How old is Joe Cruz on Chicago Fire?

Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso) is a crucial part of the Chicago Fire puzzle. He’s a reliable presence in the firehouse, even when he’s struggling with demons of his own, and he can always be counted on to provide some levity for the rest of the 51 squad. He’s also turned into quite the family man.

Cruz has been on Chicago Fire from the beginning, and, similar to the other veterans on the show, there has been speculation about his age. Not much has been made of Cruz’s birthdays or the big landmark life events, so it can be tough to pin down an exact age.

Here’s what we came up with.

How old is Joe Minoso on Chicago Fire?

The general rule of thumb for TV characters is that they are the same age as the actors playing them. It’s an easy way to maintain continuity and make it so that the actors aren’t having to bend over backwards to accommodate an age that’s either too young or too old to be convincing.

There can be exceptions to the rule when it benefits the story. For example, Brett (Kara Killmer) was said to be age 30 at the time of her mother’s death in season 8, because a crucial part of her storyline has to do with her mother being 16 at the time she was born. This made the character two years younger than Killmer, but the discrepancy was so small that it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

Barring any specific bits of information like a birthday or a comment that lines up a character’s age with someone else, its safe to assume that the actor’s age is the best way to go. Joe Minoso is 44 years old, having been born on September 25, 1978, so we can assume that Cruz is the exact same age.

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Minoso discussed the ways in which his character has matured during a recent interview with Us Weekly. When asked what to expect from Cruz in ten years time, he pointed to the resident vets, Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and Mouch (Christian Stolte), as blueprints.

"“I will be as old as the Mouches and the Herrmanns of the world”, he noted. “I would be perfectly happy being the new Mouch. The guy on the couch who spats out random wisdom because he’s kind of grown into the role. I think Cruz may decide to kind of move up in rank in the promotional world and maybe an easier kind of chief job, like a desk job.”"

We can’t wait to see Cruz become the “random wisdom” guy, but it sounds like we have lots of time with the current version of the character before we get there.

What did you think of the Chicago Fire season 11 finale? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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