lost Boys and Gothic Girls" | |
| 1998 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Vargas | Episode: "The Siege of AR-558" |
| The Practice | Miguel Moreno | Episode: "Truth and Consequences" | |
| 1999 | Seven Days | Rodriguez | Episode: "Daddy's Girl" |
| 2000 | Strange World | Rinaldo Molina | Episode: "Man Plus" |
| Seven Days | Teo Millar | Episode: "The Cuban Missile" | |
| Harsh Realm | Sergeant Escalante | 2 episodes | |
| 2002 | Robbery Homicide Division | Jesus "Termite" Rosales | Episode: "City of Strivers" |
| Boomtown | Ruben | Episode: "Crash" | |
| 2002–2003 | The Division | Roland / Ray Sanchez | 3 episodes |
| 2003–2011 | CSI: Miami | Martin Medesto / Marcos Trejo | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | 24 | Rouse | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Miguel Durado / Donald Balboa | 2 episodes |
| 2003–2006 | Nip/Tuck | Alejandro Perez | 2 episodes |
| 2005–2012 | The Closer | Detective Julio Sanchez | 105 episodes |
| 2007–2008 | My Name Is Earl | Paco | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Day Break | Luis Torres | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Ylse | Jesse | |
| 2008–2009 | Breaking Bad | Tuco Salamanca | 4 episodes |
| 2011 | Los Americans | Memo | 7 episodes |
| 2012 | White Collar | Enrico Morales | Episode: "Most Wanted" |
| 2012–2018 | Major Crimes | Julio Sanchez | 105 episodes |
| 2013 | Lauren | Martinez | 3 episodes; Web series |
| 2015–2016 | Better Call Saul | Tuco Salamanca | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | The Eric Andre Show | Himself | Episode: "Raymond Cruz; Amber Rose" |
| 2018 | Get Shorty | Swayze | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Madam Secretary | President Mateo Sandino Sr. | Episode: "Something Better" |
| 2023 | Mayans M.C. | Smokey | |
| 2024 | Grey's Anatomy | Daniel Jiménez (inmate) | Episode: "The Marathon Continues" |
See also
In Spanish: Raymond Cruz para niños
