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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
April 23, 1904
Died
September 3, 1980
Place of Birth
Oancea, Galați, Romania
Also Known As
- Renault Renaldo Duncan
- Vasile Dumitru Cugheanos
Duncan Renaldo
0.2 Popularity
Biography
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
7.7
Renaldo
Western von gestern
1978
6.0
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972
🎬
5.9
The Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid
1950
6.1
Carlos
The Capture
1950
0.0
The Cisco Kid
The Girl from San Lorenzo
1950
4.2
The Cisco Kid
Satan's Cradle
1949
5.5
The Cisco Kid
The Daring Caballero
1949
6.5
The Cisco Kid
The Gay Amigo
1949
0.0
The Cisco Kid
The Valiant Hombre
1948
8.0
Fernando
Sword of the Avenger
1948
Credits
Western von gestern
as Renaldo
1978
7.7
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
as Self (archive footage)
1972
6.0
🎬
The Cisco Kid
as The Cisco Kid
1950
5.9
The Capture
as Carlos
1950
6.1
The Girl from San Lorenzo
as The Cisco Kid
1950
0.0
Satan's Cradle
as The Cisco Kid
1949
4.2
The Daring Caballero
as The Cisco Kid
1949
5.5
The Gay Amigo
as The Cisco Kid
1949
6.5
The Valiant Hombre
as The Cisco Kid
1948
0.0
Sword of the Avenger
as Fernando
1948
8.0
Jungle Flight
as Police Captain Costa
1947
5.7
Jungle Terror
as Armand Roget
1946
0.0
South of the Rio Grande
as The Cisco Kid
1945
5.0
In Old New Mexico
as The Cisco Kid
1945
5.0
The Cisco Kid Returns
as The Cisco Kid
1945
7.0
Sheriff of Sundown
as Chihuahua Ramírez
1944
0.0
San Antonio Kid
as Johnny Bennett
1944
0.0
The Tiger Woman
as José Delgado
1944
6.0
Call of the South Seas
as Commissioner Charcot
1944
5.0
The Fighting Seabees
as Construction Worker at Party
1944
6.2
Hands Across the Border
as Juan Morales
1944
5.5
Around the World
as Dragoman
1943
5.0
Tiger Fangs
as Peter Jeremy
1943
4.0
Secret Service In Darkest Africa
as Capt. Pierre LaSalle
1943
5.0
For Whom the Bell Tolls
as Lt. Berrendo
1943
6.5
Mission to Moscow
as Italian Reporter (uncredited)
1943
5.3
Border Patrol
as Commandante
1943
5.3
King of the Mounties
as Pierre (Ch. 1, 11-12)
1942
0.0
A Yank in Libya
as Sheik David
1942
3.5
Outlaws of the Desert
as Sheik Suleiman
1941
3.0
Gauchos of El Dorado
as Gaucho / José Ojara
1941
0.0
Down Mexico Way
as Juan
1941
0.0
King of the Texas Rangers
as Lt. Pedro Garcia
1941
6.0
Bad Men of Missouri
as Dan
1941
5.6
🎬
South of Panama
as Captain of Police
1941
6.0
Heroes of the Saddle
as Rico
1940
0.0
Oklahoma Renegades
as Rico Rinaldo
1940
0.0
Rocky Mountain Rangers
as Rico
1940
0.0
Gaucho Serenade
as Gaucho Don José
1940
6.0
Covered Wagon Days
as Rico Rinaldo
1940
0.0
Pioneers of the West
as Rico
1940
0.0
The Mad Empress
as Col. Miguel López
1939
5.6
South of the Border
as Andreo Mendoza
1939
5.0
Cowboys from Texas
as Rico Rinaldo
1939
2.0
The Kansas Terrors
as Renaldo
1939
0.0
Rough Riders' Round-up
as Alcalde Don Enriguez
1939
4.0
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
as Juan Vasquez
1939
6.0
Spawn of the North
as Ivan
1938
5.7
Tropic Holiday
as Young Blood (uncredited)
1938
5.8
Rose of the Rio Grande
as Sebastian
1938
0.0
Zorro Rides Again
as Renaldo
1937
7.0
Sky Racket
as Count Barksi
1937
3.0
Jungle Menace
as Armand Roget
1937
5.0
The Painted Stallion
as Zamorro
1937
4.5
Mile a Minute Love
as Count Ribalto
1937
6.0
Ten Laps to Go
as Eddie DeSylva
1936
4.0
Two Minutes to Play
as Lew Ashley
1936
5.0
Rebellion
as Ricardo Castillo
1936
6.0
Lady Luck
as Tony Morelli
1936
5.0
Special Agent K-7
as Tony Blank
1936
3.8
Moonlight Murder
as Pedro
1936
4.2
The Moth
as Don Pedro
1934
0.0
Public Stenographer
as Henchman Orsini
1934
4.5
Trapped in Tia Juana
as Lt. Kenneth Holbert / El Zorro
1932
4.0
Trader Horn
as Peru
1931
5.3
🎬
Pals of the Prairie
as Francisco Valencia
1929
0.0
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
as Esteban
1929
7.3
Clothes Make the Woman
1928
0.0