The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
The true story of one man who made a difference.
1983 | 106m | English
Popularity: 0.8 (history)
| Director: | Robert M. Young |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Robert M. Young, Américo Paredes, Victor Villaseñor |
| Staring: |
| Forced to run from Texas Rangers after a heated misunderstanding leads to the death of a lawman, Mexican American farmer Gregorio Cortez sets off in desperate flight, evading a massive manhunt on horseback for days. | |
| Release Date: | Aug 19, 1983 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Robert M. Young |
| Writer: | Robert M. Young, Américo Paredes, Victor Villaseñor |
| Genres: | History, Western |
| Keywords | sheriff, based on novel or book, texas, subjectivity, self-defense, folk hero, texas ranger, based on true story, fugitive, posse, mexican american, multiple perspectives, hanging posse, mexican american border, horse thief, mexican legend, latin american history, hero on horseback, mexican folklore |
| Production Companies | American Playhouse, Filmhaus, Moctesuma Esparza Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $804,963
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 06, 2026 Entered: Apr 20, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Edward James Olmos | Gregorio Cortez |
| James Gammon | Sheriff Frank Fly |
| Tom Bower | Boone Chate |
| Bruce McGill | Reporter Blakely |
| Brion James | Captain Rogers |
| Alan Vint | Mike Trimmell |
| Timothy Scott | Sheriff Morris |
| Pepe Serna | Romaldo Cortez |
| Michael McGuire | Sheriff Glover |
| William Sanderson | Cowboy |
| Barry Corbin | B. R. Abernathy |
| Jack Kehoe | Prosecutor Pierson |
| Rosanna DeSoto | Carlotta Muñoz |
| Buddy Vigil | Skin |
| Zach Porter | Fly's Posse |
| Lili Young | Mrs. Glover |
| Cletus Tafoya | Farmer |
| Waymond Vessels | Skillet |
| Weldon Minzenmayer | Texas Ranger |
| Ken Figueroa | Wounded Boy |
| James Pamplin | Colorado |
| Curtis Akin | Boone's Posse |
| Fred Collins | Boone's Posse |
| Rod Hudson | Boone's Posse |
| Dan Delk | Boone's Posse |
| Ben Zeller | Henry Schnabel |
| Joshua Tree | Telegraph Operator |
| Lawrence Steib | Ranger at Waterhole |
| Doug Kaess | Ranger at Waterhole |
| Jack Caffrey | Bar Fly in Cafe |
| William Paxton | Bar Fly in Cafe |
| Odie Kelly | Waitress |
| Raina Barrett | Woman in Cafe |
| Vance Sorrells | Texas Ranger |
| Eloy Hernandez | Jesus |
| Victoria Plata | Carmen Cortez |
| Mico Olmos | Valeriano Cortez |
| Lawrence DeYapp Jr. | Lorenza Cortez |
| Cleo Ann DeYapp | Cortez Daughter |
| Amos DeYapp | Cortez Baby |
| E.W. Patteson | Judge Kennon |
| Jose Gomez | Court Interpreter |
| Margo Chavez Charles | Teatro Performer |
| Harry Fish | Teatro Juggler |
| Fredrick Lopez | Teatro Performer |
| Ned Beatty | Lynch Mob Leader |
| Getulio Rivera | Teatro Performer |
| Ruben Romero | Teatro Singer |
| Carlos Villegas | Teatro Performer |
| Bodie Olmos | Rangers Son |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Robert M. Young | Director, Screenplay |
| W. Michael Lewis | Original Music Composer |
| Edward James Olmos | Original Music Composer |
| Américo Paredes | Novel |
| Victor Villaseñor | Screenplay |
| Reynaldo Villalobos | Director of Photography |
| John Bertucci | Editor |
| Stuart Wurtzel | Production Design |
| Carl Copeland | Art Direction |
| Hilary Rosenfeld | Costume Design |
| Michael Scott Goldaum | Sound Mixer |
| Dominick Tavella | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Arthur Coburn | Editor |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Edward James Olmos | Associate Producer |
| H. Frank Dominguez | Executive Producer |
| Moctesuma Esparza | Producer |
| Michael Hausman | Producer |
| David Ochoa | Executive Producer |
| Richard Soto | Executive Producer |
| David Wisnievitz | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 3 |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 34 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Trending Position