Americo Zorilla “Rico” Alaniz (October 25, 1919 – March 9, 2015) was a Mexican-born American actor in film and television best known for his role of the peaceful Cheyenne informer “Mr. Cousin” in 16 episodes from 1955 to 1959 of the Western television series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
Early years
Alaniz was born in Juarez, Mexico, and began riding when he was a child.
Career
Among his early television roles were four episodes of the syndicated western series, The Adventures of Kit Carson. In the premiere episode on August 11, 1951, “California Outlaws”, Alaniz was cast as Joaquin Murrieta.
In eight episodes of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Alaniz appeared as “Mr. Brother”. Alaniz was also cast in two other episodes of the series, as Esteban Morango in “The Schoolteacher” (1958) and as Joe Riva in “Death for a Stolen Horse” (1959).
His roles, mostly of an Indian or ethnic part, ranged from Small Cloud in the 1958 episode “Deadlock” of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Sugarfoot to Crooked Hand in the 1969 episode “The Allies” of NBC’s Daniel Boone.
Alaniz was cast five times on The High Chaparral, four times on Bonanza, three times on Gunsmoke, and twice each on 26 Men, Border Patrol, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Tales of Wells Fargo, Rawhide, The Wild Wild West, The Fugitive, and The Loretta Young Show.
In the episode “The Perfect Circle” (1959) of the CBS crime drama Tightrope, Alaniz was cast as a detective. In 1972, in one of Alaniz’s last television roles, he played a doctor in the episode “Broker Mirror” of the CBS series Mannix. Alaniz played Manuel Ortega, who ambushes a stagecoach carrying a man accused of murdering Ortega’s sister, in the 1960 episode, “Day of Vengeance” of the NBC western series, Laramie.
In 1962, he was cast in two crime drama television series, as Colonel Luna in the episode “Flight from Escondido” of the ABC/WB detective series, 77 Sunset Strip, and as Rafael Bencosme in “Ramon” on NBC’s 87th Precinct.
He also portrayed Felipe in the 1953 film Conquest of Cochise and Sotero in The Magnificent Seven (1960).
Alaniz died at his home in California on March 9, 2015 at the age of 95.
