The 'brains' and 'action' heavies who had meaty roles and lots of dialog ... and the players who were fathers, ranch owners, lawman, mayors, judges, lawyers, storekeepers, newspaper editors, wardens, etc.

(Courtesy of Jack Tillmany)

Julian Rivero 1890 or 1891 - 1976

(Courtesy of Ed Tabor) Above clip from a 1932 edition of the Standard Casting Directory.  The Bill and Sabel Dunn Agency also handled Bob Steele.

Julian Rivero was born in San Francisco or Texas, depending on the source. He started his Hollywood film career doing bit parts and supporting roles in 1920s silent films. By the 1930s, he was typecast in low budget sagebrush yarns, and I recall him in working on both sides of the law:

•  he was a 'Mexican bandido' or Mexican Army or military officer. Examples: he was a gang leader in the Bob Steele MAN FROM HELL'S EDGES (Sono Art-World Wide, 1932) and the Kermit Maynard PHANTOM PATROL (Ambassador, 1936); he was Mexican General Santa Anna in the weak HEROES OF THE ALAMO (Sunset, 1937); in the Tim McCoy ARIZONA GANG BUSTERS (PRC, 1940), Rivero was a character nicknamed "Gringo" who turns out to be an undercover Mexican Rurales officer.

•  he portrayed a Spanish or Mexican owner of a ranch or mine or whatever that was being harassed by the local no-goods. Examples: he was Don Carlos Alvarado, Fay McKenzie's father, in one of Gene Autry's best, DOWN MEXICO WAY (Republic, 1941); and he was the owner of a gold mine in TRAIL TO MEXICO (Monogram, 1946) which starred Jimmy Wakely.

•  he did occasional sidekick duties (but not consistently with any one hero or in any series). Examples: he was a saddle pal to Tom Keene in BEYOND THE ROCKIES (RKO, 1932), with Harry Carey Sr. in NIGHT RIDER (Artclass, 1932), with Tim McCoy in MAN OF ACTION (Columbia, 1933), with Tom Tyler in BORN TO BATTLE (Reliable, 1935), with Dick Foran in SONG OF THE SADDLE (Warner Bros., 1936), and with Ken Maynard in DEATH RIDES THE RANGE (Colony, 1940).

Some may recall a grim and vengeful Julian Rivero in the Bob Steele WESTERN JUSTICE (Supreme, 1935). Julian, Steele and lawman Lafe McKee wind up together on the trail of Arthur Loft. In the closing minutes, Loft and Rivero have a fight ... and there's a knife ... and the scene changes and we learn that Loft has been skinned alive.

Not all of Rivero's film work was in B-western programmers. In one of my favorites serials, BURN 'EM UP BARNES (Mascot, 1934), Rivero goes offbeat and comical as an Italian named "Tony", a car mechanic. And in A grade films, he'd turn up as a peasant, a barber, a diplomat, a Mexican or Spanish soldier, etc. For example, he was a barber in THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) with Humphrey Bogart and a servant in CAPTAIN FROM CASTILLE (1947) which starred Tyrone Power. And in the Cary Grant and Sophia Loren romantic comedy HOUSEBOAT (1958), guess who pops up in a small part - Julian Rivero!

Les Adams ran his trusty database, and Rivero's total sound screen performances number about 130 films of all varieties.  Of that total, about 80 are westerns and a few serials. Rivero has about 20 film credits at Republic Pictures for the period 1935-1956, and most are B westerns.

You may want to go to the In Search Of ... page on the Old Corral and then to the California Death Records database. There you will find a record for: Julian Rivero, born 7/25/1890 in California, and he passed away on 2/24/1976. There is a corresponding record in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI).

Ed Tabor adds: "I met Julian Rivero about 1967. I was working at a company in Van Nuys, CA and so did his daughter, Yvonne Preble. She arranged for a meeting at her home in Granada Hills, California. Unfortunately, Julian had been in a serious auto accident and was totally deaf, so there was little communication possible. I showed 16mm movies of several westerns in which he had good parts."

Ed also sent me a couple articles about Rivero and his two daughters, Lorraine and Yvonne. Both daughters did some small roles in films, but settled into other careers.

  Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Julian Rivero ... and very limited info on his daughters Lorraine and Yvonne:

(Courtesy of Les Adams) Above - Julian Rivero doing sidekick duty with Tim McCoy in McCoy's MAN OF ACTION (Columbia, 1933).