Pedro de Cordoba (September 28, 1881 – September 16, 1950) was an American actor.
Biography
De Cordoba was born in New York City to parents who were French and Cuban in origin. He was a classically trained theatre actor who confessed he did not enjoy appearing in silent films nearly as much as he liked working on stage, but his career during the silent film era was extensive. His first film was Cecil B. DeMille’s version of Carmen (1915), and he soon became a popular leading man in Hollywood. His Broadway career cast him with such stage actresses as Jane Cowl and Katharine Cornell.
Later, his deeply resonant speaking voice made him perfectly suited to talking pictures, and his film career continued, unlike many silent film stars. He enjoyed a career as a busy character actor in Hollywood, from the 1930s through to the end of his life. He was most often cast as aristocratic, or clerical characters of Hispanic origin, as in The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), because of his last name as well as his royal bearing. On rare occasions, he would be cast in the role of a villain. His “living skeleton” sideshow character hides fugitive Robert Cummings (and Priscilla Lane) in his carnival wagon overnight in the Alfred Hitchcock film Saboteur (1942).
He was a devout Catholic and was very well read and knowledgeable about the Catholic faith, and served for a time as president of the Catholic Actors Guild of America. The last film in which he appeared, a political drama set in an unnamed South American dictatorship, Crisis (1950), was released shortly after his death.
Selected filmography
Silent
The Little White Violet (1915) (*short) as Phillip Randall
Jeanne of the Woods (1915) (*short) as Hugh Travers N.W.M.P.
Carmen (1915) as Escamillo
Temptation (1915) as Julian
Maria Rosa (1916) as Ramon
Just a Song at Twilight (1916) as Carlysle Turner
Sapho (1917) as Flamant
One Law for Both (1917) as Count de Fernac
Barbary Sheep (1917) as Benchaalal
Runaway Romany (1917) as Zinga
A Daughter of the Old South (1918) as Pedro de Alvarez
The New Moon (1919) as Prince Michail Koloyar
The Dark Mirror (1919) as Mario
The World and His Wife (1920) as Don Severo
The Sin That Was His (1920) as Father Aubert
The Inner Chamber (1921) as Dr. George Danilo
The Young Diana (1922) as Dr. Dimitrius
When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922) as Duke of Buckingham
Enemies of Women (1923) as Atilio Castro
Fires of Fate (1923) as Prince Ibrahim
The Purple Highway (1923) as Joe Renard
I Will Repay (1923) as Paul Deroulede
The Desert Sheik (1924) as Prince Ibrahim
The Bandolero (1924) as Dorando
The New Commandment (1925) as Picard
Sound
Hunt the Tiger (1929) (*short)
The Crusades (1935) as Karakush
Condemned to Live (1935) as Dr. Anders Bizet
Captain Blood (1935) as Don Diego
Professional Soldier (1935) as Stefan Bernaido
Rose of the Rancho (1936) as Gomez
Robin Hood of El Dorado (1936) as Hacendado Wanting to Cooperate (uncredited)
Moonlight Murder (1936) as Swami
Frankie and Johnny (1936) as Undetermined Supporting Role (uncredited)
Trouble for Two (1936) as Sergei
The Devil-Doll (1936) as Charles Matin
Anthony Adverse (1936) as Brother Francois
His Brother’s Wife (1936) as Dr. Capolo
Ramona (1936) as Father Salvierderra
The Garden of Allah (1936) as Gardener (uncredited)
Maid of Salem (1937) as Mr. Morse
Girl Loves Boy (1937) as Signor Montefiori
Damaged Goods (1937) as Dr. Edward B. Walker
The Firefly (1937) as Spanish General (uncredited)
International Settlement (1938) as Maurice Zabello
Gold Diggers in Paris (1938) as Mons. Cambret (uncredited)
