Duncan Renaldo

Known for ActingBorn 1904-04-23Died 1980-09-03Oancea, Galați, Romania

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.Read more

Movies & web series

Down Mexico Way

Oklahoma Renegades

The Kansas Terrors

Clothes Make the Woman

Sheriff of Sundown

Heroes of the Saddle

Covered Wagon Days

The Girl from San Lorenzo

The Valiant Hombre

Western von gestern

Don Ricardo Returns

San Antonio Kid

King of the Mounties

Rocky Mountain Rangers

Rebellion

Pals of the Prairie

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Sword of the Avenger

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

The Tiger Woman

South of Panama

Zorro Rides Again

The Lone Ranger Rides Again

Jungle Terror

In Old New Mexico

The Cisco Kid Returns

South of the Rio Grande

Call of the South Seas

Tiger Fangs

Secret Service In Darkest Africa

King of the Texas Rangers

Gauchos of El Dorado

Pioneers of the West

Rose of the Rio Grande

Jungle Menace

Mile a Minute Love

The Gay Amigo

The Lady and the Bandit

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Gaucho Serenade

Around the World

The Fighting Seabees

Lady Luck

The Capture

Border Patrol

The Cisco Kid

Bad Men of Missouri

Tropic Holiday