Raymond Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Cruz in 2024 | |
| Born | (1964-09-10)September 10, 1964 (age 61) |
| Education | East Los Angeles College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | Simi Mehta |
Raymond Cruz (born September 10, 1964) is an American actor, best known for his starring role asDetective Julio Sanchez in the seriesThe Closer and its spinoffMajor Crimes,[1] as well as his recurring role asdrug lordTuco Salamanca in the crime dramaBreaking Bad and its prequel seriesBetter Call Saul.
Cruz, who is ofMexican descent, was born on September 10, 1964.[2] He grew up inEast Los Angeles, California, in a neighborhood that regularly sawgang activity, and had relatives in such street gangs as Maravilla and Barrio South Gate.[3] In an interview withThe 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 werehigh onmeth.[3]
Cruz has said that becoming interested inAmerican literature early in life helped him avoid joining such gangs himself. His favorite novel isHarper Lee'sTo Kill a Mockingbird.[4][5][3] Cruz attended 3 high schools after being expelled for writing editorials on the newspaper that caused him to be late to class as well as being considered inappropriate.[6] He attendedEast Los Angeles College.[7]
Cruz's film roles include sniperDing Chavez inClear and Present Danger,[8] Hector inOut For Justice,[8]Tom Berenger's second-in-command Joey Six inThe Substitute,[8]U.S. Marine Sergeant Rojas inThe Rock,[8] as Jesus inFrom Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money,[8] USM Private Vincent DiStephano inAlien Resurrection,[8] and Ramirez inUnder Siege.[8] He appeared as Chuey, a gang member from theVatos Locos, in the gang filmBlood In Blood Out.[8]
In 2005, he played Chino inHavoc.[8] He appeared inGremlins 2: The New Batch,[8] credited as "The Messenger," and inTraining Day as a gang member named Sniper.[8] He played aLos Angeles firefighter inCollateral Damage.[8] He had guest roles in theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Siege of AR-558",The X-Files episode "El Mundo Gira", and the second season of24.[8] He also made an appearance as the father of a murdered girl inCSI. He played Det. Julio Sanchez for the entire seven season run ofThe Closer and continued in that role for all six seasons of the spin-offMajor Crimes.[8]
Cruz performed the well-known role ofTuco Salamanca, a sadistic andpsychoticmeth dealer inBreaking Bad in 2008 and 2009,[8] a role he reprised in 2015-16 during the first two seasons of theBreaking Badprequelspin-off,Better Call Saul.[8]
He had a recurring role as Paco onMy Name Is Earl, and as Alejandro Perez onNip/Tuck.[8]
Cruz is married to fellow actress Simi Mehta with whom he co-starred onThe X-Files in the episode "El Mundo Gira".[5]
On September 8, 2025, Cruz was arrested after allegedly spraying a woman with his water hose outside his house.[9] He was released on his own recognizance and had a court date scheduled for October 1.[10][11] On October 1, the Los Angeles city attorney's office said in an email that prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against Cruz. They did not provide a reason.[12]
| 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 | |
| 2025 | Love, Danielle | Stan DeManuel | |
| Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires | TBA (voice) | Direct-to-Video[13] | |
| TBA | The Revenge of La Llorona† | Rafael Olvera | Filming |
| 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 | |
| 2024 | Grey's Anatomy | Daniel Jiménez (inmate) | Episode: "The Marathon Continues" |
Actor Raymond Cruz is 57.
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
