Antonio Moreno
Encyclopedia
Antonio "Tony" Moreno was a notable Spanish-born American actor
and film director
of the silent film
era and through the 1950s.
, Spain
, he emigrated to the United States
at the age of fourteen and settled in Massachusetts
, where he completed his education. After attending the Williston Seminary in Easthampton, Massachusetts
, he became a stage actor in regional theater productions. In 1912, he moved to Hollywood, California and he was signed to Vitagraph Studios and began his career in bit parts and as a movie extra.
In 1914, Moreno began co-starring in a series of highly successful serials opposite the enormously publicly popular silent film actress Pearl White
. These appearances helped to increase Moreno's popularity with the nation's nascent film-goers. By 1915, Antonio Moreno was a highly regarded matinee idol and appearing opposite such successful actors as Tyrone Power, Sr.
, Gloria Swanson
, Blanche Sweet, Pola Negri
and Dorothy Gish
. Moreno was often typecast in his earliest films as the "Latin Lover
", as were other actors of the era with Latin roots, such as Ramón Novarro
and Rudolph Valentino
.
By the early 1920s, Antonio Moreno joined film mogul Jesse Lasky's Famous Players and became one of the company's most highly paid performers. In 1926 Moreno starred opposite Swedish acting legend Greta Garbo
in The Temptress
and the following year followed up with a starring role in the enormous box-office hit Clara Bow
vehicle It
.
Moreno married American heiress Daisy Canfield Danziger, in 1923, and the couple moved to an estate known as Crestmount, now known as the Canfield-Moreno Estate
. The union lasted ten years and ended shortly before Canfield Danziger was killed in an automobile accident on February 23, 1933.
With the advent of talkies in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Moreno's career began to falter, in part because of his heavy Spanish accent. While still acting in English language films, Moreno also began taking parts in Mexican films. During the early 1930s, Moreno directed several well-received Mexican films, among them is the 1932 drama Santa
, which has been hailed by film critics as one of the best Mexican films of the era. By the mid-1930s, Antonio Moreno began rebuilding his faltering Hollywood career by taking notable roles as a character actor. By the mid-1940s and throughout the 1950s, Moreno appeared in a number of well received roles, most notably, his 1954 role in the classic horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon
and his 1955 role as Emilio Figueroa in film director John Ford
's influential western epic The Searchers
opposite John Wayne
and Natalie Wood
.
Moreno retired from film in the late 1950s and died of heart failure in Beverly Hills, California
, in 1967, and was laid to rest in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
cemetery in Glendale, California
. His film career spanned more than four decades.
In 1994, the Mexican magazine Somos published their list of "The 100 best movies of the cinema of Mexico" in its 100th edition and named the 1931 Moreno directed Santa its 67th choice.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Antonio Moreno was given a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6651 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California, USA.
Of note is that Moreno was the half-brother of Alfred Moreno Monteagudo, who took over management of the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel
in the 1940s. Antonio Moreno is the granduncle of horror/fantasy author Nicholas Grabowsky
, to which a related biography is slated for late 2009/early 2010 in conjunction with the release of the Creature From the Black Lagoon
remake by Universal Pictures
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
of the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era and through the 1950s.
Biography
Born Antonio Garrido Monteagudo in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, he emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the age of fourteen and settled in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where he completed his education. After attending the Williston Seminary in Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton is the second largest city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA...
, he became a stage actor in regional theater productions. In 1912, he moved to Hollywood, California and he was signed to Vitagraph Studios and began his career in bit parts and as a movie extra.
In 1914, Moreno began co-starring in a series of highly successful serials opposite the enormously publicly popular silent film actress Pearl White
Pearl White
Pearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...
. These appearances helped to increase Moreno's popularity with the nation's nascent film-goers. By 1915, Antonio Moreno was a highly regarded matinee idol and appearing opposite such successful actors as Tyrone Power, Sr.
Tyrone Power, Sr.
Frederick Tyrone Edmond Power was an English-born American stage and screen actor, who acted under the name Tyrone Power.-Early life:Power was born in London in 1869, the son of Harold Littledale Power and Ethel Lavenu...
, Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
, Blanche Sweet, Pola Negri
Pola Negri
Pola Negri was a Polish stage and film actress who achieved worldwide fame for her tragedienne and femme fatale roles from the 1910s through the 1940s during the Golden Era of Hollywood film. She was the first European film star to be invited to Hollywood, and became a great American star. She...
and Dorothy Gish
Dorothy Gish
Dorothy Elizabeth Gish was an American actress, and the younger sister of actress Lillian Gish.-Early life:...
. Moreno was often typecast in his earliest films as the "Latin Lover
Latin Lover
Victor Manuel Resendiz Ruiz is a Mexican Luchador and actor. He is best known under his ring name Latin Lover, which he is also credited as for his acting career...
", as were other actors of the era with Latin roots, such as Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
and Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
.
By the early 1920s, Antonio Moreno joined film mogul Jesse Lasky's Famous Players and became one of the company's most highly paid performers. In 1926 Moreno starred opposite Swedish acting legend Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
in The Temptress
The Temptress
The Temptress is an American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo. Starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore and Roy D'Arcy it premiered on October 10, 1926...
and the following year followed up with a starring role in the enormous box-office hit Clara Bow
Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress who rose to stardom in the silent film era of the 1920s. It was her appearance as a spunky shopgirl in the film It that brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl." Bow came to personify the roaring twenties and is described as its leading sex...
vehicle It
It (1927 film)
It is a 1927 silent romantic comedy film which tells the story of a shop girl who sets her sights on the handsome and wealthy boss of the department store where she works. Because of this film, actress Clara Bow became known as the "It girl"...
.
Moreno married American heiress Daisy Canfield Danziger, in 1923, and the couple moved to an estate known as Crestmount, now known as the Canfield-Moreno Estate
Canfield-Moreno Estate
The Canfield-Moreno Estate, also known as The Paramour Mansion, or The Crestmount, is a historic residence and estate, and a present day recording studio, located in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles, California...
. The union lasted ten years and ended shortly before Canfield Danziger was killed in an automobile accident on February 23, 1933.
With the advent of talkies in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Moreno's career began to falter, in part because of his heavy Spanish accent. While still acting in English language films, Moreno also began taking parts in Mexican films. During the early 1930s, Moreno directed several well-received Mexican films, among them is the 1932 drama Santa
Santa (film)
Santa is the first Mexican narrative sound film. It was directed by Antonio Moreno and starred Lupita Tovar, based on the novel of the same name by Federico Gamboa. In 1994, the Mexican magazine Somos published their list of "The 100 best movies of the cinema of Mexico" in its 100th edition and...
, which has been hailed by film critics as one of the best Mexican films of the era. By the mid-1930s, Antonio Moreno began rebuilding his faltering Hollywood career by taking notable roles as a character actor. By the mid-1940s and throughout the 1950s, Moreno appeared in a number of well received roles, most notably, his 1954 role in the classic horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
and his 1955 role as Emilio Figueroa in film director John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
's influential western epic The Searchers
The Searchers (film)
The Searchers is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, and set during the Texas–Indian Wars...
opposite John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
and Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
.
Moreno retired from film in the late 1950s and died of heart failure in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, in 1967, and was laid to rest in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
cemetery in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
. His film career spanned more than four decades.
In 1994, the Mexican magazine Somos published their list of "The 100 best movies of the cinema of Mexico" in its 100th edition and named the 1931 Moreno directed Santa its 67th choice.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Antonio Moreno was given a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6651 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California, USA.
Of note is that Moreno was the half-brother of Alfred Moreno Monteagudo, who took over management of the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel
Biltmore Hotel
Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a chain created by hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The name has...
in the 1940s. Antonio Moreno is the granduncle of horror/fantasy author Nicholas Grabowsky
Nicholas Grabowsky
Nicholas Grabowsky is a horror/fantasy author and screenwriter.- Biography :Personal LifeNicholas Grabowsky was born Nicholas John Grabowsky in Norwalk, California on May 7, 1966, to parents Arthur J. Grabowsky and Doris Ruth Moreno...
