Is Raymond Cruz Married, Who Is His Wife, Family? Bio, and Other Facts

Quick Facts

Raymond Cruz is an American actor who became popular after he was cast as the ruthless drug lord, Tuco Salamanca, in the crime drama titled, Breaking Bad, a performance that led him to be given the same role in the spin-off movie named, Better Call Saul. He also gained further popularity for his appearance in the series, Closer, where he played the character of Julio Sanchez, a detective. His ability to bring villainous characters to life has been credited to the rough neighborhood he grew up in. Read on for more on his career and personal life.

Raymond Cruz Bio

Raymond Cruz was born in Los Angeles, California, United States of America, on the 9th of July 1961. He is of Mexican descent and as such, he is very fluent in English and Spanish. As a kid, he was raised in a neighborhood that was predominantly brazen with gang activities on a regular basis. This would later come in handy in his acting career as he drew inspiration from his experiences in order to deliver believable performances whenever he finds himself in such roles. He also revealed later in his career that the reason he never joined a gang was simply because of his fascination with American literature. For his higher education studies, Raymond Cruz attended East Los Angeles College.

He got his first acting role in the 1987 movie titled, Mail to Order, where he played the part of Sam. Soon enough, he landed a part as a gang member in the 1988 movie, Twice Dead. Moving on, he was given a role in the 1990 movie, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, in which he played the role of a messenger. He then portrayed a gang member in the 1990 movie, Cold Dog Soup. He also starred in the 1991 movie, Dead Again, as well as the movie, Prison Stories: Women on the Inside (where he portrayed the character of Montoya). In the same year, he was cast in movies such as, Out For Justice, where he played the role of Hector and Perfect Times, where he acted as Diego. In 1992, Raymond Cruz was then cast in four blockbuster movies including; Nails (where he played the character of Paco Sanchez), Juggernaut (where he played the role of Cyclone), Man Trouble (where he played the part of Balco), and Under Siege (where he was cast as, Ramirez).

Other Movies and Series

Raymond Cruz got cast in the role of Chuy in the movie, Blood in Blood Out and the role of Mario in the movie When the Party’s Over both movies premiered in 1993. Some television series he has been featured in include; the 1993 series, Murder, She Wrote, where he was cast as Jose Galvan, NYPD Blue, where he was cast as Raoul/Rico (from 1995-2000). His most recent works are seen in the 2017 series, Mayans MC, where he plays the role of Che “Padre” Romero and the 2018 series, Get Shorty, where he plays the role of Swayze.

Family – Who is His Wife?

Raymond Cruz is a man who has been in a good number of relationships in his lifetime. Though he prefers to keep this side of him off the public eye, he had been spotted with different women at different times ever since he became a celebrity. However, since he got married to his wife Simi Mehta, he left the dating game to focus on his wife. His marriage to Simi was held at a private ceremony with a few family members and friends in attendance. Though the couple is yet to have kids of their own, their union seems to be as strong as when they first got married. Hopefully, they remain together in love.

Other Facts

When he first accepted the call to play Ariel Castro(one of the most hated men in America) in the Tv movie, Cleveland Abduction, his wife didn’t want him to accept the script until she read it and gave him a go ahead. Moreso, he revealed that while playing the character, most of the female co-workers and crew hated him due to the things he had to say and do to bring the character to life.

In terms of his over body statistics, Raymond Cruz who rocks a height of 5 feet 7 inches (1.70m) paired with a weight of 117 lbs or 53 kg has never been much of the model looking type of man. In fact, what sells him is that he has a natural suave and charisma which blends perfectly with his talent as an actor.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.