Ricardo Cortez, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

Back

Back

Top

Korplix
Korean Online
Content Archives

0
4.917

Ricardo Cortez
Acting

Ricardo Cortez
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1900-09-17,New York City, New York, USA
Gender
Male
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

4.3

Tomorrow We Live
1942-09-23

The Phantom of Crestwood

6

The Phantom of Crestwood
1932-10-14

The Walking Dead

6.2

The Walking Dead
1936-03-01

Charlie Chan in Reno

6.2

Charlie Chan in Reno
1939-06-16

7

Hollywood
1923-08-19

White Shoulders

0

White Shoulders
1931-05-17

The Maltese Falcon

6.4

The Maltese Falcon
1931-05-23

6.4

The Locket
1946-12-20

4

Blackmail
1947-07-24

5.9

Bunco Squad
1950-09-01

Murder Over New York

6

Murder Over New York
1940-12-13

In the Name of Love

0

In the Name of Love
1925-08-10

Mr. Moto's Last Warning

5.8

Mr. Moto's Last Warning
1939-01-20

The House on 56th Street

5.2

The House on 56th Street
1933-12-23

6.8

Midnight Mary
1933-06-30

5.2

Torch Singer
1933-09-08

The Inner Circle

5.2

The Inner Circle
1946-08-07

6.3

Special Agent
1935-09-14

The Man with Two Faces

6.5

The Man with Two Faces
1934-08-04

6.3

Thirteen Women
1932-09-16

The Last Hurrah

7.1

The Last Hurrah
1958-12-31

Make Your Own Bed

5.8

Make Your Own Bed
1944-06-10

6.7

Mockery
1927-08-13

4.6

Bad Company
1931-10-16

The Big Shakedown

5.6

The Big Shakedown
1934-01-06

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

5.6

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
1936-01-11

Symphony of Six Million

5.4

Symphony of Six Million
1932-04-29

Ten Cents a Dance

6.8

Ten Cents a Dance
1931-01-30

5.8

Illicit
1931-02-14

4

Transgression
1931-06-27

4.6

Montana Moon
1930-03-20

Big Business Girl

5.5

Big Business Girl
1931-06-12

I Killed That Man

5.7

I Killed That Man
1941-11-28

5.6

Flesh
1932-12-08

6.9

Torrent
1926-02-21

6.2

Wonder Bar
1934-03-31

5.3

Her Man
1930-09-21

Behind Office Doors

5.1

Behind Office Doors
1931-03-15

The Case of the Black Cat

6.6

The Case of the Black Cat
1936-10-31

The Gentleman from America

0

The Gentleman from America
1923-02-19

6.8

Frisco Kid
1935-11-30

6

I Am a Thief
1934-11-24

Postal Inspector

6.2

Postal Inspector
1936-08-16

Hat, Coat and Glove

5.5

Hat, Coat and Glove
1934-07-26

The Bedroom Window

0

The Bedroom Window
1924-06-08

The Phantom in the House

4.6

The Phantom in the House
1929-10-20

The Younger Generation

6.2

The Younger Generation
1929-03-04

6

City Girl
1938-01-07

Is My Face Red?

5

Is My Face Red?
1932-06-17

5.8

Men of Chance
1931-12-26

The Sorrows of Satan

6.7

The Sorrows of Satan
1926-10-12

6

No One Man
1932-01-22

West of Shanghai

5.4

West of Shanghai
1937-10-30

The White Cockatoo

5.3

The White Cockatoo
1935-01-29

Mystery in Mexico

5.8

Mystery in Mexico
1948-08-21

Shadow of Doubt

6.2

Shadow of Doubt
1935-02-15

Romance of the Rio Grande

4

Romance of the Rio Grande
1941-01-17

6.1

A Lost Lady
1934-09-29

5.5

The Firebird
1934-11-03

The Lost Zeppelin

4.8

The Lost Zeppelin
1929-12-19

The Californian

0

The Californian
1937-07-18

Her Husband Lies

6

Her Husband Lies
1937-03-13

5

Broadway Bad
1933-02-24

The Private Life of Helen of Troy

1

The Private Life of Helen of Troy
1927-12-09

5.9

Mandalay
1934-02-10

0

The Spaniard
1925-05-04

The Eagle of the Sea

0

The Eagle of the Sea
1926-10-17

6

The Swan
1925-02-16

0

Feet of Clay
1924-09-27

Woman of Destiny

0

Woman of Destiny
1928-04-29

Reckless Living

3

Reckless Living
1931-10-20

The Pony Express

5.9

The Pony Express
1925-09-03

0

Excess Baggage
1928-09-28

Hollywood Newsreel

4

Hollywood Newsreel
1934-03-24

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood

6

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
1960-01-10

0

Man Hunt
1936-01-29

Rubber Racketeers

4.3

Rubber Racketeers
1942-06-26

Breakdowns of 1936

0

Breakdowns of 1936
1936-12-30

A Shot in the Dark

5.2

A Shot in the Dark
1941-04-05

Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)

6

Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)
1931-06-01

Children of Jazz

0

Children of Jazz
1923-07-08

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown

8

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown
1986-01-01

0

Manhattan Moon
1935-07-01

0

New York
1927-01-30

Breakdowns of 1937

6

Breakdowns of 1937
1937-12-31

0

New Orleans
1929-06-01

Complicated Women

6.7

Complicated Women
2003-05-06

The Next Corner

0

The Next Corner
1924-02-18

Who Is Hope Schuyler?

4

Who Is Hope Schuyler?
1942-04-17

Talk of the Devil

0

Talk of the Devil
1936-12-09

Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs

1

Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
1936-08-05

The Call of the Canyon

0

The Call of the Canyon
1923-12-16

The Cat's Pajamas

0

The Cat's Pajamas
1926-08-29

0

This Woman
1924-11-02

0

Midstream
1929-07-29

5

World Premiere
1941-08-21

Not So Long Ago

0

Not So Long Ago
1925-09-07

A Society Scandal

0

A Society Scandal
1924-03-09

0

Big Executive
1933-10-19

0

Argentine Love
1924-12-22

0

Volcano
1926-05-23

This Is Your Life

6.4

This Is Your Life
1952-10-01