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]
Cruz's film roles include sniper Ding Chavez in Clear and Present Danger , [7] Hector in Out For Justice , [7] Tom Berenger's second-in-command Joey Six in The Substitute , [7] U.S. Marine Sergeant Rojas in The Rock , [7] as Jesus in From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money , [7] USM Private Vincent DiStephano in Alien Resurrection , [7] and Ramirez in Under Siege . [7] He appeared as Chuey, a gang member from the Vatos Locos, in the gang film Blood In Blood Out . [7]
In 2005, he played Chino in Havoc . [7] He appeared in Gremlins 2: The New Batch , [7] credited as "The Messenger," and in Training Day as a gang member named Sniper. [7] He played a Los Angeles firefighter in Collateral Damage . [7] 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 . [7] He also made an appearance as the father of a murdered girl in CSI. He played Det Julio Sanchez for the entire seven season run of The Closer and continued in that role for all six seasons of the spin-off Major Crimes . [7] He played a short-lived but well-known role as Tuco Salamanca, a sadistic and psychotic meth dealer in Breaking Bad in 2008 and 2009, [7] a role he reprised in the first two seasons of the Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul . [7] He had a recurring role as Paco on My Name Is Earl , and as Alejandro Perez on Nip/Tuck . [7]
Cruz is married to fellow actress Simi Mehta whom he co-starred with on The X-Files in the episode "El Mundo Gira". [8]
| 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 |
| 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 | Get Shorty | Swayze | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Madam Secretary | President Mateo Sandino Sr. | Episode: Something Better |
| 2023 | Mayans M.C. | Smokey |
Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White, an underpaid, dispirited high-school chemistry teacher 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.
"Crazy Handful of Nothin'" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad. Written by George Mastras and directed by Bronwen Hughes, it aired on AMC in the United States and Canada on March 2, 2008. The episode introduces Tuco Salamanca and No Doze, played by Raymond Cruz and Cesar Garcia respectively.
Walter Hartwell White Sr., also known by his alias Heisenberg, is the fictional protagonist of the American crime drama television series Breaking Bad, portrayed by Bryan Cranston.
Henry R. "Hank" Schrader ASAC is a fictional character of the AMC drama series Breaking Bad and a supporting character in its spin-off series Better Call Saul. He is portrayed by Dean Norris and was created by series creator Vince Gilligan. Hank's character development over the course of the series and Norris's performance have been critically acclaimed.
"Grilled" is the second episode of the second season of the American television drama series Breaking Bad and the 9th episode over all. It was written by George Mastras and directed by Charles Haid.
"Bit by a Dead Bee" is the third episode of the second season of the American television crime drama series Breaking Bad and the 10th episode overall. It was written by Peter Gould and directed by Terry McDonough.
Better Call Saul is an American legal crime drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould for AMC. Part of the Breaking Bad franchise, it is a spin-off from Gilligan's previous series, Breaking Bad (2008–2013), to which it serves primarily as a prequel, with some scenes taking place during and after the events of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and ended on August 15, 2022, after six seasons consisting of 63 episodes.
Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a fictional character in the American crime drama television series Breaking Bad, played by Aaron Paul. He is a crystal meth cook and dealer who works with his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White. Jesse is the only character besides Walter to appear in every episode of the show. Paul reprised the role for the 2019 spin-off sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, set after its finale, and again in 2022 for the sixth and final season of the spin-off prequel sequel series Better Call Saul, being one of the few characters to appear across both shows and the movie.
Gustavo Fring is a fictional character portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the Breaking Bad franchise, serving as a major antagonist in the crime drama series Breaking Bad and a supporting character in its prequel Better Call Saul. He is a Chilean-American businessman and major narcotics distributor in the Southwestern United States who uses several legitimate businesses, including a chain of successful fast food restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos and an industrial laundry facility called Lavandería Brillante, as fronts used to launder money for a vast drug operation.
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The first season of the American television drama series Better Call Saul premiered on February 8, 2015, and concluded on April 6, 2015. The ten-episode season was broadcast on Monday nights in the United States on AMC, excluding the first episode which aired on a Sunday. A spin-off of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul was created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, both of whom also worked on Breaking Bad.
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Michael Ehrmantraut is a fictional character in the television series Breaking Bad and its spinoff prequel Better Call Saul, portrayed by Jonathan Banks. Mike is a former Philadelphia police officer and United States Marine Corps veteran who works for Gus Fring—and, on occasion, Saul Goodman—as a private investigator, head of security, cleaner, and hitman. While an officer in Philadelphia, he engaged in corrupt activities that indirectly led to the death of his son Matt, leading Mike to move to Albuquerque to watch over and financially support his daughter-in-law Stacey and granddaughter Kaylee through jobs in the criminal underworld.
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Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca is a fictional character in the AMC television series Better Call Saul, which is a companion show to Breaking Bad. Lalo, who was created by Peter Gould and screenwriter Gordon Smith, and is portrayed by Tony Dalton, is introduced in the show's fourth season. Lalo is mentioned in dialogue in the Breaking Bad episode "Better Call Saul" that introduces Saul Goodman, though Lalo does not appear in the series.
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Breaking Bad is an American neo-Western crime media franchise created by Vince Gilligan, primarily based on the two television series Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and Better Call Saul (2015–2022), and the film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). The fictional universe is sometimes informally referred to as the "Gilliverse".
Actor Raymond Cruz is 57.
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Quotations from Wikiquote
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