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).
107 movies · 1 shows
Stars of the Silver Screen - Greta Garbo
2014·3.0
Complicated Women
2003·6.9
Greta Garbo: The Temptress and the Clown
1986·8.0
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
1960·6.0
The Last Hurrah
1958·7.2
Bunco Squad
1950·6.1
Mystery in Mexico
1948·6.0
Blackmail
1947·4.2
The Locket
1946·6.3
The Inner Circle
1946·5.7
Make Your Own Bed
1944·6.0
Tomorrow We Live
1942·4.9
Rubber Racketeers
1942·5.5
Who Is Hope Schuyler?
1942·4.5
I Killed That Man
1941·6.7
World Premiere
1941·6.0
A Shot in the Dark
1941·5.7
Romance of the Rio Grande
1941·4.7
Murder Over New York
1940·6.2
Charlie Chan in Reno
1939·6.5
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
1939·5.7
City Girl
1938·6.5
Breakdowns of 1937
1937·6.0
West of Shanghai
1937·5.8
The Californian
1937·7.0
Her Husband Lies
1937·7.0
Breakdowns of 1936
1936·0.0
Talk of the Devil
1936·8.0
The Case of the Black Cat
1936·7.0
Postal Inspector
1936·7.0
The Walking Dead
1936·6.3
Man Hunt
1936·10.0
The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
1936·5.8
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
1936·4.7
Frisco Kid
1935·7.0
Special Agent
1935·6.2
Manhattan Moon
1935·9.0
Shadow of Doubt
1935·6.6
The White Cockatoo
1935·5.9
I Am a Thief
1934·6.2
The Firebird
1934·6.4
A Lost Lady
1934·5.8
The Man with Two Faces
1934·6.8
Hat, Coat and Glove
1934·7.0
Wonder Bar
1934·6.0
Hollywood Newsreel
1934·7.0
Mandalay
1934·5.8
The Big Shakedown
1934·5.9
The House on 56th Street
1933·5.3
Big Executive
1933·7.0
Torch Singer
1933·5.4
Midnight Mary
1933·6.8
Broadway Bad
1933·5.3
Flesh
1932·5.8
The Phantom of Crestwood
1932·5.9
Thirteen Women
1932·6.4
Is My Face Red?
1932·5.0
Symphony of Six Million
1932·5.7
No One Man
1932·6.5
Men of Chance
1931·6.0
Reckless Living
1931·4.3
Bad Company
1931·5.0
Transgression
1931·4.3
Big Business Girl
1931·6.8
Screen Snapshots (Series 10, No. 8)
1931·6.0
The Maltese Falcon
1931·6.4
White Shoulders
1931·10.0
Behind Office Doors
1931·4.9
Illicit
1931·5.7
Ten Cents a Dance
1931·6.8
Her Man
1930·5.2
Montana Moon
1930·4.7
The Lost Zeppelin
1929·5.8
The Phantom in the House
1929·4.4
Midstream
1929·10.0
New Orleans
1929·9.0
The Younger Generation
1929·6.9
Excess Baggage
1928·8.0
Prowlers of the Sea
1928·5.0
Ladies of the Night Club
1928·10.0
Woman of Destiny
1928·10.0
The Private Life of Helen of Troy
1927·4.4
By Whose Hand?
1927·9.0
Mockery
1927·6.9
New York
1927·9.0
The Eagle of the Sea
1926·10.0
The Sorrows of Satan
1926·7.2
The Cat's Pajamas
1926·9.0
Volcano
1926·10.0
Torrent
1926·6.7
Not So Long Ago
1925·8.0
The Pony Express
1925·6.4
In the Name of Love
1925·10.0
The Spaniard
1925·8.0
The Swan
1925·8.0
Argentine Love
1924·10.0
This Woman
1924·9.0
The City That Never Sleeps
1924·9.0
Feet of Clay
1924·7.0
The Bedroom Window
1924·9.0
A Society Scandal
1924·8.0
The Next Corner
1924·10.0
The Call of the Canyon
1923·7.0
Hollywood
1923·9.0
Children of Jazz
1923·8.0
Sixty Cents an Hour
1923·10.0
The Gentleman from America
1923·7.0