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Ramon Novarro

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Cause of death
  
Asphyxiation

Role
  
Film actor

Name
  
Ramon Novarro

Years active
  
1917–1968

Resting place
  
Calvary Cemetery


Ramon Novarro Ramn Novarro Wikiwand


Full Name
  
Jose Ramon Gil Samaniego

Born
  
February 6, 1899 (
1899-02-06
)

Other names
  
Ramon SamaniegoRamon SamaniegoRamon Samaniegos

Died
  
October 30, 1968, North Hollywood, California, United States

Siblings
  
Rosa Samaniegos, Guadalupe Samaniegos

Parents
  
Elenor Gavilan, Mariano N. Samaniego

Awards
  
Golden Globe Special Achievement Award

Movies
  
Ben‑Hur, Mata Hari, The Student Prince in, Scaramouche, Across to Singapore

Similar People
  
Rudolph Valentino, Rex Ingram, Fred Niblo, Francis X Bushman, George Fitzmaurice

Ramon novarro biography


Jose Ramón Gil Samaniego, best known as Ramón Novarro (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), was a Mexican film, stage and television actor who began his career in silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box office attractions of the 1920s and early 1930s. Novarro was promoted by MGM as a "Latin lover" and became known as a sex symbol after the death of Rudolph Valentino.

Contents

Ramon Novarro Ramon Novarro

Ramon novarro takes a bath


Early life

Ramon Novarro Ramon Novarro The New Orpheus George Hurrell

Novarro was born José Ramón Gil Samaniego on February 6, 1899 in Durango City, Durango, Mexico, to Dr. Mariano N. Samaniego, and his wife, Leonor (Gavilan). The family moved to Los Angeles, California, to escape the Mexican Revolution in 1913. Novarro's direct ancestors came from the Castilian town of Burgos from where two brothers emigrated to the New World in the seventeenth century.

Ramon Novarro wwwdoctormacrocomImagesNovarro20RamonAnnex

Allan Ellenberger, Novarro's biographer, writes:

Ramon Novarro Pictures amp Photos of Ramon Novarro IMDb

[...t]he Samaniegos were an influential and well-respected family in Mexico. Many Samaniegos had prominent positions in the affairs of state and were held in high esteem by the president. Ramon's grandfather, Mariano Samaniego, was a well-known physician in Juarez. Known as a charitable and outgoing man, he was once an interim governor for the State of Chihuahua and was the first city councilman of El Paso, Texas...
Ramon's father, Dr. Mariano N. Samaniego, was born in Juarez and attended high school in Las Cruces, New Mexico. After receiving his degree in dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to Durango, Mexico, and began a flourishing dental practice. In 1891 he married Leonor Pérez-Gavilán, the beautiful daughter of a prosperous landowner. The Pérez-Gaviláns were a mixture of Spanish and Aztec blood, and according to local legend, they were descended from Guerrero, a prince of Montezuma.

Ramon Novarro Pictures amp Photos of Ramon Novarro IMDb

The family estate was called the "Garden of Eden". Thirteen children were born there: Emilio; Guadalupe; Rosa; Ramón; Leonor; Mariano; Luz; Antonio; José; a stillborn child; Carmen; Ángel and Eduardo. At the time of the revolution in Mexico, the family moved from Durango to Mexico City and then back to Durango. Three of Ramón's sisters, Guadalupe, Rosa, and Leonor, became nuns. He was a second cousin of the Mexican actresses Dolores del Río and Andrea Palma.

Silent films

He entered films in 1917 in bit parts. He supplemented his income by working as a singing waiter. His friends, actor and director Rex Ingram and his wife, the actress Alice Terry, began to promote him as a rival to Rudolph Valentino, and Ingram suggested he change his name to "Novarro." From 1923, he began to play more prominent roles. His role in Scaramouche (1923) brought him his first major success.

In 1925, Novarro achieved his greatest success in Ben-Hur. His revealing costumes caused a sensation. He was elevated into the Hollywood elite. As did many stars, Novarro engaged Sylvia of Hollywood as a therapist (although in her tell-all book, Sylvia erroneously claimed that Novarro slept in a coffin). With Valentino's death in 1926, Novarro became the screen's leading Latin actor, though ranked behind his MGM contemporary, John Gilbert, as a leading man. He was popular as a swashbuckler in action roles and considered one of the great romantic lead actors of his day. Novarro appeared with Norma Shearer in The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) and with Joan Crawford in Across to Singapore (1928).

