Duncan Renaldo

Biography

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.

Known For

Carlos

The Capture

Sheik Suleiman

Outlaws of the Desert

Juan Morales

Hands Across the Border

Peru

Trader Horn

Andreo Mendoza

South of the Border

Ivan

Spawn of the North

Ricardo Castillo

Rebellion

Self (archive footage)

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

Francisco Valencia

Pals of the Prairie

Juan

Down Mexico Way

Johnny Bennett

San Antonio Kid

Don Pedro

The Moth

Esteban

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Rico Rinaldo

Cowboys from Texas

Renaldo

Zorro Rides Again

Tony Blank

Special Agent K-7

Rico

Heroes of the Saddle

Tony Morelli

Lady Luck

Police Captain Costa

Jungle Flight

Eddie DeSylva

Ten Laps to Go

Rico Rinaldo

Covered Wagon Days

Lt. Pedro Garcia

King of the Texas Rangers

Armand Roget

Jungle Menace

Count Barksi

Sky Racket

Rico Rinaldo

Oklahoma Renegades

Gaucho / José Ojara

Gauchos of El Dorado

Pedro

Moonlight Murder

Rico

Pioneers of the West

José Delgado

The Tiger Woman

Lew Ashley

Two Minutes to Play

Juan Vasquez

The Lone Ranger Rides Again

Alcalde Don Enriguez

Rough Riders' Round-up

The Cisco Kid

The Daring Caballero

Armand Roget

Jungle Terror

Fernando

Sword of the Avenger

Count Ribalto

Mile a Minute Love

Sebastian

Rose of the Rio Grande

Renaldo

The Kansas Terrors

Rico

Rocky Mountain Rangers

The Cisco Kid

In Old New Mexico

The Cisco Kid

The Cisco Kid Returns

The Cisco Kid

The Gay Amigo

Captain of Police

South of Panama

Sheik David

A Yank in Libya

Peter Jeremy

Tiger Fangs

Gaucho Don José

Gaucho Serenade

Lt. Kenneth Holbert / El Zorro

Trapped in Tia Juana

Lt. Berrendo

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Commissioner Charcot

Call of the South Seas

Construction Worker at Party

The Fighting Seabees

The Cisco Kid

The Girl from San Lorenzo

Zamorro

The Painted Stallion

Pierre (Ch. 1, 11-12)

King of the Mounties

Chihuahua Ramírez

Sheriff of Sundown

The Cisco Kid

South of the Rio Grande

The Cisco Kid

Satan's Cradle

The Cisco Kid

The Valiant Hombre

Dan

Bad Men of Missouri

Commandante

Border Patrol

Clothes Make the Woman

Dragoman

Around the World

Italian Reporter (uncredited)

Mission to Moscow

Young Blood (uncredited)

Tropic Holiday

Col. Miguel López

The Mad Empress

Henchman Orsini

Public Stenographer

Capt. Pierre LaSalle

Secret Service In Darkest Africa