Several weeks ago, I was informed that an acting industry professional who was very dear to me had passed away. It was sad to experience the loss of a second entertainment industry professional so soon after the loss of Bob Fraser.
I was hesitant to post on this topic again when so little time had passed since my post “How Do You Pay Your Respects to an Acting Industry Professional and Friend?,” so I waited a little while. At the same time, I knew that I did not want Ruben’s life to have passed without a tribute on my blog.
I knew Ruben Moreno on a much more personal level than I knew Bob Fraser. He was an assistant director at Dee Studio Productions, and I worked with Ruben at this studio throughout two theatre productions. During this time, I got to know him quite well.
Unlike my relationship with Bob Fraser — totally online and through his products — my relationship with Ruben was totally through personal contact (and of course his films and shows). He still did things the old-fashioned way and did not even own a computer.
My daughter was very close to Ruben since she was in his acting classes, and he coached her for a couple of auditions. She also acted with him in several theatre productions. She even rode on a float with him a couple of times during 4th of July parades.
Ruben was an award-winning actor, a director, a stuntman, and a casting director. You can check Ruben out on IMDB and see his huge list of credits, including his role as Dustin Hoffman’s father in “Little Big Man” and roles on “Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza” among so many others.
Ruben was also one of the kindest men I’ve ever known. He was very complimentary to those around him and did his best to help people feel good about themselves. He was willing to do just about anything to help a friend (and all of his students and their families were his friends). He was also very generous with his time.
As an acting teacher and coach, Ruben was generous with praise, but also gave plenty of constructive criticism to his students. He worked hard to try to get his students to be “in the moment.” He was also always trying to help his students find talent agents and giving them advice about headshots.
Ruben was a joker, always teasing with the kids and even many of the adults he knew well (including me). He also had great comedic timing as an actor and delivered so many funny performances. We all enjoyed watching and listening to him in action, and I still smile when thinking of some of his performances.
Ruben loved telling stories about his past (and he had so many great ones) to anyone who was interested. He often talked about the filming of “Little Big Man” with Dustin Hoffman and of being on Bonanza. He shared his fond memories of his days as the drummer with Desi Arnez’s band on the Lucy show. He had so many stories about his experiences with the various actors he worked with throughout his career.
He had been having some health problems for a while. I’d even helped call an ambulance for him once when he was not feeling well, but he always seemed to bounce back. It had been a while since I’d seen him, and I wish that I’d known he was so ill so I could have been a better friend for him during his illness. I also wish I’d had the chance to see him again more recently than I did.
My daughter and I both were so very sad to hear about Ruben, and it came as quite a shock to us. It once again brings to light the fact that life is precious; we need to stay in touch with those close to us and let them know how special they are to us. You never know when someone you care about will be taken from you.
Ruben was loved and respected by a great many people. He touched the lives of many children and adults and will hold a special place in the hearts of all who knew him.
Ruben Moreno, you will most certainly be missed…
In fond remembrance of Ruben,
Debbie Sikkema
