Trivia

Although often thought to be Hispanic, he was actually a Mescalero Apache.

Diaz was a famous LAPD homicide detective--he was one of the first officers on the scene of Marilyn Monroe's suicide--who retired to become a familiar character actor.

He was a real-life cop in the 1950s; he worked for 5 years on the narcotics squad in Los Angeles when his wife (Dorothy Abbott) landed a role on Badge 714 (1951). Two of his cases were dramatized on Badge 714 (1951) and led to his future in television.

Served in the Army as a paratrooper.

First wife Dorothy Abbott, an actress, died by suicide in 1968.

Became an actor after he retired from the Los Angeles Police Department in 1967. As an ethnic character actor, he also played American Indians frequently.

He had a son, Ronald R. Diaz, with his first wife, Dorothy Abbott.