| Birth Date: | 10 September 1964 |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Education: | East Los Angeles College |
| Years Active: | 1987–present |
| Spouse: | Simi Mehta |
Raymond Cruz (born September 10, 1964)[1] is an American actor, best known for his starring role as Detective Julio Sanchez in the series The Closer and its spinoff Major Crimes,[2] as well as his recurring role as drug lord Tuco Salamanca in the crime drama Breaking Bad and its prequel series Better Call Saul.
Cruz, who is of Mexican descent, grew up in East Los Angeles, California, in a neighborhood that regularly saw gang activity, and had relatives in such street gangs as Maravilla and Barrio South Gate. In an interview with The 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 were high on meth.
Cruz has said that becoming interested in American literature early in life helped him avoid joining such gangs himself. His favorite novel is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.[4] [5] He attended East Los Angeles College.[6]
Cruz's film roles include sniper Ding Chavez in Clear and Present Danger,[7] Hector in Out For Justice,[7] Tom Berenger's second-in-command Joey Six in The Substitute,[7] U.S. Marine Sergeant Rojas in The Rock,[7] as Jesus in ,[7] USM Private Vincent DiStephano in Alien Resurrection,[7] and Ramirez in Under Siege.[7] He appeared as Chuey, a gang member from the Vatos Locos, in the gang film Blood In Blood Out.[7]
In 2005, he played Chino in Havoc.[7] He appeared in ,[7] credited as "The Messenger," and in Training Day as a gang member named Sniper.[7] He played a Los Angeles firefighter in Collateral Damage.[7] He had guest roles in the episode "The Siege of AR-558", The X-Files episode "El Mundo Gira", and the second season of 24.[7] He also made an appearance as the father of a murdered girl in CSI. He played Det Julio Sanchez for the entire seven season run of The Closer and continued in that role for all six seasons of the spin-off Major Crimes.[7]
Cruz performed the relatively short-lived but well-known role of Tuco Salamanca, a sadistic and psychotic meth dealer in Breaking Bad in 2008 and 2009,[7] a role he reprised in 2015-16 during the first two seasons of the Breaking Bad prequel spin-off, Better Call Saul.[7]
He had a recurring role as Paco on My Name Is Earl, and as Alejandro Perez on Nip/Tuck.[7]
Cruz is married to fellow actress Simi Mehta whom he co-starred with on The X-Files in the episode "El Mundo Gira".[8]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Maid to Order | Sam | ||
| 1988 | Twice Dead | Gang Member | ||
| 1989 | I Know My First Name Is Steven | Punk | ||
| 1990 | The Messenger | |||
| Cold Dog Soup | Gang Member | |||
| 1991 | 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 | 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 |
| 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 | 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 | Martin Medesto / Marcos Trejo | 2 episodes | ||
| 2003 | 24 | Rouse | 2 episodes | |
| 2003–2008 | 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) | The Marathon Continues |