9
Ricardo Cortez
Born · September 17, 1900
Died · April 28, 1977 (76 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, USA
Bio
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).
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
6.7
2003
Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown
Self as Don Rafael Brull (archive footage)
8.0
1986
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
Self
6.0
1960
The Last Hurrah
Sam Weinberg
7.1
1958
This Is Your Life
Self · (1 episode)
6.6
1952
Bunco Squad
Tony Weldon / Anthony Wells
5.9
1950
Mystery in Mexico
John Norcross
5.8
1948
Blackmail
Ziggy Cranston
4.0
1947
The Locket
Drew Bonner
6.4
1946
The Inner Circle
Duke York
5.2
1946
Make Your Own Bed
Wilson / Fritz Alden
5.8
1944
Tomorrow We Live
The Ghost, Alexander Caesar Martin
4.3
1942
Rubber Racketeers
Gilin
4.3
1942
Who Is Hope Schuyler?
Anthony Pearce
4.0
1942
I Killed That Man
Roger Phillips
5.7
1941
World Premiere
Mark Saunders
5.0
1941
A Shot in the Dark
Phillip Richards
5.2
1941
Romance of the Rio Grande
Ricardo de Vega
4.0
1941
Murder Over New York
George Kirby
6.1
1940
Charlie Chan in Reno
Dr. Ainsley
6.2
1939
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
Fabian
5.8
1939
City Girl
Charles Blake
6.0
1938
Breakdowns of 1937
Self
6.0
1937
West of Shanghai
Gordon Creed
5.4
1937
The Californian
Ramon Escobar
0.0
1937
Her Husband Lies
J. Ward Thomas
6.0
1937
Breakdowns of 1936
Self
0.0
1936
Talk of the Devil
Ray Allen
0.0
1936
The Case of the Black Cat
Perry Mason
6.6
1936
Postal Inspector
Inspector Bill Davis
6.2
1936
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
1.0
1936
The Walking Dead
Nolan
6.2
1936
Man Hunt
Frank Kingman
0.0
1936
The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
George Lambert
5.6
1936
Frisco Kid
Paul Morra
6.8
1935
Special Agent
Alexander Carston
6.3
1935
Manhattan Moon
Dan Moore
0.0
1935
Shadow of Doubt
Sim
6.2
1935
The White Cockatoo
Jim Sundean
5.3
1935
I Am a Thief
Pierre Londais
6.0
1934
The Firebird
Herman Brandt
5.5
1934
A Lost Lady
Ellinger
6.1
1934
The Man with Two Faces
Ben Weston
6.5
1934
Hat, Coat and Glove
Robert Mitchell
5.5
1934
Wonder Bar
Harry
6.2
1934
Hollywood Newsreel
Himself
4.0
1934
Mandalay
Tony Evans
5.9
1934
The Big Shakedown
Dutch Barnes
5.6
1934
The House on 56th Street
Bill Blaine
5.2
1933
Big Executive
Victor Conway
0.0
1933
Torch Singer
Tony Cummings
5.2
1933
Midnight Mary
Leo
6.9
1933
Broadway Bad
Craig Cutting
5.0
1933
Flesh
Nicky
5.6
1932
The Phantom of Crestwood
Gary Curtis
6.0
1932
Thirteen Women
Police Sergeant Barry Clive
6.3
1932
Is My Face Red?
William Poster
5.0
1932
Symphony of Six Million
Felix
5.4
1932
No One Man
Bill Hanaway
6.0
1932
Men of Chance
Johnny Silk
5.8
1931
Reckless Living
Curly
3.0
1931
Bad Company
Goldie Gorio
4.6
1931
Transgression
Don Arturo de Borgus
4.0
1931
Big Business Girl
Robert J. Clayton
5.5
1931
Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)
Self
6.0
1931
The Maltese Falcon
Sam Spade
6.4
1931
White Shoulders
Lawrence Marchmont
0.0
1931
Behind Office Doors
Ronnie Wales
5.1
1931
Illicit
Price Baines
5.8
1931
Ten Cents a Dance
Bradley Carlton
6.8
1931
Her Man
Johnnie
5.3
1930
Montana Moon
Jeff
4.6
1930
The Lost Zeppelin
Tom Armstrong
4.8
1929
The Phantom in the House
Paul Wallis
4.6
1929
Midstream
James Stanwood
0.0
1929
New Orleans
Jim Morley
0.0
1929
The Younger Generation
Morris Goldfish
6.2
1929
Excess Baggage
Val D'Errico
0.0
1928
Woman of Destiny
Yoanes Etchegarry
0.0
1928
The Private Life of Helen of Troy
Paris
3.5
1927
Mockery
Dimitri
6.7
1927
New York
Michael Angelo Cassidy
0.0
1927
The Eagle of the Sea
Captain Sazarac
0.0
1926
The Sorrows of Satan
Geoffrey Tempest
6.5
1926
The Cat's Pajamas
0.0
1926
Volcano
Stéphane Séquineau
0.0
1926
Torrent
Don Rafael Brull
6.9
1926
Not So Long Ago
Billy Ballard
0.0
1925
The Pony Express
Jack Weston
5.9
1925
In the Name of Love
Raoul Melnotte
0.0
1925
The Spaniard
Don Pedro de Barrego
0.0
1925
The Swan
Dr. Walter, the Tutor
6.0
1925
Argentine Love
Juan Martin
0.0
1924
This Woman
Whitney Duane
0.0
1924
Feet of Clay
Tony Channing
0.0
1924
The Bedroom Window
Robert Delano
0.0
1924
A Society Scandal
Harrison Peters
0.0
1924
The Next Corner
Don Arturo
0.0
1924
The Call of the Canyon
Larry Morrison
0.0
1923
Hollywood
Ricardo Cortez
7.0
1923
Children of Jazz
Ted Carter
0.0
1923
The Gentleman from America
0.0
1923