José de la Cruz

Billed variously as José De La Cruz and Joe de la Cruz, this Mexican supporting actor played that standard B-western cliché, the "half-breed." Sometimes Mexican, often American Indian, the character was very popular in the early silent era when he was even the hero in several films. But by the time of sound, the "half-breed" mainly lurked in the background, sneering and unkempt. De La Cruz's characters usually had names like Cheyenne, The Apache Kid, Vaquerro Tony, or Indian Joe, but they always bit the dust well before the fadeout. Onscreen from the 1910s, De La Cruz ended his career playing bits in Republic serials.