The prolific character actor best remembered for his role as Crazy Cat from F Troop has passed away at the age of 90. Don Diamond had been fighting Parkinson’s disease and other medical issues.
Diamond frequently played Mexican or Native American characters but his father was a first generation immigrant from Russia. Diamond studied drama at the University of Michigan and later earned a commission in the US Army Air Corps. He as fluent in Yiddish already and learned Spanish while stationed in New Mexico during the second World War.
When he was discharged in 1946, he started acting on radio and frequently played Mexicans or Spaniards. This led to him being cast in The Adventures of Kit Carson TV show and then as Corp. Reyes in the 1950s Zorro TV series. The latter would signal the start of his long association with Zorro. He voiced characters for the 1980s animated series (The New Adventures of Zorro) and also appeared in the live-action Zorro and Son series.
