HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Santos Edward Ortega (June 30, 1899 – April 10, 1976) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for playing Will Hughes in ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'', taking over from Will Lee, who had played the role from the first episode on April 2, 1956, to May 31, 1956. Ortega continued in the role until his death in 1976.


Biography


Early life

Ortega was born in New York City on June 30, 1899, to parents Rafael (born in Venezuela and of Spanish descent) and Isabella (née Corbett, from Ireland) Ortega.Santos Ortega: Any Detective He Didn't Play?
/ref> Rafael Ortega was a cigar maker by trade, which may have influenced his son's habit of cigar smoking throughout his career. Ortega initially had aspirations of joining the priesthood and studied briefly at the St. Joseph's Seminary of the
De La Salle Christian Brothers The De La Salle Brothers, officially named the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (; ; ) abbreviated FSC, is a Catholic lay religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in France by Jean-Baptiste de La Salle ( ...
in Pocantico Hills, New York, but changed his mind after landing a series of small acting roles in a series of Broadway productions.


Stage

He began his career when he was 17 in the theater in "an extravaganza at the old Hippodrome Theater. Later, he went on tour with a singing group, returning to New York City to appear on the Broadway stage including roles in ''Jeb'' (1946), ''Puppets of Passion'' (1927), ''What Never Dies'' (1926-1927), ''What's the Use'' (1926), and ''Marilyn's Affairs''.


Radio

As radio stations began to come on the air in large numbers, radio programs began to gain momentum, thus opening up new opportunities for Ortega. He first worked in radio in comedy, appearing on a variety show, '' Blackstone Plantation'', where he played a character named Don Rodrigo. Ortega later said that he was hired for the role after a casting director hired the young unknown based on seeing Ortega's name, assuming that he would be perfect for the role. Despite Ortega's ethnic-sounding name, and the fact that he did have Latino origins on his father's side, he did not speak Spanish. He came to learn that if he convincingly mastered a Spanish dialect, more work would come his way, and it did. He served as straight man for the duo of Frank Crumit and Julius Sanderson. Ortega said, "It was a song and patter show, and I provided the laughter." He went on to be active in the medium, starring in '' The Adventures of Nero Wolfe'' (1943–1944) and narrating '' Gang Busters'', as well as '' Stroke of Fate''. Perhaps his most famous and notable radio role was Commissioner Weston on ''
The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...
''. He played the title role in '' Bulldog Drummond'' (1942–43)Cox, Jim, ''Radio Crime Fighters'', 2002, p. 63, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, and was heard in the daytime radio serials '' Valiant Lady'' (as Edward Curran),Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . P. 692. '' Perry Mason'', 1948's ''Roger Kilgore, Public Defender'', and as the title character in ''The Adventures of
Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...
'' (1947–1948), '' The Affairs of Peter Salem'' from 1949 to 1953, and '' Hannibal Cobb'' (1950–1951). Throughout the 1930s and 1940s and into the 1950s and early 1960s, the prolific Ortega lent his remarkable range of voice characterizations to numerous other radio drama series such as '' Inner Sanctum'', '' The Mysterious Traveler'', ''
Suspense Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...
'', '' Casey Crime Photographer'', ''
The Eternal Light ''The Eternal Light'' was an American radio and television program on the NBC Radio Network, produced in conjunction with the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Jewish Theological Seminary, that was broadcast between 1944 and 1989. Featuring ...
'', '' The Columbia Workshop'', '' The Big Story'', '' Perry Mason'', '' You Are There'', '' Dimension X'', and ''
X Minus One ''X Minus One'' is an American half-hour science fiction radio drama series that was broadcast from April 24, 1955, to January 9, 1958, in various timeslots on NBC. Known for high production values in adapting stories from the leading American ...
''. He also originated the radio role of Inspector Queen on '' The Adventures of Ellery Queen''.


Television

On television, he played Will Hughes (usually just referred to as "Grandpa") on ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'', replacing Will Lee as of June 21, 1956. On November 22, 1963, he was in the middle of a scene with actress Helen Wagner when CBS suddenly cut in with the first bulletin on President Kennedy's
assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
. (The cast, which was performing the episode live, was not yet aware of the situation.) Ortega continued in the role until shortly before his death in 1976.


Film

Ortega played character roles in two films during the 1950s: '' The Family Secret'' (1951) and '' Crowded Paradise'' (1956).


Personal life

Ortega was married twice. He married Evelyn Fairbank in 1926, but the couple had no children and later divorced. He later married Cynthia Beckett, 20 years his junior, when he was around 50 years old. They would go on to have two children. Ortega was a lifelong tobacco user who often smoked cigars during his radio shows. However, during his tenure on "As The World Turns," he was most often seen smoking a pipe.


Death

Ortega died on April 10, 1976, in Broward General Hospital in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
, while he was visiting in that area. He was 76. Survivors included a son, a daughter and a sister. A memorial service was held April 25, 1976, at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City.


Filmography

* ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...
'' (1956-1976): Will Hughes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortega, Santos 1899 births 1976 deaths American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male radio actors American male soap opera actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians Male actors from New York City American people of Irish descent American people of Spanish descent American people of Venezuelan descent Hispanic and Latino American male actors Comedians from New York City Hispanic and Latino American male comedians