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.

Filmography

• Western von gestern — Renaldo
• 1951The Highwayman — Screenstory
• 1951The Lady and the Bandit — Story
• 1950The Capture — Carlos
• The Cisco Kid — The Cisco Kid
• 1950The Girl from San Lorenzo — The Cisco Kid
• 1949Satan's Cradle — The Cisco Kid, Associate Producer
• 1949The Daring Caballero — The Cisco Kid
• 1949The Gay Amigo — The Cisco Kid
• 1948Sword of the Avenger — Fernando
• 1948The Valiant Hombre — The Cisco Kid
• 1947Bells of San Fernando — Story, Screenplay, Producer
• 1947Jungle Flight — Police Captain Costa
• 1946Don Ricardo Returns — Screenplay
• 1946Jungle Terror — Armand Roget
• 1945In Old New Mexico — The Cisco Kid
• 1945South of the Rio Grande — The Cisco Kid
• 1945The Cisco Kid Returns — The Cisco Kid
• 1944Call of the South Seas — Commissioner Charcot
• 1944Hands Across the Border — Juan Morales
• 1944San Antonio Kid — Johnny Bennett
• 1944Sheriff of Sundown — Chihuahua Ramírez
• 1944The Fighting Seabees — Construction Worker at Party
• 1944The Tiger Woman — José Delgado
• 1943Around the World — Dragoman
• 1943Border Patrol — Commandante
• 1943For Whom the Bell Tolls — Lt. Berrendo
• 1943Mission to Moscow — Italian Reporter (uncredited)
• 1943Secret Service In Darkest Africa — Capt. Pierre LaSalle
• 1943Tiger Fangs — Peter Jeremy
• 1942A Yank in Libya — Sheik David
• 1942King of the Mounties — Pierre (Ch. 1, 11-12)
• 1941Bad Men of Missouri — Dan
• 1941Down Mexico Way — Juan
• 1941Gauchos of El Dorado — Gaucho / José Ojara
• 1941King of the Texas Rangers — Lt. Pedro Garcia
• 1941Outlaws of the Desert — Sheik Suleiman
• 1941South of Panama — Captain of Police
• 1940Covered Wagon Days — Rico Rinaldo
• 1940Gaucho Serenade — Gaucho Don José
• 1940Heroes of the Saddle — Rico
• 1940Oklahoma Renegades — Rico Rinaldo
• 1940Pioneers of the West — Rico
• 1940Rocky Mountain Rangers — Rico
• 1939Cowboys from Texas — Rico Rinaldo
• 1939Rough Riders' Round-up — Alcalde Don Enriguez
• 1939South of the Border — Andreo Mendoza
• 1939The Kansas Terrors — Renaldo
• 1939The Lone Ranger Rides Again — Juan Vasquez
• 1939The Mad Empress — Col. Miguel López
• 1938Rose of the Rio Grande — Sebastian
• 1938Spawn of the North — Ivan
• 1938Tropic Holiday — Young Blood (uncredited)
• 1937Jungle Menace — Armand Roget
• 1937Mile a Minute Love — Count Ribalto, Story
• 1937Sky Racket — Count Barksi
• 1937The Painted Stallion — Zamorro
• 1937Zorro Rides Again — Renaldo
• 1936Lady Luck — Tony Morelli
• 1936Moonlight Murder — Pedro
• 1936Rebellion — Ricardo Castillo
• 1936Special Agent K-7 — Tony Blank
• 1936Ten Laps to Go — Eddie DeSylva
• 1936Two Minutes to Play — Lew Ashley
• 1934Public Stenographer — Henchman Orsini
• 1934The Moth — Don Pedro
• 1932Trapped in Tia Juana — Lt. Kenneth Holbert / El Zorro
• 1931Trader Horn — Peru
• 1929Pals of the Prairie — Francisco Valencia
• 1929The Bridge of San Luis Rey — Esteban
• 1928Clothes Make the Woman
• 1928The Love Charm — Writer

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 1972Hollywood: The Dream Factory — Self (archive footage)