José Natividád Domínguez Vacio (September 8, 1912 – May 30, 1996) was an American character actor and musician.
Early life Vacío was born to Mexican parents in El Paso, Texas in 1912, and was raised in Pasadena, California. He befriended George Reeves while the two were classmates at Pasadena Junior College. 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. The two both took acting lessons at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Vacío served in the US Army during World War II, reaching the rank of Corporal.
Career Vacío's 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"). He appeared alongside his friend George Reeves on Adventures of Superman, playing the role of a Mexican police inspector in the 1958 episode "The Brainy Burro".
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".
Personal life Vacío was married to Henriqueta (Queta) Vacío.
Death He died in Burbank, California, aged 83, on 30 May 1996.
Media portrayals Vacío is a minor character in the film Hollywoodland (2006), a film about George Reeves' life and death. He is portrayed by Diego Fuentes.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1948 The Loves of Carmen Man Uncredited1950 Branded Peon Uncredited1953 Jeopardy Persistent Tijuana Vendor Uncredited1953 The Hitch-Hiker Jose 1953Latin Lovers Vacuum Cleaner Man (scenes deleted)1954 Green Fire Hernandez 1955 Stranger on Horseback Morales Uncredited1956 Walk the Proud Land Compos Uncredited1956 Giant Eusebio Uncredited1957 The Night the World Exploded Hospital Physician Uncredited1957 Father Knows Best Frank 1957 Escape from Red Rock Don Miguel Chavez 1958 Father Knows Best Frank 1960 The Magnificent Seven Miguel 1963 The Gun Hawk Quid 1964 Honeymoon Hotel Vagrant at Garbage Dump Uncredited1966 Castle of Evil Muchado 1968 The Pink Jungle Figueroa 1970-1973 Adam-12 Jose / Mr. Perez 2 episodes1972 Skyjacked Spanish Passenger Uncredited1980 Cheech and Chong's Next Movie Mexican Man in Welfare Office 1983 The Man with Two Brains Ramon 1988 Milagro Beanfield War The Senile Brigade
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