, to which a related biography is slated for late 2009/early 2010 in conjunction with the release of the Creature From the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
remake by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
.
Silent filmography
- Iola’s Promise (1912)
- The Voice of the Millions (1912)
- His Own Fault (1912)
- An Unseen EnemyAn Unseen EnemyAn Unseen Enemy is a 1912 Biograph short silent film directed by D. W. Griffith, and was the first movie to be made starring the actresses Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish. A critic of the time stated that "the Gish sisters gave charming performances in this one-reel film"...
(1912) - Two Daughters of EveTwo Daughters of EveTwo Daughters of Eve is a 1912 silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith.-Cast:* Claire McDowell - The Mother* Henry B. Walthall - The Father* Florence Geneva - The Actress* Gertrude Bambrick - Backstage* Elmer Booth - Backstage...
(1912) - So Near, Yet So FarSo Near, Yet So FarSo Near, Yet So Far is a 1912 drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Prints of the film survive in the Museum of Modern Art film archive.-Cast:* Walter Miller - Howard* Mary Pickford - The Young Woman* Robert Harron - The Rival/In Club...
(1912) - The Musketeers of Pig AlleyThe Musketeers of Pig AlleyThe Musketeers of Pig Alley is a 1912 American short drama film credited as the first gangster film in history. It is directed by D. W. Griffith and written by Griffith and Anita Loos. It is also credited for its early use of follow focus, a fundamental tool in cinematography.The film was released...
(1912) - Oil and WaterOil and Water (1913 film)Oil and Water is a 1913 film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Blanche Sweet. The supporting cast includes Henry B. Walthall, Lionel Barrymore, and Harry Carey. A stage dancer and a serious-type homebody discover, after marriage, that their individual styles don't mesh...
(1913) - A Misunderstood BoyA Misunderstood BoyA Misunderstood Boy is a 1913 short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith.-Cast:* Lionel Barrymore as The Father* Kate Bruce as The Mother* Lillian Gish as The Daughter* Robert Harron as The Son* Alfred Paget as The Vigilante Leader...
(1913) - No Place for Father (1913)
- A Cure for Suffragettes (1913)
- By Man’s Law (1913)
- The House of Discord (1913)
- Judith of BethuliaJudith of BethuliaJudith of Bethulia is a film starring Blanche Sweet and Henry B. Walthall. The film was produced and directed by D. W. Griffith and was the first feature-length film made by pioneering film company Biograph, although the second that Biograph released....
(1914) - Strongheart (1914)
- Too Many Husbands (1914)
- The Accomplished Mrs. Thompson (1914)
- Fogg’s Millions (1914)
- Memories in Men’s Souls (1914)
- Men and Women (1914)
- The Loan Shark King (1914)
- Under False Colors (1914)
- Sunshine and Shadows (1914)
- The Song of the Ghetto (1914)
- Politics and the Press (1914)
- The Persistent Mr. Prince (1914)
- The Peacemaker (1914)
- The Old Flute Player (1914)
- The Ladies’ War (1914)
- John Rance, Gentleman (1914)
- In the Latin Quarter (1914)
- His Father’s House (1914)
- The Hidden Letters (1914)
- Goodbye Summer (1914)
- The Island of Regeneration (1915)
- The Dust of Egypt (1915)
- A Price for Folly (1915)
- On Her Wedding Night (1915)
- Youth (1915)
- The Quality of Mercy (1915)
- The Park Honeymooners (1915)
- The Night of the Wedding (1915)
- A ‘Model’ Wife (1915)
- Love’s Way (1915)
- The Gypsy Trail (1915)
- Anselo Lee (1915)
- Kennedy Square (1916)
- The Supreme Temptation (1916)
- The Shop Girl (1916)
- The Tarantula (1916)
- The Devil’s Prize (1916)
- Rose of the South (1916)
- Susie, the Sleuth (1916)
- She Won the Prize (1916)
- The Magnificent Meddler (1917)
- Her Right to LiveHer Right to LiveHer Right to Live is a 1917 dramatic silent film released by the Vitagraph Studios.-Plot:Polly Biggs is the eldest of a family of orphaned children who are taken in by their uncle, Mayor Hoadley . Hoadley despises the children and has only taken them in as good publicity for the upcoming election....
