Ricardo Cortez
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).
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (49)
Stars of the Silver Screen - Greta Garbo
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
2003
Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown
as Self as Don Rafael Brull (archive footage)
1986
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
as Self
1960
The Last Hurrah
as Sam Weinberg
1958
Bunco Squad
as Tony Weldon / Anthony Wells
1950
Mystery in Mexico
as John Norcross
1948
Blackmail
as Ziggy Cranston
1947
The Locket
as Drew Bonner
1946
The Inner Circle
as Duke York
1946
Make Your Own Bed
as Wilson / Fritz Alden
1944
Tomorrow We Live
as The Ghost, Alexander Caesar Martin
1942
Rubber Racketeers
as Gilin
1942
Who Is Hope Schuyler?
as Anthony Pearce
1942
I Killed That Man
as Roger Phillips
1941
World Premiere
as Mark Saunders
1941
A Shot in the Dark
as Phillip Richards
1941
Romance of the Rio Grande
as Ricardo de Vega
1941
Murder Over New York
as George Kirby
1940
Girl in 313
Director (Directing)
1940
Free, Blonde and 21
Director (Directing)
1940
City of Chance
Director (Directing)
1940
Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence
Director (Directing)
1939
The Escape
Director (Directing)
1939
Charlie Chan in Reno
as Dr. Ainsley
1939
Chasing Danger
Director (Directing)
1939
Inside Story
Director (Directing)
1939
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
as Fabian
1939
City Girl
as Charles Blake
1938
Breakdowns of 1937
as Self
1937
West of Shanghai
as Gordon Creed
1937
The Californian
as Ramon Escobar
1937
Her Husband Lies
as J. Ward Thomas
1937
Breakdowns of 1936
as Self
1936
Talk of the Devil
as Ray Allen
1936
The Case of the Black Cat
as Perry Mason
1936
Postal Inspector
as Inspector Bill Davis
1936
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
1936
The Walking Dead
as Nolan
1936
Man Hunt
as Frank Kingman
1936
The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
as George Lambert
1936
Frisco Kid
as Paul Morra
1935
Special Agent
as Alexander Carston
1935
Manhattan Moon
as Dan Moore
1935
Shadow of Doubt
as Sim
1935
The White Cockatoo
as Jim Sundean
1935
I Am a Thief
as Pierre Londais
1934
The Firebird
as Herman Brandt
1934
A Lost Lady
as Ellinger
1934
