He's a hero to the Spanish (6)
I believe the answer is:
lionel
'he's' is the definition.
'a hero to the spanish' is the wordplay.
'a hero' becomes 'lion'.
'to the spanish' becomes 'el'.
'lion'+'el'='LIONEL'
(Other definitions for lionel that I've seen before include "Boy" , "Guy" , "- Bart, (Oliver!)" , "Blair possibly" , "Oil Len badly for another man" .)