About

Known credits:
108
Birthday:
1900-09-17
Place of birth:
New York City, New York, USA
Website:
N/A

Ricardo Cortez

Overview

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

Acting
2003 Complicated Women Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
1986 Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown Actor Self as Don Rafael Brull (archive footage) 59
Average
1960 Hedda Hopper's Hollywood Actor Self N/A
N/A
1958 The Last Hurrah Actor Sam Weinberg 60
Fair
1950 Bunco Squad Actor Tony Weldon / Anthony Wells 59
Average
1948 Mystery in Mexico Actor John Norcross 59
Average
1947 Blackmail Actor Ziggy Cranston 58
Average
1946 The Locket Actor Drew Bonner 59
Average
1946 The Inner Circle Actor Duke York 58
Average
1944 Make Your Own Bed Actor Wilson / Fritz Alden 59
Average
1942 Tomorrow We Live Actor The Ghost, Alexander Caesar Martin 58
Average
1942 Rubber Racketeers Actor Gilin 58
Average
1942 Who Is Hope Schuyler? Actor Anthony Pearce 58
Average
1941 I Killed That Man Actor Roger Phillips 59
Average
1941 World Premiere Actor Mark Saunders 58
Average
1941 A Shot in the Dark Actor Phillip Richards 58
Average
1941 Romance of the Rio Grande Actor Ricardo de Vega 58
Average
1940 Murder Over New York Actor George Kirby 59
Average
1939 Charlie Chan in Reno Actor Dr. Ainsley 58
Average
1939 Mr. Moto's Last Warning Actor Fabian 58
Average
1938 City Girl Actor Charles Blake 59
Average
1937 Breakdowns of 1937 Actor Self 59
Average
1937 West of Shanghai Actor Gordon Creed 58
Average
1937 The Californian Actor Ramon Escobar N/A
N/A
1937 Her Husband Lies Actor J. Ward Thomas 59
Average
1936 Breakdowns of 1936 Actor Self N/A
N/A
1936 Talk of the Devil Actor Ray Allen N/A
N/A
1936 The Case of the Black Cat Actor Perry Mason 59
Average
1936 Postal Inspector Actor Inspector Bill Davis 59
Average
1936 Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs Actor 58
Average
1936 The Walking Dead Actor Nolan 59
Average
1936 Man Hunt Actor Frank Kingman N/A
N/A
1936 The Murder of Dr. Harrigan Actor George Lambert 59
Average
1935 Frisco Kid Actor Paul Morra 59
Average
1935 Special Agent Actor Alexander Carston 59
Average
1935 Manhattan Moon Actor Dan Moore N/A
N/A
1935 Shadow of Doubt Actor Sim 59
Average
1935 The White Cockatoo Actor Jim Sundean 58
Average
1934 I Am a Thief Actor Pierre Londais 59
Average
1934 The Firebird Actor Herman Brandt 59
Average
1934 A Lost Lady Actor Ellinger 59
Average
1934 The Man with Two Faces Actor Ben Weston 59
Average
1934 Hat, Coat and Glove Actor Robert Mitchell 59
Average
1934 Wonder Bar Actor Harry 59
Average
1934 Hollywood Newsreel Actor Himself 59
Average
1934 Mandalay Actor Tony Evans 59
Average
1934 The Big Shakedown Actor Dutch Barnes 58
Average
1933 The House on 56th Street Actor Bill Blaine 58
Average
1933 Big Executive Actor Victor Conway N/A
N/A
1933 Torch Singer Actor Tony Cummings 58
Average
1933 Midnight Mary Actor Leo 59
Average
1933 Broadway Bad Actor Craig Cutting 58
Average
1932 Flesh Actor Nicky 59
Average
1932 The Phantom of Crestwood Actor Gary Curtis 59
Average
1932 Thirteen Women Actor Police Sergeant Barry Clive 59
Average
1932 Is My Face Red? Actor William Poster 58
Average
1932 Symphony of Six Million Actor Felix 58
Average
1932 No One Man Actor Bill Hanaway 59
Average
1931 Men of Chance Actor Johnny Silk 59
Average
1931 Reckless Living Actor Curly 58
Average
1931 Bad Company Actor Goldie Gorio 58
Average
1931 Transgression Actor Don Arturo de Borgus 58
Average
1931 Big Business Girl Actor Robert J. Clayton 59
Average
1931 Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8) Actor Self 59
Average
1931 The Maltese Falcon Actor Sam Spade 59
Average
1931 White Shoulders Actor Lawrence Marchmont N/A
N/A
1931 Behind Office Doors Actor Ronnie Wales 58
Average
1931 Illicit Actor Price Baines 59
Average
1931 Ten Cents a Dance Actor Bradley Carlton 59
Average
1930 Her Man Actor Johnnie 59
Average
1930 Montana Moon Actor Jeff 58
Average
1929 The Lost Zeppelin Actor Tom Armstrong 58
Average
1929 The Phantom in the House Actor Paul Wallis 58
Average
1929 Midstream Actor James Stanwood N/A
N/A
1929 New Orleans Actor Jim Morley N/A
N/A
1929 The Younger Generation Actor Morris Goldfish 58
Average
1928 Excess Baggage Actor Val D'Errico N/A
N/A
1928 Woman of Destiny Actor Yoanes Etchegarry N/A
N/A
1927 The Private Life of Helen of Troy Actor Paris 58
Average
1927 Mockery Actor Dimitri 59
Average
1927 New York Actor Michael Angelo Cassidy N/A
N/A
1926 The Eagle of the Sea Actor Captain Sazarac N/A
N/A
1926 The Sorrows of Satan Actor Geoffrey Tempest 59
Average
1926 The Cat's Pajamas Actor N/A
N/A
1926 Volcano Actor Stéphane Séquineau N/A
N/A
1926 Torrent Actor Don Rafael Brull 59
Average
1925 Not So Long Ago Actor Billy Ballard N/A
N/A
1925 The Pony Express Actor Jack Weston 59
Average
1925 In the Name of Love Actor Raoul Melnotte N/A
N/A
1925 The Spaniard Actor Don Pedro de Barrego N/A
N/A
1925 The Swan Actor Dr. Walter, the Tutor 59
Average
1924 Argentine Love Actor Juan Martin N/A
N/A
1924 This Woman Actor Whitney Duane N/A
N/A
1924 Feet of Clay Actor Tony Channing N/A
N/A
1924 The Bedroom Window Actor Robert Delano N/A
N/A
1924 A Society Scandal Actor Harrison Peters N/A
N/A
1924 The Next Corner Actor Don Arturo N/A
N/A
1923 The Call of the Canyon Actor Larry Morrison N/A
N/A
1923 Hollywood Actor Ricardo Cortez 59
Average
1923 Children of Jazz Actor Ted Carter N/A
N/A
1923 The Gentleman from America Actor N/A
N/A

Directing
1940 Girl in 313 Directing Director 58
Average
1940 Free, Blonde and 21 Directing Director 59
Average
1940 City of Chance Directing Director 58
Average
1939 Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence Directing Director 59
Average
1939 The Escape Directing Director 59
Average
1939 Chasing Danger Directing Director 59
Average
1939 Inside Story Directing Director N/A
N/A