
Ricardo Cortez
Born September 17, 1900 · New York City, New York, USA
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).
Notable Appearances
More Movies

The Last Hurrah

The Locket

The Walking Dead

Ten Cents a Dance

A Shot in the Dark

Wonder Bar

Make Your Own Bed

Her Man

Charlie Chan in Reno

Hedda Hopper's Hollywood

Is My Face Red?

The House on 56th Street

The Phantom of Crestwood

Special Agent

Murder Over New York

Frisco Kid

Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs

Mr. Moto's Last Warning

Manhattan Moon

City Girl

Talk of the Devil

The Man with Two Faces

I Am a Thief

The Inner Circle

Hat, Coat and Glove

Complicated Women

Big Business Girl

Argentine Love

New York

The Sorrows of Satan

Thirteen Women

The Spaniard

Excess Baggage

The Private Life of Helen of Troy

The Murder of Dr. Harrigan

Midnight Mary

The Case of the Black Cat

Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown

In the Name of Love

The Call of the Canyon

Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)

Breakdowns of 1937

I Killed That Man

Who Is Hope Schuyler?

Prowlers of the Sea

Bunco Squad

White Shoulders

The Big Shakedown

This Woman

Stars of the Silver Screen - Greta Garbo

Flesh

Her Husband Lies

The Eagle of the Sea

Torrent

Hollywood

The Firebird

Symphony of Six Million

The Maltese Falcon

Transgression

Ladies of the Night Club

Illicit

The City That Never Sleeps

West of Shanghai

Torch Singer

Mandalay

Breakdowns of 1936

Behind Office Doors

Man Hunt

Postal Inspector

Mystery in Mexico

The Gentleman from America

Not So Long Ago

Sixty Cents an Hour

The Cat's Pajamas

Bad Company

Romance of the Rio Grande

A Lost Lady

Shadow of Doubt

Rubber Racketeers

The Pony Express

Men of Chance

Broadway Bad

By Whose Hand?

Midstream

Montana Moon

Feet of Clay

The Phantom in the House

No One Man

A Society Scandal

Woman of Destiny

Blackmail

Tomorrow We Live

The White Cockatoo

Volcano

World Premiere

Mockery

The Californian

Big Executive

The Next Corner

The Bedroom Window

The Lost Zeppelin

New Orleans




