Pedro de Cordoba | |
|---|---|
 Cordoba, c. 1909 | |
| Born | (1881-09-28)September 28, 1881 New York City, US |
| Died | September 16, 1950(1950-09-16) (aged 68) |
Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1901–1951 |
| Spouses | Antoinette Glover
(m. 1917; died 1921)Eleanor M. Nolan
(m. 1928) |
Pedro de Cordoba (September 28, 1881 – September 16, 1950) was an American actor.
Life and career
De Cordoba was born in New York City to Cuban and French parents. 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.
In 1913 he was a member of the resident summer stock cast at Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado.[1][2] In 1921 he starred as Mr. Jovaine in Augustus Thomas's Nemesis at the Garrick Theatre in Philadelphia[3] and on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre.[4]
Hollywood
His first film was Cecil B. DeMille's version of Carmen (1915), and he soon became a regular leading man in Hollywood. His Broadway career cast him with such stage actresses as Jane Cowl and Katharine Cornell.
In the sound era, his deeply resonant speaking voice made him perfectly suited to talking pictures and was active as a character actor in Hollywood, from the mid-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).
In 1932 he portrayed Collatine in the Broadway production of Lucrece.
Personal life
Cordoba was married Antoinette Glover in 1917, until her death in 1921. He married Eleanor M. Nolan in 1928, and they had six children together.
He was a devout Catholic and served for a time as president of the Catholic Actors Guild of America.
Death
Cordoba died in his home in the Sunland neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1950, aged 68.[5] His remains are interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.
Selected filmography
Silent films
Sound films
Radio appearances
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Lux Radio Theatre | Madame Butterfly |
| 1946 | Hollywood Star Time | The Song of Bernadette[7] |
References
- "Pedro de Cordoba (1913) – Historic Elitch Theatre". hetden.org. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- "Pedro de Cordoba (1913) – Historic Elitch Theatre". historicelitchtheatre.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- "Nemesis is Powerful". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 22, 1921. p. 10.
- "Nemesis, New Melodrama by Augustus Thomas, Not Impressive". New York Herald. April 5, 1921. p. 11.
- "PEDRO DE CORDOBA, A NOTED ACTOR, 68; Veteran of Stage and Screen, Star in Shakespearean Roles, Dies at Home on Coast". The New York Times. 1950-09-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
- "Frankie and Johnnie Credits". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29.
- "Those Were the Days". Nostalgia Digest. 41 (2): 32–41. Spring 2015.
External links
- Pedro de Cordoba at IMDb
- Pedro de Cordoba at the Internet Broadway Database
- Pedro de Cordoba at Find a Grave
- left to right: Gladys Hulette, Lionel Barrymore, Pedro de Cordoba in Enemies of Women (1923)
- nytimes.com – New York Times > Movies > Pedro de Cordoba Archived 2003-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
- nytimes.com – News clippings