Leo Carrillo | |
|---|---|
 Carrillo in 1934 | |
| Born | Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (1880-08-06)August 6, 1880 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 10, 1961(1961-09-10) (aged 81) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1915–1957 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (Spanish pronunciation:[ka'riʎo];[a] August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961) was an American actor,vaudevillian,political cartoonist, andconservationist.[2]He was notable for playing Pancho in the television seriesThe Cisco Kid (1950–1956) and in several films.
Leo Carrillo was a member of theCarrillo family of California, a prominentCalifornio family, and traced his ancestry through California, Mexico, and Spain to the year 1260.[1] His great-great grandfatherJosé Raimundo Carrillo[3] (1749–1809), was a soldier in the SpanishPortolá expedition colonization ofLas Californias, arriving in San Diego on July 1, 1769.FranciscanFriarJunípero Serra performed the marriage ceremony for Don Jose Raimundo and Tomasa Ignacia Lugo in 1781.[4][5] His great-grandfatherCarlos Antonio Carrillo[3][6] (1783–1852) wasgovernor of Alta California[7] (1837–38). His great-uncle,José Antonio Carrillo, was a three-time mayor of Los Angeles and twice married to sisters of GovernorPío Pico.[8] His paternal grandfather, Pedro Carrillo, who was educated in Boston,[9] was a writer.
The family moved from San Diego to Los Angeles then to Santa Monica, where Carrillo's fatherJuan José Carrillo (1842–1916), served as the city's police chief[10] and later the first mayor.[11] His cousin was Broadway starWilliam Gaxton (real name Arturo Antonio Gaxiola). Proud of his heritage, Carrillo wrote the bookThe California I Love, published shortly before his death in 1961.[12]
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A university graduate, Carrillo worked as a newspaper cartoonist for theSan Francisco Examiner, then turned to acting on Broadway. In Hollywood, he appeared in more than 90 films, often as a dialect specialist—although in real life, he had a baritone speaking voice without a trace of an accent. He usually used the dialect for comic effect, liberally salting his speech with malaprops: "My ears, they are para-loused!" or "Why you wanna put your dirty face in my horse's water? I got a healthy horse and you put Germans in the water!" When his screen character left any scene, Carrillo always exclaimed, "Let's went!"
Leo Carrillo could play sympathetic and villainous roles with equal skill. In 1951 he took the starring role in the feature filmPancho Villa Returns, which was filmed in both English-dialogue and Spanish-dialogue versions. However, he is best remembered as Pancho, good-natured sidekick ofThe Cisco Kid, oppositeDuncan Renaldo as Cisco. Renaldo and Carrillo were teamed for a series of feature films in 1949, and then for a syndicated television series that ran from 1950 until 1956.The Cisco Kid was notable as the first TV series filmed in color.[13] AfterThe Cisco Kid ended production, Carrillo appeared in the episode "Rescue at Sea" of the syndicated military dramaMen of Annapolis.
Carrillo was a preservationist and conservationist of long standing. When a film crew did location filming inHilo, Hawaii in 1933, the city named one of its stately banyan trees in Carrillo's honor; the "Leo Carrillo tree" still stands there today.
Carrillo served on the California Beach and Parks commission for 18 years[2] and played a key role in the state's acquisition ofHearst Castle atSan Simeon, Los Angeles Arboretum, andAnza-Borrego Desert State Park. He eventually was made a goodwill ambassador by the California governor at the time.
As a result of his service to California, west of Malibu, California on CA-1Pacific Coast Highway, a 1.5-mile beach is namedLeo Carrillo State Park in his honor. The City of Westminster, California named an elementary school for him. Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, originally Rancho de los Kiotes, in Carlsbad, California, is a registered California Historical Site.[14] Rancho Carrillo Trail, also in Carlsbad, is named for Leo Carrillo.[15]
In the early days ofWorld War II, Carrillo advocated for theremoval of allJapanese Americans from the west coast.[16] In a telegram to CongressmanLeland Ford that received extensive coverage, Carrillo wrote:
I travel every week through a hundred miles of Japanese shacks on the way to my ranch, and it seems that every farmhouse is located on some strategic elevated point. Let's get them off the coast and into the interior. You know and I know the Japanese situation in California. The eastern people are not conscious of this menace. May I urge you in behalf of the safety of the people of California to start action at once.[17]
Carrillo was aRepublican. In1944, for instance, he performed a "Wild West" act at the massive rally organized byDavid O. Selznick in theLos Angeles Coliseum in support of theDewey-Bricker ticket as well as GovernorEarl Warren of California, who became Dewey's running mate in 1948 and later theChief Justice of the United States. The gathering drew 93,000, withCecil B. DeMille as the master of ceremonies and with short speeches byHedda Hopper andWalt Disney. Among the others in attendance wereAnn Sothern,Ginger Rogers,Randolph Scott,Adolphe Menjou,Gary Cooper,Edward Arnold,William Bendix, andWalter Pidgeon.[18]
In 1913, Carrillo married Edith Shakespeare Haeselbarth of Nyack, New York, whom he met backstage at the New York City theater where she had seen him perform. They remained together until her death in 1953. They lived in Los Alisos on Channel Road, in Santa Monica Canyon. The Carrillos had one child, a daughter, Marie Antoinette. They spent part of their time at their 4,500-acre (1,800 ha) ranch in Carlsbad, California. Carrillo frequently permittedBoy Scout groups to camp on the grounds.[19][20]
Leo Carrillo died of cancer on September 10, 1961, at the age of 81,[19] and is interred at Santa Monica'sWoodlawn Memorial Cemetery.
For his contributions to the film industry, Leo Carrillo has amotion pictures star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 1635 Vine Street, and a second star at 1517 Vine Street for his work in television.[21][19] The star inspired the name of the character Horatio Carillo in theNetflix dramaNarcos.[22]
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