Natividad Vácio
in The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Born(1912-09-08)September 8, 1912
DiedMay 30, 1996(1996-05-30) (aged 83)
Years active1950–1989

Natividad Vacío (September 8, 1912 – May 30, 1996) was an American character actor in films and television from the 1950s through the 1980s. Born Natividad Domínguez Vacío in El Paso, Texas, he was Mexican-American. He nearly always played a Hispanic character in his 65 film and television appearances.[1] He was married to Henriqueta (Queta) Vacío.

Career

His debut came in a 1950 episode of The Lone Ranger called "Dead Man's Chest". He was featured in a pivotal role in The Hitch-Hiker (1953), a film noir directed by Ida Lupino. Many of his roles were in Westerns, although he had a diverse career. For example, he played a character called "Frank Smith" who was the family gardener in five episodes of the suburban sitcom Father Knows Best (the character -- and therefore the Andersons -- pronounced his first name as "Frahnk," so the credits generally spelled it phonetically as "Fronk").

The majority of his work was in television, with an occasional movie role. Perhaps the highest-profile film in which he appeared was The Magnificent Seven (1960), portraying "Miguel", one of the Mexican townspeople trying to defend their farming village from a band of outlaws. In 1988, he appeared in the Robert Redford film The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) where he portrayed "Onofre", a man with one arm, who said his arm was eaten off by butterflies. He was one of the four men they called the "senile brigade".

Vacío was a close friend of actor George Reeves, star of the TV series Adventures of Superman. Vacío played the role of a Mexican police inspector in the 1958 episode "The Brainy Burro". Vacío and Reeves met at Pasadena Junior College, and Reeves loved to hear "Nati", Vacío's nickname, sing and play his guitar. Reeves asked Nati to show him how to play. Reeves was a quick learner and both of them would play and sing Mexican songs, all the time.

In Hollywoodland (2006), a film about Reeves' life and death, the character of Vacío was portrayed by Diego Fuentes, Toronto actor/socialite, in a couple of scenes.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1948The Loves of CarmenManUncredited
1950BrandedPeonUncredited
1953JeopardyPersistent Tijuana VendorUncredited
1953The Hitch-HikerJose
1953Latin LoversVacuum Cleaner Man(scenes deleted)
1954Green FireHernandez
1955Stranger on HorsebackMoralesUncredited
1956Walk the Proud LandComposUncredited
1956GiantEusebioUncredited
1957The Night the World ExplodedHospital PhysicianUncredited
1957Father Knows BestFrank
1957Escape from Red RockDon Miguel Chavez
1958Father Knows BestFrank
1960The Magnificent SevenMiguel
1963The Gun HawkQuid
1964Honeymoon HotelVagrant at Garbage DumpUncredited
1966Castle of EvilMuchado
1968The Pink JungleFigueroa

1970. Adam 12

1972SkyjackedSpanish PassengerUncredited
1980Cheech and Chong's Next MovieMexican Man in Welfare Office
1983The Man with Two BrainsRamon
1988Milagro Beanfield WarThe Senile Brigade

References

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