Nacho Galindo (November 7, 1908 – June 22, 1973) was a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

film and television actor who lived and worked in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

area for most of his life. Between 1941 and 1970 he had small, often unbilled roles in 71 feature films and at least 60 TV episodes. His most prominent film role was that of the Cisco Kid's third-billed sidekick, "Baby", in 1946's '' The Gay Cavalier'', the first of poverty row studio

Monogram A monogram is a motif (visual arts), motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbo ...

's entries in the series, which starred

Gilbert Roland Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso (December 11, 1905 – May 15, 1994), known professionally as Gilbert Roland, was a Mexican-born American film and television actor whose career spanned seven decades from the 1920s until the 1980s. He was twice no ...

The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Maga ...

Film career during the 1940s

"Nacho" was born Ignacio Galindo in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

's fourth-largest municipality,

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

. He emigrated to the United States by crossing the footbridge at the border crossing in

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

, in 1927. The actor was 32 when he received uncredited bit parts in three 1941 musical comedies, '' Week-End in Havana'' (as a singing seller of lollipops), '' Fiesta'' and '' Rio Rita'' (completed in 1941, released in April 1942), where he was given the opportunity for a solo vocal in "The Ranger's Song". He was also seen in 1941 as a musician in

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

's final film, '' Two-Faced Woman''. Whether due to wartime military service or for other reasons, there are no specified acting credits for Galindo between December 1941, as America entered into World War II, and December 1945, which brought his first billed part, a minor role as a character named "Pancho" in the Columbia mystery serial, '' Who's Guilty?'' Following another unbilled bit, he played the biggest part of his film career in Monogram's low-budget release '' The Cisco Kid in The Gay Cavalier''. Unlike actors Chris-Pin Martin,

Martin Garralaga Martín Garralaga (10 November 1894 – 12 June 1981) was a Spanish actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was married to opera singer and actress Rosa Rey. Biography Garralaga first came to the United States wh ...

and Leo Carrillo who played Cisco's comical companion Gordito or Pancho in several films, ''The Gay Cavalier'' was Galindo's sole appearance in that characterization, with the sidekick called "Baby" for that single film.

Film and television appearances in the 1950s and 60s

Following ''The Gay Cavalier'', Galindo returned to playing mostly unbilled bit parts for the remainder of the 1940s, having appeared in 21 features by the end of the decade. His acting assignments multiplied in the 1950s, with roles (almost all unbilled) in 43 features, including such major titles as 1950's ''

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

'' and '' Broken Arrow'', 1952's '' Lone Star'', 1953's '' Tropic Zone'' and '' The Hitch-Hiker'', 1954's ''

Broken Lance ''Broken Lance'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Sol C. Siegel. The film stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark and Katy Jurado. Shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope, the film ...

'', '' A Star Is Born'' and ''

Green Fire ''Green Fire'' is a 1954 American CinemaScope and Eastmancolor adventure film, adventure drama (film and television), drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Andrew Marton and produced by Armand Deutsch, with original musi ...

'', 1955's '' Hell's Island'' and '' The Sea Chase'', 1956's ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas–Indian wars, and stars John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War v ...

'' and 1958's '' Saddle the Wind''. Also, starting with a 1952 episode of the anthology series '' Rebound'', he made 28 television appearances during the decade, with roles in such series as ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, as well as two different television series, and a comic book. Radio series The radio program initially aired on the B ...

'', '' Adventures of Superman'' (both in 1953), ''

My Little Margie ''My Little Margie'' is an American television sitcom starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California, at Hal Roach Stud ...

'' and ''

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'' (in 1954), ''

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'' (in 1955), ''

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'', '' Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre'' and ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

'' igar store owner in "The Ricardos Visit Cuba"(in 1956), '' Maverick'' (in 1958) and ''

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

'' in 1959. Starting with the January 31, 1960, installment of ''Maverick'', Nacho Galindo's acting assignments during the 1960s consisted almost entirely of TV episodes, including '' Wanted Dead or Alive'' and ''

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'' (in 1960), ''

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'', ''

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'' and ''

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'' (in 1961), ''

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'' and ''

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'' (in 1962), ''77 Sunset Strip'', ''Perry Mason'' and ''

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'' (in 1963), '' Burke's Law'' (in 1965), ''

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'', ''

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'' and ''

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''Photograph of Nacho Galindo from an appearance in ''A Nice Place to Visit'' episode of ''The Monkees''
/ref> (in 1967), ''

The Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series about a community of nuns, which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for American Broadcasting Comp ...

'', '' I Spy'' and ''

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'' (in 1968), ''

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'' and ''

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'' (in 1969). There were 29 such television appearances in addition to 6 theatrical features, including vehicles for

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

(1961's ''

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''),

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and

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(1965's '' Marriage on the Rocks'') as well as

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and

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(1966's ''

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''). His only work in the 1970s was his last remaining credit, an October 1970 episode of ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...

''. Less than three years later, Galindo died in Los Angeles at the age of 64.

