Born to Mexican parents in El Paso and raised in Pasadena, he pursued acting at the Pasadena Playhouse after a friendship with future star George Reeves sparked joint musical sessions, and he later served as a corporal in the U.S. Army during World War II. His screen debut arrived in a 1950 episode of The Lone Ranger, followed by a notable part in Ida Lupino’s film-noir The Hitch-Hiker (1953). Tho…
