Ricardo Cortez

Ricardo Cortez

  • Birthday: 1900-09-17
  • Deathday: 1977-04-28
  • Place of birth: New York City, New York, USA
  • Also know as: Jacob Krantz

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).

Filmography

Tomorrow We Live

1942

As The Ghost, Alexander Caesar Martin

The Phantom of Crestwood

1932

As Gary Curtis

The Maltese Falcon

1931

As Sam Spade

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

1936

As George Lambert

I Killed That Man

1941

As Roger Phillips

The Case of the Black Cat

1936

As Perry Mason

Postal Inspector

1936

As Inspector Bill Davis

Hat, Coat and Glove

1934

As Robert Mitchell

The Phantom in the House

1929

As Paul Wallis

Is My Face Red?

1932

As William Poster

Men of Chance

1931

As Johnny Silk

Shadow of Doubt

1935

As Sim

The Californian

1937

As Ramon Escobar

Man Hunt

1936

As Frank Kingman

Rubber Racketeers

1942

As Gilin

Manhattan Moon

1935

As Dan Moore

New York

1927

As Michael Angelo Cassidy

New Orleans

1929

As Jim Morley

Talk of the Devil

1936

As Ray Allen

Midstream

1929

As James Stanwood

Big Executive

1933

As Victor Conway

In the Name of Love

1925

As Raoul Melnotte

The Spaniard

1925

As Don Pedro de Barrego

Reckless Living

1931

As Curly

Charlie Chan in Reno

1939

As Dr. Ainsley

The Walking Dead

1936

As Nolan

The House on 56th Street

1933

As Bill Blaine

Midnight Mary

1933

As Leo Darcy

Torch Singer

1933

As Tony Cummings

Thirteen Women

1932

As Police Sergeant Barry Clive

Bad Company

1931

As Goldie Gorio

Ten Cents a Dance

1931

As Bradley Carlton

Flesh

1932

As Nicky

Torrent

1926

As Don Rafael Brull

I Am a Thief

1934

As Pierre Londais

City Girl

1938

As Charles Blake

The Sorrows of Satan

1926

As Geoffrey Tempest

No One Man

1932

As Bill Hanaway

The White Cockatoo

1935

As Jim Sundean

The Firebird

1934

As Herman Brandt

Her Husband Lies

1937

As J. Ward Thomas

Mandalay

1934

As Tony Evans

The Eagle of the Sea

1926

As Captain Sazarac

Woman of Destiny

1928

As Yoanes Etchegarry

The Pony Express

1925

As Jack Weston

This Woman

1924

As Whitney Duane

Not So Long Ago

1925

As Billy Ballard

Argentine Love

1924

As Juan Martin

Volcano

1926

As Stéphane Séquineau

Blackmail

1947

As Ziggy Cranston

Bunco Squad

1950

As Tony Weldon / Anthony Wells

Special Agent

1935

As Alexander Carston

The Man with Two Faces

1934

As Ben Weston

Mockery

1927

As Dimitri

The Big Shakedown

1934

As Dutch Barnes

Illicit

1931

As Price Baines

Transgression

1931

As Don Arturo de Borgus

Big Business Girl

1931

As Robert J. Clayton

Behind Office Doors

1931

As Ronnie Wales

Frisco Kid

1935

As Paul Morra

The Bedroom Window

1924

As Robert Delano

The Younger Generation

1929

As Morris Goldfish

West of Shanghai

1937

As Gordon Creed

Mystery in Mexico

1948

As John Norcross

A Lost Lady

1934

As Ellinger

The Lost Zeppelin

1929

As Tom Armstrong

Broadway Bad

1933

As Craig Cutting

The Swan

1925

As Dr. Walter, the Tutor

A Shot in the Dark

1941

As Phillip Richards

Who Is Hope Schuyler?

1942

As Anthony Pearce

A Society Scandal

1924

As Harrison Peters

White Shoulders

1931

As Lawrence Marchmont

The Inner Circle

1946

As Duke York

Montana Moon

1930

As Jeff

Wonder Bar

1934

As Harry

Romance of the Rio Grande

1941

As Ricardo de Vega

Feet of Clay

1924

As Tony Channing

The Next Corner

1924

As Don Arturo

Her Man

1930

As Johnnie

Excess Baggage

1928

As Val D'Errico

The Call of the Canyon

1923

As Larry Morrison

World Premiere

1941

As Mark Saunders

The Locket

1946

As Andrew 'Drew' Bonner

Hollywood Newsreel

1934

As Himself

Breakdowns of 1936

1936

As Self

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown

1986

As Self as Don Rafael Brull (archive footage)

Make Your Own Bed

1944

As Wilson / Fritz Alden

Murder Over New York

1940

As George Kirby

The Last Hurrah

1958

As Sam Weinberg

Breakdowns of 1937

1937

As Self

Hollywood

1923

As Ricardo Cortez

Complicated Women

2003

As Self (archive footage)

Production

City of Chance

1940

As Director

Girl in 313

1940

As Director

Inside Story

1939

As Director

The Escape

1939

As Director

Chasing Danger

1939

As Director

Free, Blonde and 21

1940

As Director

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