Image of Duncan Renaldo

Duncan Renaldo

To most audiences, Duncan Renaldo will always be identified as film and TV's "The Cisco Kid." However, this role occurred late in his career, which consisted of much more than just this western character. Not much is known about Renaldo's early life. In fact, his date and place of birth is still questioned. The usual given birth date is April 23, 1904. His birthplace has been generally stated as Spain--he has said that his first memories as a child were in Spain--although Romania and even New Jersey have been mentioned as well. An orphan, he never knew his actual parents and was never able to ascertain the exact date and place of his birth. He was raised and educated in various European countries and arrived in the US in the early 1920s as a stoker on a Brazilian coal ship. Entering the country on a 90-day seaman's permit, he stayed when his ship caught fire at the dock and burned to the waterline. A paltry existence as a portrait painter forced him to seek other work, and he somehow found his way into films as a producer of short features, which in turn led to on-camera work as an actor with MGM in 1928. The studio capitalized on his dashing Hispanic looks and initially typed him as a "Latin lover", but it didn't last long. In the early 1930s his career was interrupted when he was arrested and faced deportation due to his illegal immigrant status. The actor was eventually pardoned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt--his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, had bought one of Renaldo's paintings, looked into his case and persuaded her husband to pardon him. He returned to minor films for both Republic and Monogram, alternating as heroic sidekick and villain. He co-starred as one of the Three Mesquiteers in the revamped film series, and showed up regularly in 1930s and 1940s cliffhangers, including The Painted Stallion (1937), Jungle Menace (1937), Zorro Rides Again (1937), King of the Mounties (1942), Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943) The Tiger Woman (1944). In 1945 he began the Cisco Kid film series and transferred the character successfully to TV in the early 1950s, with Leo Carrillo as faithful sidekick Pancho. Renaldo made the character clean-shaven and more of a do-gooder than the roguish bandit who actually was in the books. Renaldo retired soon after the series' demise and died years later at Goleta Valley Community Hospital in California of lung cancer in 1980.


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Born:
Apr 23, 1904
Movie/TV Credits:
65
First Appeared:
In the movie Clothes Make the Woman 1928-06-04
Latest Project:
Movie Hollywood: The Dream Factory 1972-01-10
Known For
Poster of Tiger Fangs
Poster of Zorro Rides Again
Poster of The Moth
Poster of Clothes Make the Woman
Filmography
Movie Hollywood: The Dream Factory Self (archive footage) 1972-01-10
Movie The Capture Carlos 1950-04-08
Movie The Girl from San Lorenzo The Cisco Kid 1950-02-24
Series The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid 1950-09-05
Movie The Gay Amigo The Cisco Kid 1949-05-13
Movie Satan's Cradle The Cisco Kid 1949-10-06
Movie The Daring Caballero The Cisco Kid 1949-06-13
Movie Sword of the Avenger Fernando 1948-06-02
Movie The Valiant Hombre The Cisco Kid 1948-12-15
Movie Jungle Flight Police Captain Costa 1947-08-22
Movie Jungle Terror Armand Roget 1946-06-01
Movie The Cisco Kid Returns The Cisco Kid 1945-02-16
Movie In Old New Mexico The Cisco Kid 1945-05-15
Movie South of the Rio Grande The Cisco Kid 1945-09-15
Movie The Fighting Seabees Construction Worker at Party 1944-01-27
Movie Hands Across the Border Juan Morales 1944-01-05
Movie Call of the South Seas Commissioner Charcot 1944-04-07
Movie Sheriff of Sundown Chihuahua Ramírez 1944-11-07
Movie The Tiger Woman José Delgado 1944-05-27
Movie San Antonio Kid Johnny Bennett aka San Antonio Kid 1944-08-16
Movie Mission to Moscow Italian Reporter (uncredited) 1943-04-29
Movie Border Patrol Commandante 1943-04-02
Movie For Whom the Bell Tolls Lt. Berrendo 1943-07-12
Movie Secret Service In Darkest Africa Capt. Pierre LaSalle 1943-07-24
Movie Around the World Dragoman 1943-11-27
Movie Tiger Fangs Peter Jeremy 1943-09-10
Movie A Yank in Libya Sheik David 1942-07-24
Movie King of the Mounties Pierre (Ch. 1, 11-12) 1942-10-17
Movie King of the Texas Rangers Lt. Pedro Garcia 1941-10-03
Movie South of Panama Captain of Police 1941-05-02
Movie Bad Men of Missouri Dan 1941-07-26
Movie Down Mexico Way Juan 1941-10-15
Movie Outlaws of the Desert Sheik Suleiman 1941-11-01
Movie Gauchos of El Dorado Gaucho / José Ojara 1941-10-24
Movie Pioneers of the West Rico 1940-03-12
Movie Gaucho Serenade Gaucho Don José 1940-05-09
Movie Covered Wagon Days Rico Rinaldo 1940-04-22
Movie Rocky Mountain Rangers Rico 1940-05-24
Movie Oklahoma Renegades Rico Rinaldo 1940-08-29
Movie Heroes of the Saddle Rico 1940-12-01
Movie The Lone Ranger Rides Again Juan Vasquez 1939-02-25
Movie Rough Riders' Round-up Alcalde Don Enriguez 1939-03-13
Movie Cowboys from Texas Rico Rinaldo 1939-11-29
Movie The Kansas Terrors Renaldo 1939-10-05
Movie South of the Border Andreo Mendoza 1939-12-15
Movie Tropic Holiday Young Blood (uncredited) 1938-06-29
Movie Rose of the Rio Grande Sebastian 1938-03-15
Movie Spawn of the North Ivan 1938-08-26
Movie Mile a Minute Love Count Ribalto 1937-04-05
Movie Jungle Menace Armand Roget 1937-09-01
Movie The Painted Stallion Zamorro 1937-06-05
Movie Zorro Rides Again Renaldo 1937-11-20
Movie Sky Racket Count Barksi 1937-10-01
Movie Special Agent K-7 Tony Blank 1936-05-04
Movie Moonlight Murder Pedro 1936-03-27
Movie Lady Luck Tony Morelli 1936-09-13
Movie Rebellion Ricardo Castillo 1936-10-27
Movie Ten Laps to Go Eddie DeSylva 1936-12-05
Movie Two Minutes to Play Lew Ashley 1936-11-02
Movie Public Stenographer Henchman Orsini 1934-01-09
Movie The Moth Don Pedro 1934-01-14
Movie Trapped in Tia Juana Lt. Kenneth Holbert / El Zorro 1932-08-14
Movie Trader Horn Peru 1931-02-03
Movie The Bridge of San Luis Rey Esteban 1929-03-30
Movie Clothes Make the Woman 1928-06-04