(1917) - Money Magic (1917)
- Aladdin from Broadway (1917)
- Captain of the Gray Horse Troop (1917)
- A Son of the Hills (1917)
- By Right of Possession (1917)
- The Angel Factory (1917)
- The Mark of Cain (1917)
- The Naulahka (1918)
- The House of HateThe House of HateThe House of Hate is a 1918 film serial directed by George B. Seitz, produced when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey....
(1918) - The First Law (1918)
- The Iron Test (1918)
- Perils of Thunder Mountain (1919)
- The Veiled Mystery (1920)
- The Invisible Hand (1920)
- Three Sevens (1921)
- The Secret of the Hills (1921)
- A Guilty Conscience (1921)
- My American WifeMy American WifeMy American Wife is a 1922 silent drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Gloria Swanson. The film is considered to be lost, since no prints seem to have survived.-Cast:* Gloria Swanson - Natalie Chester* Antonio Moreno - Manuel La Tessa...
(1922) - Look Your Best (1923)
- Lost and Found on a South Sea IslandLost and Found on a South Sea IslandLost and Found on a South Sea Island is a 1923 drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. The movie was filmed on location in Tahiti. One reel from this film survives according to a new bio on director Raoul Walsh.-Plot:...
(1923) - The Trail of the Lonesome PineThe Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1923 film)The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is a 1923 silent drama film directed by Charles Maigne. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Mary Miles Minter - June Tolliver* Antonio Moreno - John Hale* Ernest Torrence - 'Devil' Jud Tolliver...
(1923) - The Exciters (1923)
- The Spanish Dancer (1923)
- Flaming Barriers (1924)
- Bluff (1924)
- Tiger Love (1924)
- Hello Frisco (1924)
- The Border Legion (1924)
- The Story Without a NameThe Story Without a NameThe Story Without a Name is a 1924 silent film melodrama directed by Irvin Willat and based on a novel by Arthur Stringer. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Agnes Ayres. Also known as Without Warning. This film is lost...
(1924) - Learning to Love (1925)
- Her Husband’s Secret (1925)
- One Year to Live (1925)
- Mare NostrumMare Nostrum (film)Mare Nostrum is a silent film set during World War I. A Spanish merchant sailor becomes involved with a spy. It was the first production made in voluntary exile by Rex Ingram and starred his wife, Alice Terry. It is based on the novel of the same name by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez...
(1926) - Beverly of GraustarkBeverly of Graustark__notoc__Beverly of Graustark is a silent film directed by Sidney Franklin, starring Marion Davies, Antonio Moreno and Creighton Hale. The film's screenplay was written by Agnes Christine Johnston based on the novel by George Barr McCutcheon, and set on the fictional land of Graustark. The movie...
(1926) - The TemptressThe TemptressThe Temptress is an American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred Niblo. Starring Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Lionel Barrymore and Roy D'Arcy it premiered on October 10, 1926...
(1926) - Love's BlindnessLove's BlindnessLove's Blindness is a 1926 silent film directed by John Francis Dillon. The film stars Pauline Starke, Antonio Moreno and Lilyan Tashman. Written by Elinor Glyn, the film was produced under the direct supervision of the author. The film is considered lost...
(1926) - The Flaming ForestThe Flaming Forest__notoc__The Flaming Forest is a film directed by Reginald Barker, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and starring Antonio Moreno and Renée Adorée....
(1926) - ItIt (1927 film)It is a 1927 silent romantic comedy film which tells the story of a shop girl who sets her sights on the handsome and wealthy boss of the department store where she works. Because of this film, actress Clara Bow became known as the "It girl"...
(1927) - Venus of Venice (1927)
- Come to My House (1927)
- Madame Pompadour (1927)
- The Whip Woman (1928)
- Nameless Men (1928)
- The Midnight Taxi (1928)
- Adoration (1928)
- Synthetic Sin (1929)
- The Air Legion (1929)
- Careers (1929)
- Romance of the Rio Grande (1929)