Ricardo Cortez
Toronto Daily Star, December 26 1933
Ricardo Cortez (1900-1977) had a Latin name and good looks similar to those of famous Latin screen stars such as Rudolph Valentino, but he was actually Jewish - he was born Jacob Krantz in New York City, and took his stage name to (quite understandably) make himself more bankable. When rumours of his true origin began to circulate, the studios tried to claim that he was French and then that he was from Vienna.
When sound was added to movies, Mr. Cortez's career was revitalized, as his New York accent made him the perfect bad guy. He appeared in over 100 movies and also directed some low-budget pictures between 1938 and 1940. He retired from the film business in the 1950s and became a stockbroker.
Mr. Cortez was a widower when he married Christine Conniff Lee; his first marriage, to actress Alma Rubens, ended in 1931 when she passed away from pneumonia. His marriage to Ms. Lee didn't last; they divorced in 1940.
Created August 20, 2025.