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Ricardo Cortez

Ricardo Cortez

Actor · Died April 28, 1977, aged 76 · 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).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 17, 1900
Died
April 28, 1977 (aged 76)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
27 on MovieCove · 106 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 27% in 30 days

What are Ricardo Cortez's films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Mystery2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Mystery movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
38%
Bonds
26%
Self
15%
Power
10%
Survival
6%
Ideas
4%
Society
1%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 8 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 14 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 18 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 9 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 4

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 14 · Relentless 4

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 15 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 19 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

21 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 8 of 21 analyzed roles.

Shadow
8 of 21
Hero
5 of 21
Ally
3 of 21
Shapeshifter
2 of 21
Herald
1 of 21
Trickster
1 of 21
Mentor
1 of 21
Show the 21 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Melancholic
11
Thrilling
6
Romantic
5
Warm
5
Other
21

How their films linger

Feel-good13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ricardo Cortez's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ricardo Cortez's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

106 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Last Hurrah(1958)

    as Sam Weinberg

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Bunco Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Tony Weldon / Anthony Wells

  • Mystery in Mexico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as John Norcross

  • Blackmail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Ziggy Cranston

  • The Locket(1946)

    as Drew Bonner

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Inner Circle(1946)

    as Duke York

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Make Your Own Bed(1944)

    as Wilson / Fritz Alden

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Tomorrow We Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as The Ghost, Alexander Caesar Martin

  • Rubber Racketeers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Gilin

  • Who Is Hope Schuyler? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Anthony Pearce

  • I Killed That Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Roger Phillips

  • World Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Mark Saunders

  • A Shot in the Dark(1941)

    as Phillip Richards

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Romance of the Rio Grande (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Ricardo de Vega

  • Murder Over New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as George Kirby

  • Girl in 313 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Free, Blonde and 21 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • City of Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Director

  • Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • The Escape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Charlie Chan in Reno(1939)

    as Dr. Ainsley

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Chasing Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Inside Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Director

  • Mr. Moto's Last Warning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Fabian

  • City Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Charles Blake

  • West of Shanghai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Gordon Creed

  • The Californian(1937)

    as Ramon Escobar

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Her Husband Lies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as J. Ward Thomas

  • Talk of the Devil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Ray Allen

  • The Case of the Black Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Perry Mason

  • Postal Inspector(1936)

    as Inspector Bill Davis

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Walking Dead(1936)

    as Nolan

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Man Hunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Frank Kingman

  • Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Actor

  • The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as George Lambert

  • Frisco Kid(1935)

    as Paul Morra

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Special Agent(1935)

    as Alexander Carston

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Manhattan Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Dan Moore

  • Shadow of Doubt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Sim

  • The White Cockatoo(1935)

    as Jim Sundean

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • I Am a Thief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Pierre Londais

  • The Firebird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Herman Brandt

  • A Lost Lady(1934)

    as Ellinger

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Man with Two Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Ben Weston

  • Hat, Coat and Glove (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Robert Mitchell

  • Wonder Bar(1934)

    as Harry

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Mandalay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Tony Evans

  • The Big Shakedown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Dutch Barnes

  • The House on 56th Street(1933)

    as Bill Blaine

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Big Executive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Victor Conway

  • Torch Singer(1933)

    as Tony Cummings

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Midnight Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Leo

  • Broadway Bad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Craig Cutting

  • Flesh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Nicky

  • The Phantom of Crestwood(1932)

    as Gary Curtis

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Thirteen Women(1932)

    as Police Sergeant Barry Clive

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Is My Face Red?(1932)

    as William Poster

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Symphony of Six Million (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Felix

  • No One Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Bill Hanaway

  • Men of Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Johnny Silk

  • Reckless Living (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Curly

  • Bad Company (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Goldie Gorio

  • Transgression (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Don Arturo de Borgus

  • Big Business Girl(1931)

    as Robert J. Clayton

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Maltese Falcon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Sam Spade

  • White Shoulders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Lawrence Marchmont

  • Behind Office Doors(1931)

    as Ronnie Wales

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Illicit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Price Baines

  • Ten Cents a Dance(1931)

    as Bradley Carlton

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Her Man(1930)

    as Johnnie

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Montana Moon(1930)

    as Jeff

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Lost Zeppelin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Tom Armstrong

  • The Phantom in the House(1929)

    as Paul Wallis

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Midstream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as James Stanwood

  • New Orleans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Jim Morley

  • The Younger Generation(1929)

    as Morris Goldfish

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Excess Baggage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Val D'Errico

  • Prowlers of the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Carlos De Neve

  • Ladies of the Night Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as George Merrill

  • Woman of Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Yoanes Etchegarry

  • The Private Life of Helen of Troy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Paris

  • By Whose Hand? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Agent X-9

  • Mockery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Dimitri

  • New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as Michael Angelo Cassidy

  • The Eagle of the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Captain Sazarac

  • The Sorrows of Satan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Geoffrey Tempest

  • The Cat's Pajamas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Actor

  • Volcano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Stéphane Séquineau

  • Torrent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Don Rafael Brull

  • Not So Long Ago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Billy Ballard

  • The Pony Express (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Jack Weston

  • In the Name of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Raoul Melnotte

  • The Spaniard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    as Don Pedro de Barrego

  • The Swan(1925)

    as Dr. Walter, the Tutor

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Argentine Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Juan Martin

  • This Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Whitney Duane

  • The City That Never Sleeps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Mark Roth

  • Feet of Clay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Tony Channing

  • The Bedroom Window (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Robert Delano

  • A Society Scandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Harrison Peters

  • The Next Corner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Don Arturo

  • The Call of the Canyon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Larry Morrison

  • Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Ricardo Cortez

  • Children of Jazz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as Ted Carter

  • Sixty Cents an Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    as William Davis

  • The Gentleman from America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1923)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 90th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 106 titles from 1923 to 1958.

Biggest box office

Montana Moon (1930)

$2.1M worldwide

Highest rated

The Locket (1946)

Midcredits 83rd

Most popular right now

The Swan (1925)

Film career

Top draw in 1 MovieCove title.

  • 1931Screen debut· The Maltese Falcon
  • 1931First top-billed film· The Maltese Falcon

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting99 of 106: 99 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thDirecting7 of 106: 7 only directing, 0 with another role

By decade

1920s35 · acting1930s53 · 49 acting · 4 crew1940s16 · 13 acting · 3 crew1950s2 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 14% of 7 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Ricardo Cortez's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 56th percentile, the median of all 27; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Approval · how many liked their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Reach · how many have seen their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Midcredits score across 27 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 27 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Montana Moon (1930)

74th percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Last Hurrah (1958)

Midcredits 88th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 26 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Ricardo Cortez work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ricardo Cortez's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bernhard Kaun shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers