Ricardo Cortez
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 17, 1900
- Died
- April 28, 1977 (aged 76)
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, USA
Biography
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).
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Stars of the Silver Screen - Greta Garbo
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown
Movie · as Self as Don Rafael Brull (archive footage)
Hollywood
TV · as Self (archive footage, uncredited) · 1 ep
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
Movie · as Self
The Last Hurrah
Movie · as Sam Weinberg
This Is Your Life
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Bunco Squad
Movie · as Tony Weldon / Anthony Wells
Mystery in Mexico
Movie · as John Norcross
Blackmail
Movie · as Ziggy Cranston
The Locket
Movie · as Drew Bonner
The Inner Circle
Movie · as Duke York
Make Your Own Bed
Movie · as Wilson / Fritz Alden
Tomorrow We Live
Movie · as The Ghost, Alexander Caesar Martin
Rubber Racketeers
Movie · as Gilin
Who Is Hope Schuyler?
Movie · as Anthony Pearce
I Killed That Man
Movie · as Roger Phillips
Romance of the Rio Grande
Movie · as Ricardo de Vega
A Shot in the Dark
Movie · as Phillip Richards
World Premiere
Movie · as Mark Saunders
Murder Over New York
Movie · as George Kirby
Charlie Chan in Reno
Movie · as Dr. Ainsley
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
Movie · as Fabian
City Girl
Movie · as Charles Blake
West of Shanghai
Movie · as Gordon Creed
The Californian
Movie · as Ramon Escobar
Her Husband Lies
Movie · as J. Ward Thomas
Breakdowns of 1937
Movie · as Self
The Walking Dead
Movie · as Nolan
The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
Movie · as George Lambert
The Case of the Black Cat
Movie · as Perry Mason
Postal Inspector
Movie · as Inspector Bill Davis
Man Hunt
Movie · as Frank Kingman
Breakdowns of 1936
Movie · as Self
Talk of the Devil
Movie · as Ray Allen
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
Movie
Special Agent
Movie · as Alexander Carston
Frisco Kid
Movie · as Paul Morra
The White Cockatoo
Movie · as Jim Sundean
Shadow of Doubt
Movie · as Sim
Manhattan Moon
Movie · as Dan Moore
The Man with Two Faces
Movie · as Ben Weston
The Big Shakedown
Movie · as Dutch Barnes
Wonder Bar
Movie · as Harry
I Am a Thief
Movie · as Pierre Londais
Hat, Coat and Glove
Movie · as Robert Mitchell
A Lost Lady
Movie · as Ellinger
The Firebird
Movie · as Herman Brandt
Mandalay
Movie · as Tony Evans
Hollywood Newsreel
Movie · as Himself
The House on 56th Street
Movie · as Bill Blaine
Midnight Mary
Movie · as Leo
Torch Singer
Movie · as Tony Cummings
Broadway Bad
Movie · as Craig Cutting
Big Executive
Movie · as Victor Conway
The Phantom of Crestwood
Movie · as Gary Curtis
Thirteen Women
Movie · as Police Sergeant Barry Clive
Symphony of Six Million
Movie · as Felix
Flesh
Movie · as Nicky
Is My Face Red?
Movie · as William Poster
No One Man
Movie · as Bill Hanaway
White Shoulders
Movie · as Lawrence Marchmont
The Maltese Falcon
Movie · as Sam Spade
Bad Company
Movie · as Goldie Gorio
Ten Cents a Dance
Movie · as Bradley Carlton
Illicit
Movie · as Price Baines
Transgression
Movie · as Don Arturo de Borgus
Big Business Girl
Movie · as Robert J. Clayton
Behind Office Doors
Movie · as Ronnie Wales
Men of Chance
Movie · as Johnny Silk
Reckless Living
Movie · as Curly
Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)
Movie · as Self
Montana Moon
Movie · as Jeff
Her Man
Movie · as Johnnie
The Phantom in the House
Movie · as Paul Wallis
The Younger Generation
Movie · as Morris Goldfish
The Lost Zeppelin
Movie · as Tom Armstrong
New Orleans
Movie · as Jim Morley
Midstream
Movie · as James Stanwood
Woman of Destiny
Movie · as Yoannès Etchegarray
Excess Baggage
Movie · as Val D'Errico
Ladies of the Night Club
Movie · as George Merrill
Prowlers of the Sea
Movie · as Carlos De Neve
Mockery
Movie · as Dimitri
The Private Life of Helen of Troy
Movie · as Paris
New York
Movie · as Michael Angelo Cassidy
By Whose Hand?
Movie · as Agent X-9
Torrent
Movie · as Don Rafael Brull
The Sorrows of Satan
Movie · as Geoffrey Tempest
The Eagle of the Sea
Movie · as Captain Sazarac
The Cat's Pajamas
Movie
Volcano
Movie · as Stéphane Séquineau
In the Name of Love
Movie · as Raoul Melnotte
The Spaniard
Movie · as Don Pedro de Barrego
The Swan
Movie · as Dr. Walter, the Tutor
The Pony Express
Movie · as Jack Weston
Not So Long Ago
Movie · as Billy Ballard
The Bedroom Window
Movie · as Robert Delano
Feet of Clay
Movie · as Tony Channing
The Next Corner
Movie · as Don Arturo
This Woman
Movie · as Whitney Duane
A Society Scandal
Movie · as Harrison Peters
Argentine Love
Movie · as Juan Martin
The City That Never Sleeps
Movie · as Mark Roth
Hollywood
Movie · as Ricardo Cortez
The Gentleman from America
Movie
Children of Jazz
Movie · as Ted Carter
The Call of the Canyon
Movie · as Larry Morrison
Sixty Cents an Hour
Movie · as William Davis