Acting At age seven, he auditioned for and won his breakthrough role as Eddie Corbett in the television series ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father
, which aired from 1969 to 1972. Co-star Bill Bixby and Cruz spent considerable time together, especially when the show was on hiatus, prompting Cruz to tell American Profile'' magazine "Bill Bixby was like my second father." Cruz continued as a child actor for several years following the cancellation of ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father
with a number of guest appearances in television shows like Kung Fu, Gunsmoke, and The Incredible Hulk—which reunited him on-screen with Bixby. Cruz also played the role of Joey Turner in the 1976 movie The Bad News Bears''.
Music Cruz turned his attention to punk rock in the late 1970s, and in 1981 was performing with the
hardcore punk band
Dr. Know. The group released several records, and after a name change to KNOW, toured Europe in 2017. Cruz also was the lead vocalist with
Dead Kennedys from 2001 until 2003. Cruz was interviewed in the documentary
American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock, 1980–1986. Reflecting on life after being a child star, which has brought tragedy to so many others, Cruz told
American Profile "Surfing and punk rock probably saved my life." He later worked for the
United Paramount Network, the
Discovery Channel and
American Chopper. ==Honors and awards==