Cast

Ricardo Cortez

Acting

Cast

Ricardo Cortez

Known for

Acting

Born

1900-09-17

From

New York City, New York, USA

Died

1977-04-28

Also known as Jacob Krantz, Jack Crane

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).

Ricardo Cortez

Ricardo Cortez

Biography

Manhattan Moon

Her Man

Hollywood Newsreel

Wonder Bar

New York

White Shoulders

A Lost Lady

Argentine Love

Special Agent

Woman of Destiny

Excess Baggage

The Last Hurrah

Midstream

Ten Cents a Dance

The Walking Dead

The Spaniard

The Inner Circle

Thirteen Women

The Locket

Torrent

Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs

A Society Scandal

Talk of the Devil

Midnight Mary

Mr. Moto's Last Warning

Torch Singer

City Girl

Big Business Girl

The Maltese Falcon

The Big Shakedown

Prowlers of the Sea

Her Husband Lies

Flesh

The House on 56th Street

Who Is Hope Schuyler?

Ladies of the Night Club

Make Your Own Bed

Rubber Racketeers

Complicated Women

I Am a Thief

The Case of the Black Cat

The Phantom of Crestwood

Frisco Kid

The Eagle of the Sea

Breakdowns of 1937

Charlie Chan in Reno

The Man with Two Faces

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

Men of Chance

Postal Inspector

By Whose Hand?

The Bedroom Window

The Younger Generation

Murder Over New York

Sixty Cents an Hour

Bad Company

Mockery

The Sorrows of Satan

Symphony of Six Million

Breakdowns of 1936

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood

Mystery in Mexico

Illicit

Montana Moon

This Woman

Stars of the Silver Screen - Greta Garbo

Transgression

Blackmail

Bunco Squad

Hat, Coat and Glove

In the Name of Love

West of Shanghai

The Swan

Shadow of Doubt

No One Man

Man Hunt

Broadway Bad