Maria Montez


Birth Name:		Maria Africa Vidal de Santo Silas
Born:		Jun 6, 1917 Barahoma, Dominican Republic
Career:		1940-1951
Countries:		USA
Genre/Type:		Action Adventure Comedy Drama Musical

Biography by Hal Erickson

Just another attractive contract ingenue at Universal studios in the early '40s, Maria Montez seemed destined for obscurity until she reinvented herself. Carefully recultivating the Spanish accent she'd lost after moving to America (she was the daughter of a Dominican Republic diplomat) and decking herself out in jewels, exotic costumes and a loyal retinue, Montez became the exotic, tempestuous Latino leading lady of many a Technicolor escapist epic. Though her acting was not precisely Oscar calibre, Maria convincing portrayed haughty Arabian princesses, jungle goddesses and highborn gypsies in such delightful nonsense as Arabian Nights (1942), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1942), Cobra Woman (1944) and Gypsy Wildcat (1945). Her most frequent costar was Jon Hall, who some critics claimed was prettier and better built than she was. A 24-hour-a-day star, Ms. Montez was famous for her spectacular entrances at nightclubs and social functions; once, when her arrival at the Universal commissary failed to attract notice, she turned her heel and left the room, returning moments later with a huge entourage and accompanying loud noises. Her career faded out when the sort of lavishly silly movies in which she specialized were reduced to B-pictures in the late '40s, though she continued to work in European films. The victim of an erratic heart, Maria Montez suffered a coronary and drowned in the bathtub of her Paris mansion in 1951.

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Filmography

Movie/Film	Released	Rating	Role	Buy
La Vendetta Del Corsaro	1951		Actor [Starring]
Revenge of the Pirates	1951		Actor [Starring]
Il Ladro di Venezia	1950		Actor [Starring]
Hans le Marin	1949		Actor [Starring]
Portrait of an Assassin	1949		Actor [Starring]
Siren of Atlantis	1948		Actor [Starring]
Pirates of Monterey	1947		Actor [Starring]
Tangier	1946		Actor [Starring]
Sudan	1945		Actor [Starring]
Bowery to Broadway	1944		Actor [Starring]
Cobra Woman	1944		Actor [Starring]
Follow the Boys	1944		Actor [Starring]
Gypsy Wildcat	1944		Actor [Starring]
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves	1943		Actor [Starring]
White Savage	1943		Actor [Starring]
Bombay Clipper	1942		Actor [Starring]

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Back to the topTop Questions about Maria Montez

What is Plot Keywords of Maria Montez ?

Beautiful Woman | Cigarette Smoking | Dancer | 1940s more

Was Gabriella Montez baby the daughter of Maria Montez?

Glug Glug, Maria Montez Died in l95l, in the Bathtub in Paris, of all places. there was some grim humor as her last film completed was entitled the Siren of Atlantis! Glug glug indeed, Gabriella Montez was probably not even born back in l95...

Where is Maria Montez International Airport?

María Montez International Airport is an international airport located in Barahona, Dominican Republic. It is named after the late film star Maria Montez, who was born in the province of Barahona.

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