Simi Cruz is a former American actress and yoga entrepreneur best known as the wife of Breaking Bad star Raymond Cruz.
After a brief acting career in the 1990s, she left Hollywood and built a new professional life as a yoga instructor and school founder in Indiana.
Who is Simi Cruz?
Simi Cruz, born Simi Mehta, is an American actress turned yoga entrepreneur based in Fishers, Indiana.
She appeared in several film and television productions during the 1990s, including the CBS thriller Face of Evil (1996) and the sci-fi crime drama Phoenix (1998).
Beyond acting, she built a significant second career as a yoga instructor and entrepreneur. She founded Simply Yoga Lifestyle, her own yoga school in Fishers, Indiana, which she continues to operate.
Her public profile rose largely through her marriage to actor Raymond Cruz, who plays the iconic drug dealer Tuco Salamanca on the hit AMC series Breaking Bad.
Simi is also academically accomplished, holding degrees in both astrophysics and Eastern Philosophy from two separate universities.
She does not maintain any public social media presence and keeps her personal life largely out of the spotlight.
Early Life of Simi Cruz
Simi Cruz was born in 1973 in the United States.
Her parents’ names and specific hometown have not been publicly disclosed, and she has kept the details of her upbringing private throughout her adult life.
Her Indian heritage is well established across multiple public sources, though the specific region of her family’s Indian background has not been confirmed.
Simi developed an interest in performing from a young age and pursued that interest alongside her academic studies. She started practicing yoga at a very early age, soon after finishing high school.
Her dual path, pursuing both a rigorous academic career and an artistic one, defined her early adult years and set the stage for the career shifts that followed.
Simi Cruz Age / Birthday
Simi Cruz was born in 1973, making her 53 years old as of 2026. Her exact birth date has not been publicly confirmed, so her zodiac sign cannot be determined.
She remains professionally active through her yoga school in Indiana.
Simi Cruz Ethnicity and Nationality
Simi Cruz holds American nationality. She is of Indian descent, a detail confirmed by multiple media reports covering her life following her husband’s public profile.
Her Indian-American background is an important part of her identity, and her practice of yoga connects directly to that heritage.
She built an entire second career around this cultural and personal interest.
Simi Cruz Height and Weight
Simi Cruz stands at 5 feet 7 inches tall, which is approximately 170 centimeters or 1.70 meters.
Her weight is reported at around 55 kilograms, or approximately 121 lbs. She carries a lean, athletic build consistent with her long-term yoga practice.
Simi Cruz Education
Simi Cruz earned her bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from Northern Illinois University in 1994.
That choice of degree reflects a strong scientific and analytical mind alongside her creative interests.
Later, she enrolled at Loyola Marymount University to study Eastern Philosophy, graduating in 2006.
That second degree directly informed her move into yoga instruction and wellness entrepreneurship.
The combination of a science background and philosophical studies gave her a distinctive foundation for her work in holistic wellness.
Simi Cruz Career
Simi Cruz built two distinct careers across different decades. The first took her through Hollywood’s film and television circuit in the 1990s.
The second brought her to Indiana as a yoga entrepreneur and wellness educator.
Acting Career (1996-1999)
Simi made her on-screen debut in the 1996 CBS television film Face of Evil, playing the character Zoe. The thriller starred Tracey Gold, Perry King, and Shawnee Smith.
That same year, she appeared in Grand Avenue, another television film. Both roles came early in her career and helped establish her presence in Hollywood’s TV film circuit.
In 1997, she guest-starred on the hit Fox series The X-Files in an episode titled “El Mundo Gira.” Notably, that episode also featured her future husband Raymond Cruz, making it the production on which the two co-starred together.
Film Roles and Final Screen Work (1998-1999)
Simi went on to appear in the 1998 film Phoenix, a crime drama set in the world of police corruption.
She also appeared in the 1999 series Strange World and the TV series Get Real, which marked her final known acting credit.
Throughout this period, Simi supported herself with additional work including a role at Urban Outfitters in sales and staff training.
She also worked as a hostess manager at Coffee Med in West Hollywood during this time.
By the late 1990s, she had begun stepping back from acting in favor of a new direction.
Yoga Career and Simply Yoga Lifestyle (2000-Present)
After leaving Hollywood, Simi transitioned fully into the world of yoga and wellness.
Her dedication to the practice was recognized when she appeared on the cover of Yoga Journal magazine in 2003, just a few years into her post-acting career.
She went on to run her own business called Yoga for the 12 Steps and taught classes at the Cityyoga School of Yoga and Health in Indianapolis.
Simi later founded Simply Yoga Lifestyle, a yoga school based in Fishers, Indiana.
The school reflects her combined background in Eastern Philosophy and her deep personal commitment to yoga as a wellness practice.
Simi Cruz Filmography
Here are some movies.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Face of Evil | Zoe |
| 1996 | Grand Avenue | Jeanne |
| 1997 | The X-Files | Guest role |
| 1998 | Phoenix | New Girl |
| 1999 | Strange World | Guest role |
| 1999 | Get Real | Guest role |
Simi Cruz Husband
Simi Cruz married actor Raymond Cruz on July 17, 2000.
Raymond Cruz is best known for his role as the volatile drug dealer Tuco Salamanca on the AMC drama Breaking Bad and its prequel Better Call Saul.
He also played Detective Julio Sanchez in The Closer and its spinoff Major Crimes.
The couple met through the entertainment industry and actually co-starred together in a 1997 episode of The X-Files before their marriage.
Over more than two decades of marriage, Simi and Raymond have maintained a very private life. They reside in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles and have rarely discussed their relationship publicly.
Raymond Cruz drew significant media attention in September 2025 when he was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery following an alleged dispute involving a garden hose outside his home.
His agent denied any intentional wrongdoing. Simi did not make any public statement about the incident.
The couple has no children, according to publicly available reporting.
Simi Cruz Net Worth
Simi Cruz’s estimated net worth is $2.5 million as of 2026.
Her income comes from two main sources: her earlier acting career in the 1990s and her ongoing work as a yoga instructor and school founder.
Her Simply Yoga Lifestyle school in Fishers, Indiana, serves as her primary professional activity today.
Running and operating a yoga school adds steady income beyond any residuals from her past screen work.
The 2003 Yoga Journal magazine cover appearance also helped raise her public profile within the wellness industry, giving her business greater visibility at a key stage in its growth.
Her husband Raymond Cruz has his own separate net worth built from decades of film and television work.
Conclusion
Simi Cruz built a career that moved in a genuinely unusual direction: from a Hollywood acting circuit in the 1990s to running a yoga school in Indiana and landing on the cover of Yoga Journal.
Her academic background in astrophysics and Eastern Philosophy, paired with her screen credits alongside her future husband Raymond Cruz, makes her story one of the more distinctive in celebrity-adjacent biography.