Talking films

He made his first talking film, starring as a singing French soldier, in Devil-May-Care (1929). He starred with Dorothy Janis in The Pagan (1929), with Greta Garbo in Mata Hari (1931), with Myrna Loy in The Barbarian (1933) and opposite Lupe Vélez in Laughing Boy (1934).

When his contract with MGM Studios expired in 1935 and the studio did not renew it, Novarro continued to act sporadically, appearing in films for Republic Pictures, a Mexican religious drama, and a French comedy. In the 1940s, he had several small roles in American films, including We Were Strangers (1949), directed by John Huston and starring Jennifer Jones and John Garfield. In 1958, he was considered for a role in the television series The Green Peacock, with Howard Duff and Ida Lupino, after their CBS Television sitcom Mr. Adams and Eve (1957–58). The project, however, never materialized. A Broadway tryout was aborted in the 1960s. Novarro kept busy on television, appearing in NBC's The High Chaparral as late as 1968.

At the peak of his success in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Ramón Novarro was earning more than US$100,000 per film. He invested some of his income in real estate, and his Hollywood Hills residence is one of the more renowned designs (1927) by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright. When his career ended, he was still able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.

Personal life

Novarro was troubled all his life by his conflicted feelings toward his Roman Catholic religion and his homosexuality. His life-long struggle with alcoholism is often traced to these problems. In the early 1920s, Novarro had a romantic relationship with composer Harry Partch, who was working as an usher at the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the time, but Novarro broke off the affair as his acting career began to become successful. MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer reportedly tried to coerce Novarro into a "lavender marriage", which he refused. He was romantically involved with journalist Herbert Howe, who was also his publicist in the late 1920s.

Along with Dolores del Río, Lupe Vélez and James Cagney, Novarro was accused of promoting Communism in California. It happened after they attended a special screening of the film ¡Que viva México! by famed Russian filmmaker Sergei M. Eisenstein.

Murder

Novarro was murdered on October 30, 1968, by brothers Paul and Tom Ferguson, aged 22 and 17, who called him and offered their services. He had hired prostitutes from an agency to come to his Laurel Canyon home for sex previously, and the Fergusons obtained Novarro's telephone number from a previous guest.

According to the prosecution in the murder case, the two young men believed that a large sum of money was hidden in Novarro's house. The prosecution accused the brothers of torturing Novarro for several hours to force him to reveal where the non-existent money was hidden. They left the house with $20 they took from his bathrobe pocket. Novarro died as a result of asphyxiation—having choked to death on his own blood after being beaten. The two perpetrators were caught and sentenced to long prison terms, but released on probation in the mid-1970s. Both were later re-arrested for unrelated crimes for which they served longer prison terms than for the murder of Novarro. Scotty Bowers' 2012 autobiography Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars provides questionable details about Novarro's death. In a 1998 interview, Paul Ferguson finally assumed the blame for Novarro’s death.

Ramón Novarro is buried in Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles, California. Ramón Novarro's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 6350 Hollywood Boulevard.

Novarro's murder served as the basis for the short story by Charles Bukowski called The Murder of Ramon Vasquez, as well as for the song "Tango," by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, recorded by Peggy Lee on her Mirrors album.

Novarro's murder is among the many epochal events recalled in Joan Didion's meditative 'California zeitgeist' essay The White Album.

In late 2005, the Wings Theatre in New York City staged the world premiere of Through a Naked Lens by George Barthel. The play combined fact and fiction to depict Ramon Novarro's rise to fame and his relationship with Hollywood journalist Herbert Howe.

Novarro's relationship with Herbert Howe is discussed in two biographies: Allan R. Ellenberger's Ramón Novarro and André Soares's Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramón Novarro.

Prize-winning Greek playwright Pavlos Matesis wrote a play in two parts titled "The Ghost of Mr. Ramon Novarro", which was first staged at the National Theatre of Greece in 1973.

