The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders by Chris Ellis

Author:Chris Ellis [Ellis, Chris and Ellis, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780334097
Publisher: Constable & Robinson

The Silent Movie Legend

Ramon Novarro

Having spent many millions of dollars already, the MGM studio executives were more than a little disappointed when their latest film, Ben Hur, ground to a halt, amid bitter disputes over the quality of the work and the skill with which the film was being assembled. After long talks the studio executives took the tough decision to scrap what had gone before and to remake the film from scratch. In doing so they once again created a vacancy for the most coveted of Hollywood acting roles – the lead part in the film.

The role was awarded to Ramon Novarro, a 27-year-old Mexican actor who brought smouldering good looks to the silent cinema screens of the 1920s. It is still this role for which he is best remembered – this and his brutal murder at the hands of two male prostitutes many years later.

Novarro was born on 6 February 1899, in Durango, Mexico and christened Ramon Samaniegos. His family was relatively prosperous, his father was a dentist and he enjoyed a cultured upbringing until the 1910 Mexican revolution forced them to flee to the United States, where his father was unable to work as a dentist, and the family lived on the verge of poverty. The young Novarro enjoyed a happy family life; a strict Roman Catholic, he was a regular church attendee and loved to sing in the choir. His voice was considered so good that his family saved the money to provide him with professional voice coaching, an investment which would pay off handsomely in due course.

The impoverished young Novarro was forced to take menial jobs to help support his family and moved to New York City where he took a job as a singing waiter. He also worked as an usher in a local cinema where he could watch the films, getting his first taste of the acting bug. One evening, while singing the latest menu offerings, Novarro was spotted by a talent scout and offered a short-term contract; his break had occurred by chance and now he was now more determined than ever to become an actor.

By 1918, Novarro had broken into the silent movie industry, starring alongside Mary Pickford in The Little American. It was, however, during the making of the film The Prisoner of Zenda with co-star Alice Terry, the wife of the director, Rex Ingram, that it was suggested he should change his birth name to something more pronouncable. After a little thought the two men agreed on the name Novarro – easier to say, while still maintaining the flavour of some exotic mystery, it matched his dark, Latin good looks.

Novarro’s arrival on the silver screen couldn’t have been better timed as Hollywood was enjoying a “Latin lover” phase, a role for which he was best placed. He was soon compared with other noted Latin types of the day and at one point was even thought to be the “new Valentino”, the original silent screen lover and the epitome of the dashing Latin hero who swept women off their feet.

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