[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]
Joseph ‘Joe’ de la Cruz was born on March 19, 1892, in Sonora, Mexico. A character actor, he specialized in portraying Indians and Mexicans during a career that spanned about 25 years, from 1916 to 1942. The earliest avaialable record of Joe de la Cruz's career is found in the August 5, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World magazine: "The following change was made in the personnel of the Universal Company: On July 1 ... Joe de la Cruz, to play the roles of Mexicans."
He took on one of his rare, credited roles in the William Wyler-directed “Hell's Heroes” (1929), a film that was remade several times, notably with John Wayne under the title “Son of the Desert”. Joe is a gang member and after pulling off a heist, villains Charles Bickford, Fred Kohler Sr., Raymond Hatton and De La Cruz flee town. But Joe is shot on his horse and dies at the end. But Joe has several minutes of film.
He can be seen as one of Francis McDonald's henchmen in Bob Steele's “Hidden Valley” (1932) and there are good close-ups of Joe de la Cruz, at almost 50 years old, in the saloon brawl that occurs near the end of the first chapter of “The Adventures of Red Ryder” (1940). In this film, Joe de la Cruz, who plays the Apache Kid, and is killed by Don Barry.
Suffering from metastatic lung cancer, he was
hospitalized at Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles, where he died on
December 14, 1961, at the age of 69. Joe left a wife, Maria, and three sons and
two daughters.
de la CRUZ, Joe (aka Jose De La Cruz, José de la Cruz,
Joe Delacruze, Joe La Cruz) (Joseph De La Cruz) [3/19/1892,
Sonora, Mexico – 12/14/1961, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (lung cancer)] –
film actor, married to Maria De La Cruz [1900-19??] (19??-1961) father of
Joseph De La Cruz, two other sons, two daughters.
The Night Riders – 1920 (ranch foreman)
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