Filmography

Actor
1968
The High Chaparral (TV Series) as
Padre Guillermo
- A Joyful Noise (1968) - Padre Guillermo
1967
The Wild Wild West (TV Series) as
Don Tomas
- The Night of the Assassin (1967) - Don Tomas
1964
Combat! (TV Series) as
Count De Roy / Charles Gireaux
- Finest Hour (1965) - Count De Roy
- Silver Service (1964) - Charles Gireaux
1965
Bonanza (TV Series) as
Jose Ortega
- The Brass Box (1965) - Jose Ortega
1964
Dr. Kildare (TV Series) as
Gasparo Paolini
- Rome Will Never Leave You: Part 3 (1964) - Gasparo Paolini
- Rome Will Never Leave You: Part 2 (1964) - Gasparo Paolini
- Rome Will Never Leave You: Part 1 (1964) - Gasparo Paolini
1964
Rawhide (TV Series) as
Father Tasso
- Canliss (1964) - Father Tasso
1962
Thriller (TV Series) as
Maestro Giuliano
- La Strega (1962) - Maestro Giuliano
1960
Heller in Pink Tights as
De Leon
1958
The Green Peacock (TV Short) as
Roméo
1958
The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) as
Don Esteban Miranda
- Law and Order, Incorporated (1958) - Don Esteban Miranda
- Elfego Baca: Lawman or Gunman (1958) - Don Esteban Miranda
1952
The Ken Murray Show (TV Series)
- Ruby Keeler/Buster Keaton/Ramon Novarro/Ronald Reagan/Adolph Zukor (1952)
1950
Crisis as
Colonel Adragon
1950
The Outriders as
Don Antonio Chaves
1949
The Big Steal as
Inspector General Ortega
1949
We Were Strangers as
Chief
1942
The Saint That Forged a Country as
Juan Diego
1940
Ecco la felicità as
Felice Ciatti
1940
La comédie du bonheur as
Félix
1938
A Desperate Adventure as
André Friezan
1937
The Sheik Steps Out as
Ahmed Ben Nesib
1935
The Night Is Young as
Archduke Paul 'Gustl' Gustave
1934
Laughing Boy as
Laughing Boy
1934
The Cat and the Fiddle as
Victor
1933
The Barbarian as
Jamil El Shehab
1932
The Son-Daughter as
Tom Lee
1932
Huddle as
Tony Amatto
1931
Mata Hari as
Lt. Alexis Rosanoff
1931
The Christmas Party (Short) as
Ramon Navarro (uncredited)
1931
Son of India as
Karim
1931
Daybreak as
Willi Kasder
1931
Le chanteur de Séville as
Juan
1930
Sevilla de mis amores as
Juan de Dios Carbajal
1930
Call of the Flesh as
Juan de Dios
1930
In Gay Madrid as
Ricardo
1929
Devil-May-Care as
Armand de Treville
1929
The Pagan as
Henry Shoesmith, Jr.
1929
The Flying Fleet as
Tommy Winslow
1928
Forbidden Hours as
His Majesty, Michael IV
1928
A Certain Young Man as
Lord Gerald Brinsley
1928
Across to Singapore as
Joel Shore
1927
The Road to Romance as
José Armando
1927
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg as
Prince Karl Heinrich
1927
Lovers? as
José
1925
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ as
Ben-Hur
1925
The Midshipman as
Dick Randall
1925
A Lover's Oath as
Ben Ali
1924
The Red Lily as
Jean Leonnec
1924
The Arab as
Jamil Abdullah Azam
1924
Thy Name Is Woman as
Juan Ricardo
1923
Scaramouche as
André-Louis Moreau
1923
Where the Pavement Ends as
Motauri
1922
Trifling Women as
Henri / Ivan de Maupin
1922
The Prisoner of Zenda as
Rupert of Hentzau (as Ramon Samaniegos)
1922
Mr. Barnes of New York as
Antonio (as Ramon Samaniego)
1921
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as
Guest at Ball (uncredited)
1921
The Concert as
Dancing Shepherd (uncredited)
1921
A Small Town Idol as
Dancer (uncredited)
1921
Man-Woman-Marriage as
Dancer in Prologue (uncredited)
1918
The Goat (uncredited)
1917
The Woman God Forgot as
Aztec man (uncredited)
1917
The Hostage (uncredited)
1917
The Little American as
Wounded Soldier (uncredited)
1917
The Jaguar's Claws as
Bandit (uncredited)
1916
Joan the Woman as
Starving Peasant (as Ramon Samaniegos)
Director
1936
Contra la corriente
1931
Le chanteur de Séville
1930
Sevilla de mis amores
Writer
1936
Contra la corriente
Soundtrack
1976
That's Entertainment, Part II (Documentary) (performer: "The Night Was Made For Love")
1940
La comédie du bonheur (performer: "La Comédie du Bonheur")
1937
The Sheik Steps Out (performer: "Ride with the Wind")
1935
The Night Is Young (performer: "The Night is Young" (1935), "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" (1935), "Lift Your Glass" (1935), "There's a Riot in Havana" (1935) - uncredited)
1934
Laughing Boy (performer: "Call of Love" (1934) - uncredited)
