Raymond Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Cruz in 2015 | |
| Born | September 10, 1964 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | East Los Angeles College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Raymond Cruz (born September 10, 1964) [1] is an American actor, best known for his starring role as Detective Julio Sanchez in the series The Closer and its spinoff Major Crimes , [2] as well as his recurring role as drug lord Tuco Salamanca in the crime drama Breaking Bad and its prequel series Better Call Saul .
Cruz, who is of Mexican descent, grew up in East Los Angeles, California, in a neighborhood that regularly saw gang activity, and had relatives in such street gangs as Maravilla and Barrio South Gate. [3] In an interview with The Daily Beast , Cruz stated he witnessed someone shot in front of him when he was 12 years old, noting that "his brains came out the back of his head." [3] For his portrayal of Tuco Salamanca, he was able to relate to his experiences witnessing people who were high on meth. [3]
Cruz has said that becoming interested in American literature early in life helped him avoid joining such gangs himself. His favorite novel is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird . [4] [5] [3] He attended East Los Angeles College. [6]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2023) |
Cruz's film roles include sniper Ding Chavez in Clear and Present Danger , Hector in Out For Justice , Tom Berenger's second-in-command Joey Six in The Substitute , U.S. Marine Sergeant Rojas in The Rock , as Jesus in From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money , USM Private Vincent DiStephano in Alien: Resurrection , and Ramirez in Under Siege . He appeared as Chuey, a gang member from the Vatos Locos, in the gang film Blood In Blood Out . In 2005, he played Chino in Havoc . He appeared in Gremlins 2: The New Batch , credited as "The Messenger," and in Training Day as a gang member named Sniper. He played a Los Angeles firefighter in Collateral Damage . He had guest roles in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Siege of AR-558", the X-Files episode "El Mundo Gira", and the second season of 24 . He also made an appearance as the father of a murdered girl in CSI. He played a short-lived but well-known role as Tuco Salamanca, a sadistic and psychopathic meth dealer in Breaking Bad in 2008 and 2009, a role he reprised in the first two seasons of the Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul . He had a recurring role as Paco on My Name Is Earl , and as Alejandro Perez on Nip/Tuck .
| 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 |
| 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 Drug 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 Whore" | |
| 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 | Mayans M.C. | Che "Padre" Romero [ citation needed ] | Pilot |
| Get Shorty | Swayze | 2 episodes |
Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White, an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited high-school chemistry teacher who is struggling with a recent diagnosis of stage-three lung cancer. White turns to a life of crime and partners with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, to produce and distribute methamphetamine to secure his family's financial future before he dies, while navigating the dangers of the criminal underworld. Breaking Bad premiered on AMC on January 20, 2008, and concluded on September 29, 2013, after five seasons consisting of 62 episodes.
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Actor Raymond Cruz is 57.
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Quotations from Wikiquote
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