Cristina Montt (May 10, 1895 – April 22, 1969), was a Chilean film star of silent and early sound films.
Early life
She was born in Chile in 1895 into the well-known, political
Montt family. Her granduncle,
Manuel Montt
Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861.
Biography
Montt was born in Petorca, Valparaíso R ...
, was twice president of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. Two other uncles also served as presidents of the South American nation. She moved to Los Angeles and became friendly with the big names in the film industry of the time. She first appeared in motion pictures in the United States in 1924. She performed in about 10 films between 1924 and 1938. For the most part her roles were very small.
On July 5, 1927, she announced her engagement to Mario Morano. He was also from an aristocratic South American family and worked in the film industry. Their romance began in Hollywood. Morano's real name was Mario Albuquerque De Maranhoa. He was the son of a Brazilian jurist. Morano came to the US in early 1927 after serving in the Brazilian diplomatic service. The planned wedding was cancelled only a few months later, in August. Cristina said that their Latin temperaments would make their marriage inadvisable.
Career
She worked for
First National Pictures. Her film career lasted until the late 1930s. She played the Infanta of Spain in ''
The Sea Hawk
''The Sea Hawk'' is a 1915 novel by Rafael Sabatini. The story is set over the years 1588–1593 and concerns a retired Cornish seafaring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being ...
'' (1924) of
Frank Lloyd
Frank William George Lloyd (2 February 1886 – 10 August 1960) was a British-born American film director, actor, scriptwriter, and producer. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its preside ...
, and portrayed "Señorita González" in ''
Rose of the Golden West
''Rose of the Golden West'' is a surviving 1927 American silent romantic drama film produced by Richard A. Rowland and released by First National Pictures. It was directed by George Fitzmaurice and starred Mary Astor and Gilbert Roland.
Cast ...
'', with
Mary Astor
Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...
. Her final roles were "Suzie" in
Sam Wood's ''
Madam X'' (1937), and uncredited ones in ''I'll Give A Million'' (1938) and ''
Suez
Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...
'' (1938).
Later life
On August 27, 1927, the engagement of Cristina Montt and
Mario Marano, both of the films and each representing families high in South American political circles, was broken, after existing only for a few months. Miss Montt said that she and Marano had decided their temperaments would make their marriage inadvisable.
In July 1928 Cristina Montt joined actors
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
,
Carmel Myers
Carmel Myers (April 9, 1899 – November 9, 1980) was an American actress who achieved her greatest successes in silent film.
Early life
Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Isidore Myers, a Russian-Jewish rabbi who was born in ...
, and other motion picture persons for an event to benefit the United
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
Appeal. It was held at the Breaker's Club in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...
.
In 1935 she appeared in municipal court in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on a drunken driving charge. The judge gave her a thirty-day suspended sentence after she proved that she had recently suffered a nervous breakdown. It was reported that Cristina was 34 years of age and was the widow of a former Chilean ambassador to Japan.
Cristina Montt died of coronary failure in Hollywood on April 22, 1969.
Filmography
*''
The Sea Hawk
''The Sea Hawk'' is a 1915 novel by Rafael Sabatini. The story is set over the years 1588–1593 and concerns a retired Cornish seafaring gentleman, Sir Oliver Tressilian, who is villainously betrayed by a jealous half-brother. After being ...
'' (1924) - The Infanta of Spain
*''
Circe, the Enchantress
''Circe, the Enchantress'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The film starred Leonard's then-wife Mae Murray. This was their last collaboration, and they divorced soon after. Considered to be a lost film for de ...
'' (1924) - uncredited (aka Circe)
*''
The Fast Set
''The Fast Set'' is a 1924 American silent comedy-drama film directed by William C. deMille and starring Betty Compson. The film is based on the 1923 Broadway play, ''Spring Cleaning'', by Frederick Lonsdale.
Plot
As described in a review in a ...
'' (1924) (uncredited)
*''
Love's Wilderness
''Love's Wilderness'' is a 1924 American drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and written by Helen Klumph and Eve Unsell. The film stars Corinne Griffith, Holmes Herbert, Ian Keith, Maurice de Canonge, Emily Fitzroy
Emily Fitzroy (24 May ...
'' (1924) (uncredited)
*''
The Dressmaker from Paris
''The Dressmaker from Paris'' is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy drama film directed by Paul Bern. The story was written by Howard Hawks and Adelaide Heilbron. Heilbron also wrote the screenplay. The film starred Leatrice Joy and was her ...
'' (1925) - uncredited
*''
Rose of the Golden West
''Rose of the Golden West'' is a surviving 1927 American silent romantic drama film produced by Richard A. Rowland and released by First National Pictures. It was directed by George Fitzmaurice and starred Mary Astor and Gilbert Roland.
Cast ...
'' (1927) - Señorita González
*''El Último de los Vargas'' (1930)
*''Alma de Gaucho'' (1930) - Dona Cristina
*''
Fifty Fathoms Deep'' (1931) - Conchita
*''
Three on a Honeymoon'' (1934) - uncredited (Fortune Teller in Algerian Cafe)
*''
Madame X
''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen twelve times over sixty-five ...
'' (1937) - uncredited (Suzie)
*''
I'll Give a Million'' (1938) - uncredited (Streetwalker)
*''
Suez
Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...
'' (1938) - uncredited (Maid)
References
*''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', "Chilean Girl In Film Romance", July 6, 1927, Page A1.
*''Los Angeles Times'', "Actors Aid Appeal", July 26, 1928, Page A8.
*''Los Angeles Times'', April 5, 1935, Page A1.
*''
Oakland Tribune
The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group.
Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...
'', "Movie Actors End Betrothal", August 26, 1927, Page 4.
External links
*
''The New York Times'': "Montt-Marano Engagement Broken" (August 27, 1927)Genealogical chart of Montt family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montt, Cristina
1895 births
1969 deaths
People from Talcahuano
Chilean people of Catalan descent
Cristina Montt
Cristina Montt (May 10, 1895 – April 22, 1969), was a Chilean film star of silent and early sound films.
Early life
She was born in Chile in 1895 into the well-known, political Montt family. Her granduncle, Manuel Montt, was twice president o ...
Chilean silent film actresses
Chilean film actresses
Chilean emigrants to the United States