Mona Rico was a Mexico-born American actress. Her films include '' Eternal Love'' (1929), ''

Shanghai Lady ''Shanghai Lady'' is a 1929 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John S. Robertson and written by Houston Branch and Winnifred Eaton (writer), Winnifred Reeve. It is based on the 1910 play ''Drifting'' by John Colton (scr ...

'' (1929), ''A Devil With Women (1930)'', and ''

Zorro Rides Again ''Zorro Rides Again'' (1937) is a 12-chapter Republic Pictures film serial. It was the eighth of the sixty-six Republic serials, the third with a Western theme (a third of Republic's serials were westerns) and the last produced in 1937. The s ...

'' (1937).

Career

Born as Enriqueta de Valenzuela in

Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of Mex ...

, she came to Hollywood at the age of 19 in April 1928 and managed to secure a five-year acting contract. Her first role of significance came opposite

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

as the third lead in a United Artists motion picture, '' Eternal Love''. It was reported that she was sitting in the casting room of the studio when a girl's hands were needed in a film test being made by

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

. She was sent to Lubitsch and, after her hands were recorded, he made an entire test of her. The following day she obtained her contract. She was cast as a Spanish dancing girl in ''Shanghai Lady''.

Personal life

Rico became an American citizen at age 23. She married wealthy sportsman James N. Crofton, part-owner of the Agua Caliente Club resort in Baja California. They married in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1932. On July 14, 1932, Rico was with Crofton on a plane which crashed near Mexico City. A terrific rain caused the pilot to fly their plane into a mountain. The pilot/airline owner was killed and Rico was severely cut and bruised. Rico filed suit for separate maintenance in March 1933 and asked for a sum of $2,000 monthly from Crofton. In the action, Rico stated she was a motion picture actress who earned $375 per week in 1931. However, she was no longer able to make her living as an actress because of facial injuries sustained in the airplane crash. The proceedings were later withdrawn, and a reconciliation was followed by a second honeymoon to Hawaii. In October 1933 it was rumored that Crofton had established residence in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

to obtain a divorce. He denied this, saying that he was in Reno for a business trip and planned to visit Rico in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, afterward. The same month Rico obtained a divorce decree in San Diego. She claimed that her husband frequently used bad language and once struck her in the face. She reportedly obtained a substantial property settlement and $500 a month alimony.

Death

Rico died 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 July 15, 1994.

Filmography

References

*Daily Northwestern, ''Hollywood Film Shop'', Saturday, September 8, 1928, Page 12. *

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 Un ...

, ''Mona Rico Has Just Finished Third Talkie'', October 27, 1929, Page 24. *Los Angeles Times, ''Gilpin Dies In Crash'', July 14, 1932, Page 1. *Los Angeles Times, ''Turfman Accused In Wife's Action'', March 25, 1933, Page A1. *Los Angeles Times, ''Mona Rico Wins Divorce Decree'', October 19, 1933, Page 6. *Los Angeles Times, ''She Plans Bid For Citizenship'', May 27, 1934, Page 17. *

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

Tribune, ''Actress' Mate Denies Divorce'', Wednesday, October 11, 1933, Page 9. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rico, Mona American silent film actresses American film actresses Mexican emigrants to the United States American actresses of Mexican descent 1907 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American actresses WAMPAS Baby Stars