I want to pay tribute to the awesome Latino classic movie pioneers. Unfortunately many Latino actors in classic film were subjected to playing negative roles in film, you know like the classic “Mexican banditos,” and the like. Then again many became stars, this despite the prejudices and stereotypes of the time. Rita Moreno, Rita Hayworth, and Ricardo Montalban, to name just a few who played lead and/or supporting roles in many movies.
In the past Hollywood would import stars from Spain and Mexico then didn’t know what to do with them. So they put them in the typical roles of banditos, maids, prostitutes, and the like. I can only imagine what it must have been like for actors and actresses to get past this and prove to the Hollywood moguls that they could do better. It must have been an uphill battle. For the next couple of weeks I will feature some of these pioneers–you will be surprised how far back they go in Hollywood. Can you believe the silent era? Yes, the silent era, Ramon Novarro played in the silent version of “Ben-Hur” (1926). And his role in this movie helped save MGM from Bankruptcy.
On that note my first tribute is to Ramon Novarro. He was born Ramon Gil Samaniego in Durango Mexico in 1899. His father was a prosperous dentist and Ramon was the eldest of 13 children. In 1914 he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a stage manager. He managed to audition and played as an extra under the name Ramon Gil Samaniego in many films. While working in the film “Prisoner of Zelda,” the director convinced him to change his name to something that everyone could pronounce easier hence the name “Novarro” and a Hollywood sensation was born. His transition to “talkies” was smooth thanks to his beautiful sounding voice, but the roles were bad and his real talents went to waste. In an interview back in the 60′s he expressed his dislike for all his roles in the “talkies,” with the exception of maybe three films, “The Pagan,” “Son of India,” (1931) and “Daybreak.”
He acted in over 50 movies, but best known for “Ben-Hur“, directed and produced one movie “Contra La Corriente,” and made many televisions appearances. Film historians place Ramon in films as far back as 1918 when he had a bit part in ” The Little American” with Wallace Beery and Mary Pickford. Ramon was killed in 1968.
To Read more On Ramon pick these books up Ramon Novarro: A Biography of the Silent Film Idol
