Cristina Montt (May 10, 1895 – April 22, 1969) was a Chilean film star of silent and early sound films.

Early life

She was born in Chile in 1895 into the well-known, political

Montt family The Montt family of Chile, descended from Catalan people, Catalan immigrants to the country, includes a number of people who achieved political office and prominence in other fields: *José Anacleto Montt Goyenechea (1802–1867): lawyer and po ...

. Her granduncle,

Manuel Montt Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres (; September 4, 1809 – September 21, 1880) was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861. He was the first civilian to serve a full term as Presi ...

, was twice president of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. Two other uncles also served as presidents of the South American nation. She moved to Los Angeles and became friendly with the big names in the film industry of the time. She first appeared in motion pictures in the United States in 1924. She performed in about 10 films between 1924 and 1938. For the most part her roles were very small. On July 5, 1927, she announced her engagement to Mario Morano. He was also from an aristocratic South American family and worked in the film industry. Their romance began in Hollywood. Morano's real name was Mario Albuquerque De Maranhoa. He was the son of a Brazilian jurist. Morano came to the US in early 1927 after serving in the Brazilian diplomatic service. The planned wedding was cancelled only a few months later, in August. Cristina said that their Latin temperaments would make their marriage inadvisable.

Career

She worked for

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

. Her film career lasted until the late 1930s. She played the Infanta of Spain in '' The Sea Hawk'' (1924) of

Frank Lloyd Frank William George Lloyd (2 February 1886 – 10 August 1960) was a Scottish-American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its president from ...

, and portrayed "Señorita González" in '' Rose of the Golden West'', with

Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...

. Her final roles were "Suzie" in Sam Wood's '' Madam X'' (1937), and uncredited ones in ''I'll Give A Million'' (1938) and ''

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

'' (1938).

Later life

On August 27, 1927, the engagement of Cristina Montt and Mario Marano, both of the films and each representing families high in South American political circles, was broken, after existing only for a few months. Miss Montt said that she and Marano had decided their temperaments would make their marriage inadvisable. In July 1928 Cristina Montt joined actors

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

Carmel Myers Carmel Myers (April 9, 1899 – November 9, 1980) was an American actress who achieved her greatest successes in silent film. Early life Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Isidore Myers, a Russian-Jewish rabbi who was born in ...

, and other motion picture persons for an event to benefit the United

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Appeal. It was held at the Breaker's Club in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. In 1935 she appeared in municipal court in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on a drunken driving charge. The judge gave her a thirty-day suspended sentence after she proved that she had recently suffered a nervous breakdown. It was reported that Cristina was 34 years of age and was the widow of a former Chilean ambassador to Japan. Cristina Montt died of coronary failure in Hollywood on April 22, 1969.

Filmography

*'' The Sea Hawk'' (1924) - The Infanta of Spain *'' Circe, the Enchantress'' (1924) - uncredited (aka Circe) *'' The Fast Set'' (1924) (uncredited) *''

Love's Wilderness ''Love's Wilderness'' is a 1924 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and written by Helen Klumph and Eve Unsell. The film stars Corinne Griffith, Holmes Herbert, Ian Keith, Maurice de Canonge, Emily Fitzr ...

'' (1924) (uncredited) *'' The Dressmaker from Paris'' (1925) - uncredited *'' Rose of the Golden West'' (1927) - Señorita González *''El Último de los Vargas'' (1930) *''Alma de Gaucho'' (1930) - Dona Cristina *'' Fifty Fathoms Deep'' (1931) - Conchita *'' Three on a Honeymoon'' (1934) - uncredited (Fortune Teller in Algerian Cafe) *''

Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 Play (theatre), play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen sixteen times ...

'' (1937) - uncredited (Suzie) *'' I'll Give a Million'' (1938) - uncredited (Streetwalker) *''

'' (1938) - uncredited (Maid)

References

*''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', "Chilean Girl In Film Romance", July 6, 1927, Page A1. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Actors Aid Appeal", July 26, 1928, Page A8. *''Los Angeles Times'', April 5, 1935, Page A1. *''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Oakland, California, and a predecessor of the '' East Bay Times''. It was published by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' ...

'', "Movie Actors End Betrothal", August 26, 1927, Page 4.

External links

*
''The New York Times'': "Montt-Marano Engagement Broken" (August 27, 1927)Genealogical chart of Montt family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montt, Cristina 1895 births 1969 deaths People from Talcahuano Chilean people of Catalan descent Cristina Montt Chilean silent film actresses Chilean film actresses Chilean emigrants to the United States