Keep Smiling (1938) as J. Howard Travers
Storm Over Bengal (1938) as Abdul Mir
Dramatic School (1938) as LeMaistre in “Joan of Arc” (uncredited)
Heart of the North (1938) as Father Claverly
Devil’s Island (1939) as Marcal
Winner Take All (1939) as Pantrelli
Juarez (1939) as Riva Palacio
Man of Conquest (1939) as Oolooteka
Chasing Danger (1939) as Gurra Din
Five Came Back (1939) as Latin Ambassador (uncredited)
Range War (1939) as Padre Jose
Law of the Pampas (1939) as Jose Valdez
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939) as Antoine
Escape to Paradise (1939) as Don Miguel
The Light That Failed (1939) as Monsieur Binat
My Favorite Wife (1940) as Dr. Kohlmar
Earthbound (1940) as Minister
The Ghost Breakers (1940) as Havez
The Sea Hawk (1940) as Capt. Mendoza
South of Pago Pago (1940) as Chief
Before I Hang (1940) as Victor Sondini
The Mark of Zorro (1940) as Don Miguel
The Phantom Submarine (1940) as Henri Jerome
Romance of the Rio Grande (1941) as Don Fernando de Vega
Blood and Sand (1941) as Don Jose Alvarez
Million Dollar Baby (1941) as Verali, Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)
Aloma of the South Seas (1941) as Raaiti
The Corsican Brothers (1941) as Count Gravini
Paris Calling (1941) as Speaker (uncredited)
Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942) as Feenou
Shut My Big Mouth (1942) as Don Carlos Montoya
Saboteur (1942) as Bones – Circus Troupe
The Falcon Takes Over (1942)
Tarzan Triumphs (1943) as Patriarch
White Savage (1943) as Candlemaker
Background to Danger (1943) as Baba – Old Turk (uncredited)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) as Colonel Miranda
The Song of Bernadette (1943) as Dr. LeCramps
Uncertain Glory (1944) as Executioner (uncredited)
Once Upon a Time (1944) as Prof. Van Dorn – Lepidopterist (uncredited)
The Falcon in Mexico (1944) as Don Carlos Ybarra
Kismet (1944) as Meuzin (uncredited)
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) as Father Gomez (scenes deleted)
Tahiti Nights (1944) as Tonga (uncredited)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) as Blue Gate Fields Pianist (uncredited)
In Old New Mexico (1945) as Father Angelo
Club Havana (1945) as Charles, Headwaiter
They Were Expendable (1945) as Priest (scenes deleted)
San Antonio (1945) as Ricardo Torreon
Adventure (1945) as Felipe
Night in Paradise (1946) as Magus (uncredited)
Cuban Pete (1946) as Perez
A Scandal in Paris (1946) as Priest
Swamp Fire (1946) as Tim Rousseau
Two Years Before the Mast (1946) as Don Sebastian (uncredited)
The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) as Horatio
Carnival in Costa Rica (1947) as Papa Castro
Robin Hood of Monterey (1947) as Don Carlos Belmonte
Green Dolphin Street (1947) as Priest (uncredited)
The Time of Your Life (1948) as Arab Philosopher
Mexican Hayride (1948) as Señor Martinez
Adventures of Don Juan (1948) as Pachecho (uncredited)
Daughter of the West (1949) as Chief Wykomas
Omoo-Omoo, the Shark God (1949) as Chief Tari
The Daring Caballero (1949) as Padre Leonardo
Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch (1949) as Museum Caretaker (uncredited)
Samson and Delilah (1949) as Bar Simon
Comanche Territory (1950) as Quisima
The Lawless (1950) as Mr. Garcia
Crisis (1950) as Father Del Puento (uncredited)
Oh! Susanna (1951) as Pactola (uncredited)
Cuban Fireball (1951) as Don Perez
When the Redskins Rode (1951) as Chief Shingiss (final film role)
Radio appearances
| Year |
Program |
Episode/source |
| 1937 |
Lux Radio Theatre |
Madame Butterfly |
| 1946 |
Hollywood Star Time |
The Song of Bernadette |
External Links
Actor Pedro de Cordoba – Wikipedia
