Ricardo Cortez

Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Kranzeor Jacob Krantz; 1900 – 1977) was an American actor. He was also known as Jack Crane early in his acting career.

The son of Morris and Sarah Lefkovitz Krantz, Cortez was born to a Jewish family in New York City (Vienna has been incorrectly cited as his birthplace).

He was an amateur boxer and worked on Wall Street as a runner prior to entering the film business.

Hollywood executives changed his name from Krantz to Cortez to capitalize on the popularity of the era's "Latin lovers" (namely Rudolph Valentino, Ramon Novarro and Antonio Moreno). When rumor began to circulate that Cortez was not actually Latin, the studios attempted to pass him off as French before finally "admitting" to his supposedly Viennese origin. 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.

When he retired from the film business, Cortez returned to New York, working as a stockbroker for Salomon Brothers on Wall Street.