Ricardo Cortez

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  • group Other Names:
    Jacob Krantz, Jack Crane

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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).

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  • wc Gender: Male
  • calendar_month Birth Date: 1900-09-17
  • event Death Date 1977-04-28
  • school Known for: Acting
  • star Popularity: 2.9
  • info Birth Place New York City, New York, USA
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smart_display Movies and TV shows by Ricardo Cortez

4.3

Tomorrow We Live

1942-09-23

6.1

The Phantom of Crestwood

1932-10-14

6.2

The Walking Dead

1936-03-01

6.2

Charlie Chan in Reno

1939-06-16

7

Hollywood

1923-08-19

0

White Shoulders

1931-05-17

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

6

Murder Over New York

1940-12-13

0

In the Name of Love

1925-08-10

5.8

Mr. Moto's Last Warning

1939-01-20

5.2

The House on 56th Street

1933-12-23

6.8

Midnight Mary

1933-06-30

5.2

Torch Singer

1933-09-08

5.2

The Inner Circle

1946-08-07

6.3

Special Agent

1935-09-14

6.5

The Man with Two Faces

1934-08-04

6.4

Thirteen Women

1932-09-16

7.1

The Last Hurrah

1958-12-31

5.8

Make Your Own Bed

1944-06-10

6.5

Mockery

1927-08-13

4.6

Bad Company

1931-10-16

5.6

The Big Shakedown

1934-01-06

5.6

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

1936-01-11

5.4

Symphony of Six Million

1932-04-29

6.8

Ten Cents a Dance

1931-01-30

5.8

Illicit

1931-02-14

4

Transgression

1931-06-27

4.7

Montana Moon

1930-03-20

5.5

Big Business Girl

1931-06-12

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

5.1

Behind Office Doors

1931-03-15

5.3

Her Man

1930-09-21

6.6

The Case of the Black Cat

1936-10-31

0

The Gentleman from America

1923-02-19

6.8

Frisco Kid

1935-11-30

6

I Am a Thief

1934-11-24

6.3

Postal Inspector

1936-08-16

5.5

Hat, Coat and Glove

1934-07-26

0

The Bedroom Window

1924-06-08

4.6

The Phantom in the House

1929-10-20

6.3

The Younger Generation

1929-03-04

6

City Girl

1938-01-07

5

Is My Face Red?

1932-06-17

5.8

Men of Chance

1931-12-26

6.7

The Sorrows of Satan

1926-10-12

6

No One Man

1932-01-22

5.4

West of Shanghai

1937-10-30

5.3

The White Cockatoo

1935-01-29

5.8

Mystery in Mexico

1948-08-21

6.2

Shadow of Doubt

1935-02-15

4

Romance of the Rio Grande

1941-01-17

6.1

A Lost Lady

1934-09-29

5.5

The Firebird

1934-11-03

4.8

The Lost Zeppelin

1929-12-19

0

The Californian

1937-07-18

6

Her Husband Lies

1937-03-13

5

Broadway Bad

1933-02-24

1

The Private Life of Helen of Troy

1927-12-09

5.9

Mandalay

1934-02-10

0

The Spaniard

1925-05-04

0

The Eagle of the Sea

1926-10-17

6

The Swan

1925-02-16

0

Feet of Clay

1924-09-27

0

Woman of Destiny

1928-04-29

3

Reckless Living

1931-10-20

5.9

The Pony Express

1925-09-03

0

Excess Baggage

1928-09-28

4

Hollywood Newsreel

1934-03-24

6

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood

1960-01-10

0

Man Hunt

1936-01-29

4.3

Rubber Racketeers

1942-06-26

0

Breakdowns of 1936

1936-12-30

5.2

A Shot in the Dark

1941-04-05

6

Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)

1931-06-01

0

Children of Jazz

1923-07-08

8

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown

1986-01-01

0

Manhattan Moon

1935-07-01

0

New York

1927-01-30

6

Breakdowns of 1937

1937-12-31

0

New Orleans

1929-06-01

6.7

Complicated Women

2003-05-06

0

The Next Corner

1924-02-18

4

Who Is Hope Schuyler?

1942-04-17

0

Talk of the Devil

1936-12-09

1

Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs

1936-08-05

0

The Call of the Canyon

1923-12-16

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

0

Not So Long Ago

1925-09-07

0

A Society Scandal

1924-03-09

0

Big Executive

1933-10-19

0

Argentine Love

1924-12-22

0

Volcano

1926-05-23

6.4

This Is Your Life

1952-10-01

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