What Is Raymond Cruz's Net Worth?
Raymond Cruz is an American actor who has a net worth of $2 million. Raymond Cruz is best known for playing Detective Julio Sanchez on TNT's "The Closer" (2005–2012) and "Major Crimes" (2012–2018) and Tuco Salamanca on AMC's "Breaking Bad" (2008–2009) and "Better Call Saul" (2015–2016). Cruz has more than 90 acting credits to his name, including the films "Under Siege" (1992), "Clear and Present Danger" (1994), "Up Close & Personal" (1996), "Alien Resurrection" (1997), "Training Day" (2001), "Collateral Damage" (2002), and "The Curse of La Llorona" (2019), the TV movies "Fallen Angels" (1991), "Last Stand at Saber River" (1997), and "Cleveland Abduction" (2015), and the television series "The Eddie Files" (1995–2000), "The Division" (2002–2003), "My Name Is Earl" (2007–2008), and "Los Americans" (2011). He has worked steadily over the course of the last 25 years, making a name for himself playing soldiers and law enforcement officials in a variety of film and television projects.
Early Life
Raymond Cruz was born on September 10, 1964, in Los Angeles, California. He is of Mexican descent and grew up in an East Los Angeles neighborhood with regular gang activity. Some of Raymond's relatives were involved with gangs such as Barrio South Gate and Maravilla, and in a 2021 "Daily Beast" interview, he stated, "I come from a long line of criminals. I have a lot of relatives that are hardcore gangbangers—18th Street, Barrio South Gate. I have uncles that go way back to old, old Los Angeles gangs." Cruz added, "For us, violence was a daily occurrence. I saw someone get shot in front of me at point blank range and die. The brains came out the back of his head. I was only 12." Raymond became interested in American literature at an early age, and he has credited this interest with helping him avoid getting involved with gangs. After graduating from high school, Cruz studied at East Los Angeles College.
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Career
Raymond made his film debut in 1987's "Maid to Order," and he followed it with 1988's "Twice Dead" and 1989's "I Know My First Name Is Steven." In 1988, he guest-starred on "Beauty and the Beast," "Cagney & Lacey," "CBS Schoolbreak Special," "Vietnam War Story," and "Knots Landing." In the '90s, Cruz appeared in the films "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" (1990), "Dead Again" (1991), "Out for Justice" (1991), "Man Trouble" (1992), "Judgement" (1992), "Under Siege" (1992), "Blood In Blood Out" (1993), "Operation Dumbo Drop" (1995), "The Substitute" (1996), "The Rock" (1996), "Up Close & Personal" (1996), "Broken Arrow" (1996), "Alien Resurrection" (1997), and "From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money" (1999), and he co-starred with Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, and James Earl Jones in 1994's "Clear and Present Danger," which grossed $215.9 million at the box office. He also starred in the TV movies "Prison Stories: Women on the Inside" (1991), "Fallen Angels" (1991), "Nails" (1992), and "Last Stand at Saber River" (1997) and guest-starred on "Freddy's Nightmares" (1990), "Matlock" (1990), "China Beach" (1990), "Murder, She Wrote" (1993), "Walker, Texas Ranger" (1995), "NYPD Blue" (1995; 2000), "The X-Files" (1997), "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1998), and "The Practice" (1998). From 1995 to 2000, he played Johnny on "The Eddie Files."
Raymond co-starred with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke in 2001's "Training Day," which earned a Black Reel Award for Best Film and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture. Next, he appeared in the films "Collateral Damage" (2002), "Havoc" (2005), and "Brothers in Arms" (2005) and guest-starred on "The Division" (2002–2003), "CSI: Miami" (2003; 2011), "24" (2003), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2003; 2008), and "Nip/Tuck" (2003; 2006). From 2005 to 2012, Cruz played Detective Julio Sanchez on the TNT police procedural "The Closer," which aired 109 episodes over seven seasons. He reprised his role in the spin-off "Major Crimes" from 2012 to 2018. Raymond had recurring roles as Paco on NBC's "My Name Is Earl" (2007–2008) and Tuco Salamanca on AMC's "Breaking Bad" (2008–2009) and "Better Call Saul" (2015–2016). In 2011, he starred as Memo on the Pic.TV series "Los Americans," then he guest-starred on "White Collar" (2012), "The Eric Andre Show" (2016), "Get Shorty" (2018), "Madam Secretary" (2019), "Mayans M.C." (2023), and "Grey's Anatomy" (2024). Raymond portrayed real-life kidnapper Ariel Castro in the 2015 TV movie "Cleveland Abduction," and he appeared in the films "The Curse of La Llorona" (2019), "Wander" (2020), "Blue Miracle" (2021), and "Medellin" (2023).
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW)
Personal Life
Raymond married actress Simi Mehta on July 17, 2000. The two co-starred in the "El Mundo Gira" episode of "The X-Files" in 1997.
In a 2015 interview with "Living New Orleans," Cruz spoke about his decision to take on the role of Ariel Castro in the Lifetime movie "Cleveland Abduction," stating, "My wife vehemently asked me not to do it. Then she read the script and the book, and she changed her tune to, 'Oh my God, you have to play this part!' She said, 'If you don't play the devil, the people aren't going to care about the victim; you really have to do it!' And I do whatever my wife says! I'm smart that way! If that's the one message that will come out of this, it will save a lot of husband's lives!"
Awards and Nominations
Cruz received three Imagen Foundation Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor – Television for "The Closer," winning in 2006 and 2009. "The Closer" earned him a NAMIC Vision Award nomination for Best Performance – Drama in 2009, and the show's cast received Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2010, Raymond earned a Saturn Award nomination (from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films) for Best Guest Performance in a Television Series for "Breaking Bad," and in 2012, he received an Indie Series Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Drama for "Los Americans."
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