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.
Fotos
Filmes (71)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972 · Self (archive footage)
The Lady and the Bandit
1951 · Story
The Highwayman
1951 · Screenstory
The Capture
1950 · Carlos
The Girl from San Lorenzo
1950 · The Cisco Kid
Satan's Cradle
1949 · The Cisco Kid, Associate Producer
The Daring Caballero
1949 · The Cisco Kid
The Gay Amigo
1949 · The Cisco Kid
The Valiant Hombre
1948 · The Cisco Kid
Sword of the Avenger
1948 · Fernando
Jungle Flight
1947 · Police Captain Costa
Bells of San Fernando
1947 · Screenplay, Story, Producer
Don Ricardo Returns
1946 · Screenplay
Jungle Terror
1946 · Armand Roget
South of the Rio Grande
1945 · The Cisco Kid
In Old New Mexico
1945 · The Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid Returns
1945 · The Cisco Kid
Sheriff of Sundown
1944 · Chihuahua Ramírez
San Antonio Kid
1944 · Johnny Bennett
The Tiger Woman
1944 · José Delgado
Call of the South Seas
1944 · Commissioner Charcot
The Fighting Seabees
1944 · Construction Worker at Party
Hands Across the Border
1944 · Juan Morales
Around the World
1943 · Dragoman
Tiger Fangs
1943 · Peter Jeremy
Secret Service In Darkest Africa
1943 · Capt. Pierre LaSalle
For Whom the Bell Tolls
1943 · Lt. Berrendo
Mission to Moscow
1943 · Italian Reporter (uncredited)
Border Patrol
1943 · Commandante
King of the Mounties
1942 · Pierre (Ch. 1, 11-12)
A Yank in Libya
1942 · Sheik David
Outlaws of the Desert
1941 · Sheik Suleiman
Gauchos of El Dorado
1941 · Gaucho / José Ojara
Down Mexico Way
1941 · Juan
King of the Texas Rangers
1941 · Lt. Pedro Garcia
Bad Men of Missouri
1941 · Dan
South of Panama
1941 · Captain of Police
Heroes of the Saddle
1940 · Rico
Oklahoma Renegades
1940 · Rico Rinaldo
Rocky Mountain Rangers
1940 · Rico
Gaucho Serenade
1940 · Gaucho Don José
Covered Wagon Days
1940 · Rico Rinaldo
Pioneers of the West
1940 · Rico
The Mad Empress
1939 · Col. Miguel López
South of the Border
1939 · Andreo Mendoza
Cowboys from Texas
1939 · Rico Rinaldo
The Kansas Terrors
1939 · Renaldo
Rough Riders' Round-up
1939 · Alcalde Don Enriguez
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
1939 · Juan Vasquez
Spawn of the North
1938 · Ivan
Tropic Holiday
1938 · Young Blood (uncredited)
Rose of the Rio Grande
1938 · Sebastian
Zorro Rides Again
1937 · Renaldo
Sky Racket
1937 · Count Barksi
Jungle Menace
1937 · Armand Roget
The Painted Stallion
1937 · Zamorro
Mile a Minute Love
1937 · Count Ribalto, Story
Ten Laps to Go
1936 · Eddie DeSylva
Two Minutes to Play
1936 · Lew Ashley
Rebellion
1936 · Ricardo Castillo
Lady Luck
1936 · Tony Morelli
Special Agent K-7
1936 · Tony Blank
Moonlight Murder
1936 · Pedro
The Moth
1934 · Don Pedro
Public Stenographer
1934 · Henchman Orsini
Trapped in Tia Juana
1932 · Lt. Kenneth Holbert / El Zorro
Trader Horn
1931 · Peru
Pals of the Prairie
1929 · Francisco Valencia
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
1929 · Esteban
The Love Charm
1928 · Writer
Clothes Make the Woman
1928