Partial filmography

*'' Week-End in Havana'' (1941) - Singing Lollipop Vendor (uncredited) *'' Fiesta'' (1941) - Proprietor (uncredited) *'' Two-Faced Woman'' (1941) - Musician (uncredited) *'' Rio Rita'' (1942) - Soloist in "The Ranger's Song" (uncredited) *'' Who's Guilty?'' (1945) - Pancho *'' Perilous Holiday'' (1946) - Proprietor (uncredited) *'' The Gay Cavalier'' (1946) - Baby *'' The Lone Wolf in Mexico'' (1947) - Police Chauffeur (uncredited) *'' Twilight on the Rio Grande'' (1947) - Torres *'' Framed'' (1947) - Crap Shooter (uncredited) *''Rose of Santa Rosa'' (1947) - Pancho (uncredited) *''

Tycoon A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

'' (1947) - Foreman (uncredited) *'' Relentless'' (1948) - Mexican Peon (uncredited) *'' To the Ends of the Earth'' (1948) - Cab Driver (uncredited) *'' Blondie's Reward'' (1948) - Dickson's Gardener (uncredited) *''

The Bribe ''The Bribe'' is a 1949 American film noir directed by Robert Z. Leonard and written by Marguerite Roberts, based on a story written by Frederick Nebel. The film stars Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, and Vincent Price. Plot I ...

'' (1949) - Second Hotel Clerk (uncredited) *'' South of St. Louis'' (1949) - Manuel *''

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

'' (1949) - Fernando (uncredited) *'' Johnny Stool Pigeon'' (1949) - Señor Martinez (uncredited) *'' The Big Steal'' (1949) - Pastry Vendor (uncredited) *'' Holiday in Havana'' (1949) - Police Sergeant *''

'' (1950) - Pedro (uncredited) *'' The Nevadan'' (1950) - Mexican Stagecoach Driver (uncredited) *'' Dakota Lil'' (1950) - Chicken Vendor (uncredited) *'' Borderline'' (1950) - Porfirio *'' Belle of Old Mexico'' (1950) - Pico *'' Killer Shark'' (1950) - Maestro - the cook *'' One Way Street'' (1950) - Mexican Villager with Heartburn (uncredited) *''

The Reformer and the Redhead ''The Reformer and the Redhead'' is a 1950 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, and starring June Allyson and Dick Powell. Plot Kathleen Maguire is the daughter of a long-time zookeeper ...

'' (1950) - Mexican-American Speaker (uncredited) *'' Broken Arrow'' (1950) - Barber (uncredited) *'' A Lady Without Passport'' (1950) - Vendor (uncredited) *'' The Showdown'' (1950) - Gonzales *'' Surrender'' (1950) - Gringo *'' Cuban Fireball'' (1951) - Pedro (uncredited) *'' Lightning Strikes Twice'' (1951) - Pedro *'' Havana Rose'' (1951) - Carlo * '' Yellow Fin'' (1951) - Murica *'' Lone Star'' (1952) - Vincente *'' Flaming Feather'' (1952) - Jose (uncredited) *''

Macao Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most densely populated region in the world. Formerly a Portuguese colony, the ter ...

'' (1952) - Bus Driver (uncredited) *'' Tropic Zone'' (1953) - Christopher (uncredited) *'' The Hitch-Hiker'' (1953) - Jose Abarrotes - Store Proprietor (uncredited) *'' Woman They Almost Lynched'' (1953) - John Pablo *'' Take the High Ground!'' (1953) - Mexican (uncredited) *'' Border River'' (1954) - Lopez *''

Jubilee Trail ''Jubilee Trail'' is an American novel written by Gwen Bristow, published in 1950. It follows the adventures of two strong women in the mid-19th century as they travel across the United States to the then-Mexico, Mexican territory of California. ...

'' (1954) - Rico - Bartender (uncredited) *'' Gypsy Colt'' (1954) - Pancho *''

'' (1954) - Francisco the Cook (uncredited) *'' The Outcast'' (1954) - Curly *'' A Star Is Born'' (1954) - José Rodriguez (uncredited) *''

'' (1954) - Officer Perez *'' Hell's Island'' (1955) - Carlos Peñasco (uncredited) *'' The Sea Chase'' (1955) - Minor Role (uncredited) *'' Headline Hunters'' (1955) - Ramon - Bartender *''Jaguar'' (1956) - Garcia Solimos * '' Wetbacks'' (1956) - Alfonso *''

'' (1956) - Mexican Bartender (uncredited) *''

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

'' (1956) - Bartender (uncredited) *'' Thunder Over Arizona'' (1956) - Pancho Gutierrez *'' The Girl Most Likely'' (1958) - Tijuana Photographer (uncredited) *'' Saddle the Wind'' (1958) - Manuelo (uncredited) *'' Buchanan Rides Alone'' (1958) - Nacho *'' Born Reckless'' (1958) - Papa Gomez *'' Cast a Long Shadow'' (1959) - Hotel Keeper (uncredited) *''

'' (1961) - Mexican Townsman (uncredited) *''The Runaway'' (1961) - Max Fernandez - Customs Officer *'' Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?'' (1963) - Mexican Judge (uncredited) *'' Marriage on the Rocks'' (1965) - Mayor (uncredited) *''

'' (1967) - Mexican Saloon Keeper (uncredited) *'' The Pink Jungle'' (1968) - Hotel Proprietor

Selected Television

References

External links

*
Nacho Galindo
at the American Film Institute Catalog *
Nacho Galindo
at ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Galindo, Nacho 1908 births 1973 deaths Male actors from Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexican emigrants to the United States American male actors of Mexican descent