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Ricardo Cortez (September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American film actor who began his career during the silent film era.
Midnight Mary
1933
Ricardo Cortez (September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American film actor who began his career during the silent film era.
Born Jacob Krantz in New York City into a Jewish family, he worked on Wall Street in a broker's office and as a boxer before his looks got him into the film business. Hollywood executives changed his name to Cortez to appeal to film-goers as a "Latin lover" to compete with such highly popular actors of the era as Rudolph Valentino, Ramon Novarro and Antonio Moreno. When rumour began to circulate that Cortez was not actually Spanish, the studios tried to pass him off as a different type of Latin, French, before they finally admitted his (supposedly) Viennese origin.
Cortez appeared in over 100 films. He played opposite Joan Crawford in Montana Moon in 1930, played Sam Spade in the original The Maltese Falcon in 1931, co-starred with Charles Farrell and Bette Davis in The Big Shakedown and Wonder Bar (with Al Jolson and Dolores del Río) in 1934. He also played Perry Mason in the 1936 film The Case of the Black Cat. Although he began his career playing romantic leads with actresses like Greta Garbo, when sound cinema arrived, his powerful delivery and New York accent made him an ideal villain and conman, and he switched from sex symbol to character actor.
Cortez was married to silent film actress Alma Rubens until her death of pneumonia in 1931.
When he retired from the film business, Cortez went to work as a stockbroker for Solomon Brothers on New York's Wall Street. He died in New York City in 1977 and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.
He was the older brother of noted cinematographer Stanley Cortez (born Stanislaus Krantz).
Gender
Male
Birthday
September 17, 1900
Died
April 28, 1977
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As
The Maltese Falcon
1931
Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)
1931
Midnight Mary
1933
The Last Hurrah
1958
World Premiere
1941
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
1936
The Cat's Pajamas
1926
The Bedroom Window
1924
Thirteen Women
1932
The Locket
1946
Hollywood
1923
The Inner Circle
1946
The Eagle of the Sea
1926
The Younger Generation
1929
Bunco Squad
1950
In the Name of Love
1925
Shadow of Doubt
1935
The Californian
1937
The Spaniard
1925
The Lost Zeppelin
1929
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