Antonio Moreno
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Notes
Moreno was reportedly the last person to telephone director William Desmond Taylor on the night Taylor was murdered.
"When an actor plays a foreign role and speaks his lines in English, it is plain to be seen on the [silent] screen . . . One can watch actors speaking and practically tell what they are saying. So when I'm supposed to be French I speak French, and when I'm Spanish I speak Spanish." --Antonio Moreno to reporter Roscoe McGowan, 1926.
Biography
This handsome, fiery Latin Lover of the silent screen co-starred with some of the era's most famed leading ladies, and was dubbed "The It Man" by author Elinor Glyn. Born in Madrid, Moreno came to the US as a teenager and began acting onstage in the early 1910s. He supported such stars as Maude Adams, Julia Marlowe and Mrs. Leslie Carter, but his accent limited his roles. The silent screen was more accommodating. In 1912, he made his screen debut in "The Voice of the Millions" and went on to appear in over a dozen films at Biograph, many directed by D W Griffith, including "The Musketeers of Pig Alley" (1912) and "Judith of Bethulia" (1914). By 1914, Moreno had become a regular stock member of Brooklyn's Vitagraph Studios.
Moreno stayed with Vitagraph, off and on, through 1923, appearing in more than 100 films. As onstage, he provided masculine support to such stars as the Talmadge sisters, Lillian Walker and Muriel Ostriche, and starred in a number of action serials (i.e., "The Iron Test" 1918; "The Perils of Thunder Mountain" 1919; "The Invisible Hand" 1920). Moreno hated these films and decamped for Paramount in 1923. That studio made him a full-fledged star in such vehicles as "My American Wife" (1923), opposite Gloria Swanson, and "The Spanish Dancer" (also 1923), with Pola Negri. He spent the rest of his career free-lancing, and enjoyed many successes in the late silent era: the sea saga "Mare Nostrum" (1926), the Garbo vehicle "The Temptress" (also 1926), the delightful Clara Bow comedy "It" (1927), the British-made hit "Madame Pompadour" (1927) and the flapper comedy "Synthetic Sin" (1928).
Talkies put an end to Moreno's top-flight stardom, but he was never out of work. He did Spanish-language versions of many American films and journeyed to Mexico and Cuba to both star and direct. He helmed Mexico's first two talking films, "Santa" and "Aguilas Frente al Sol" (both 1932). In later years, Moreno appeared in character roles in such films as "Notorious" (1946), "The Captain from Castille" (1947) and "The Searchers" (1956). He also played the scientist who discovered "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954). Wealthy and bored with films, Moreno retired in 1958, dying in 1967 after several years of ill health.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Life Events
1901
Moved to USA at age 14 (date approximate)
1910
Began acting onstage (date approximate)
1912
Film debut, "The Voice of the Million"
1912
Made over a dozen films at Biograph, many directed by D W Griffith
1926
Starred in "Mare Nostrum," "The Temptress" and "Beverly of Graustark" at MGM
1927
Co-starred with Clara Bow in "It"
1929
Began making Spanish-language talkies
1956
Made last American feature, "The Searchers"
1958
Last film, "El Senor Faron y la Cleopatra"
1965
Suffered stroke
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Moreno was reportedly the last person to telephone director William Desmond Taylor on the night Taylor was murdered.
"When an actor plays a foreign role and speaks his lines in English, it is plain to be seen on the [silent] screen . . . One can watch actors speaking and practically tell what they are saying. So when I'm supposed to be French I speak French, and when I'm Spanish I speak Spanish." --Antonio Moreno to reporter Roscoe McGowan, 1926.
