Ricardo Cortez

 Ricardo Cortez (September 19, 1900– April 28, 1977)

He was an amateur boxer and worked on Wall Street as a runner prior to entering the film business. Cortez appeared in over 100 films. He began his career playing romantic leads, and when sound cinema arrived, his strong delivery and New York accent made him an ideal heavy. Occasionally portrayed leading men, Cortez's main focus became character acting. He played opposite Joan Crawford in Montana Moon (1930), played Sam Spade in the original, pre-code version of The Maltese Falcon (1931), co-starred with Charles Farrell and Bette Davis in The Big Shakedown (1934), and with Al Jolson and Dolores del Río in Wonder Bar (1934). In 1936, Cortez replaced Warren William as Perry Mason in The Case of the Black Cat. Cortez also directed seven films for 20th Century Fox from 1938 through 1940. When he retired from the film business, Cortez returned to New York, working as a stockbroker for Salomon Brothers on Wall Street. Cortez died in Doctors Hospital in New York City in 1977 at age 77. He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.