- Pedro de Cordoba
Pedro de Cordoba (
September 28 ,1881 –September 16 ,1950 ), was an Americanactor .Pedro de Cordoba, who appeared in his first film, a 1915 version of "Carmen", was actually a classically trained
theatre actor who confessed he did not enjoy appearing insilent film s nearly as much as he liked working on stage. However, de Cordoba's career during the early silent film era was prolific and he soon became a popular leading man in early Hollywood motion pictures. His Broadway career cast him with such legendary stage actresses asJane Cowl andKatharine Cornell .His deeply–resonant speaking voice made him perfectly suited to talking pictures, unlike many silent film stars who had neither foreseen, nor prepared for, the day when sound would meet celluloid.He enjoyed a career as one of the busiest
character actor s inHollywood , from the 1930’s through the ‘50’s. He was most often cast asaristocratic , or clerical characters ofHispanic origin, as in "The Keys of the Kingdom " (1944), because of his last name, as well as his royal bearing.In actuality he was born in
New York City of parents who were French andCuba n in origin. He was a devoutCatholic , which no doubt contributed to his priest-like demeanor. He was very well read and knowledgeable about the Catholic faith, and even served for a time as president of the Catholic Actors Guild of America. On rare occasions he would be cast in the role of a villain, but most of the characters he portrayed were as refined as was the man himself, in real life.De Cordoba’s most memorable part is probably his portrayal of the "living skeleton" sideshow character who hides fugitive
Robert Cummings in his carnival wagon in theAlfred Hitchcock film, "Saboteur " (1942). The last film in which the actor appeared, a political drama set in an unnamed South American dictatorship, Crisis (1950), was released shortly after his death.Pedro de Cordoba died in 1950 and was interred at the
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City inLos Angeles County ,California .External links
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=17693 nytimes.com - New York Times > Movies > Pedro de Cordoba]
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=17693&mod=news nytimes.com - News clippings]
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* [http://www.findagrave.org/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5254&pt=Pedro%20de%20Cordoba findagrave.org - Find a Grave - Pedro de Cordoba]
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