1934
The Cat and the Fiddle ("The Night Was Made for Love" (1931), uncredited) / (performer: "A New Love is Old" (1931), "I Watched the Love Parade" (1931), "The Breeze Kissed Your Hair" (1931), "One Moment Alone" (1931), "Ha! Cha Cha" (1931), "The Crystal Candelabra" (1931), "Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46: Le Matin" (1876) - uncredited)
1933
The Barbarian ("Love Songs of the Nile") / (performer: "Love Songs of the Nile")
1931
Le chanteur de Séville (music: "Lonely")
1930
The March of Time (performer: "Long Ago in Alcala")
1930
Call of the Flesh (music: "Lonely" (1930) - uncredited)
1930
In Gay Madrid ("Santiago" (1930), uncredited) / (performer: "Into My Heart" (1930), "Dark Night" (1930) - uncredited)
1929
Devil-May-Care (performer: "Shepherd Serenade" (1929) (uncredited), "Charming" (1929) (uncredited), "Louie" (1929), "March of the Old Guard" (1929))
1929
The Pagan (performer: "Pagan Love Song" (1929) - uncredited)
Producer
1936
Contra la corriente (producer)
Self
1965
The 37th Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) as
Self - Audience Member
1964
À Hollywood avec... (Documentary short) as
Self
1963
Delta Kappa Alpha Silver Anniversary Banquet (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1961
Movies Golden Age (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1960
The 17th Golden Globe Awards (TV Special) as
Self - Winner
1960
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1959
The Big Party (TV Series) as
Self - Schick Razor pitchman
- Greer Garson hostess (1959) - Self - Schick Razor pitchman
1956
This Is Your Life (TV Series) as
Self
- Myrna Loy (1956) - Self
1952
The Ken Murray Show (TV Series) as
Self
- Ramon Novarro/Coleen Gray/Sonja Henie/Tony Curtis/Bill Williams/Virginia O'Brien (1952) - Self
1951
The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode #5.16 (1951) - Self
1951
Footlights and Kleiglights (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode #1.69 (1951) - Self
1931
Jackie Cooper's Birthday Party (Documentary short) as
Self
1931
Wir schalten um auf Hollywood as
Self
1930
The March of Time as
Self
1930
Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 14 (Short) as
Self - at Premiere
1928
Voices Across the Sea (Short) as
Self
1925
1925 Studio Tour (Documentary short) as
Self
Archive Footage
2023
Compression (TV Series documentary)
- Compression Ben-Hur: a Tale of the Christ de Fred Niblo (2023)
2017
The Best of Hollywood (TV Series documentary) as
Self - Interviewee
- Episode dated 27 October 2017 (2017) - Self - Interviewee
2017
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (Documentary) as
Self - Actor
2004
Biography (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- Louis B. Mayer (2004) - Self (uncredited)
2001
The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema (Documentary) as
Self
1998
E! Mysteries & Scandals (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- Ramon Novarro (1998) - Self
1992
Murderers, Mobsters and Madmen: Hollywood Police Blotter (Video documentary short) as
Self
1991
Arena (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- Hollywood Babylon (1991) - Self
1991
The Republic Pictures Story (TV Movie documentary) as
Ahmed Ben Nesib (clip from The Sheik Steps Out (1937)) (uncredited)
1990
Death in Hollywood (Video documentary) as
Self
1988
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies (Video documentary) as
Self
1983
Los que hicieron nuestro cine (TV Series) as
Self
- La Época de oro - Self
1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory (TV Movie documentary) as
Self - film clips (uncredited)
1954
The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series) as
Ben-Hur in 'Ben-Hur'
- MGM's 30th Anniversary Tribute (1954) - Ben-Hur in 'Ben-Hur'
1944
Some of the Best (Documentary) as
Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur: A Story of the Christ (uncredited)
1944
Twenty Years After (Short)
1939
A Small Town Idol (Short) as
Dancer
1933
March of the Movies as
Self - film clip (uncredited)

References

Ramon Novarro Wikipedia


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