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.

Known For	Acting
Most Rating	0.71
Birthday	1904-04-23
Place of Birth	Oancea, Galați, Romania
Also Known As	Renault Renaldo Duncan, Vasile Dumitru Cugheanos,

The Capture

Outlaws of the Desert

Hands Across the Border

Trader Horn

South of the Border

Spawn of the North

Rebellion

Hollywood: The Dream Factory

Pals of the Prairie

Down Mexico Way

San Antonio Kid

The Moth

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Cowboys from Texas

Zorro Rides Again

Special Agent K-7

Heroes of the Saddle

Lady Luck

Jungle Flight

Ten Laps to Go

Covered Wagon Days

King of the Texas Rangers

Jungle Menace

Sky Racket

Oklahoma Renegades

Gauchos of El Dorado

Moonlight Murder

Pioneers of the West

The Tiger Woman

Two Minutes to Play

The Lone Ranger Rides Again

Rough Riders' Round-up

The Daring Caballero

Jungle Terror

Sword of the Avenger

Mile a Minute Love

Rose of the Rio Grande

The Kansas Terrors

Rocky Mountain Rangers

The Cisco Kid Returns

In Old New Mexico

The Gay Amigo

South of Panama

A Yank in Libya

Tiger Fangs

Gaucho Serenade

Trapped in Tia Juana

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Call of the South Seas

The Fighting Seabees

The Girl from San Lorenzo

The Painted Stallion

King of the Mounties

Sheriff of Sundown

South of the Rio Grande

Satan's Cradle

The Valiant Hombre

Bad Men of Missouri

Border Patrol

Clothes Make the Woman

Around the World

Mission to Moscow

Tropic Holiday

The Mad Empress

Public Stenographer

Secret Service In Darkest Africa