A young girl dreams of becoming a star in Hollywood....
A young girl, born in the Dominican Republic, loves to put on plays for her family members and friends. She dreams of becoming a 'Hollywood Star.'
She was born Maria Africa Vidal de Santo Silas, (other reports list her as María África Gracia Vidal) on June 6, 1912, (later changed in studio publicity to 1917) in Barahona, educated at the Sacred Heart Convent in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, where she learned English. She was the second of ten children.
Eventually making her way to Hollywood, she is known as Maria Montez.
Following her arrival in Los Angeles, Montez began cultivating the larger-than-life persona for which she is known. Her beauty, personality, and series of publicity antics, including dramatic restaurant entrances, endeared her to the press. She even created her own fan club―The Montez for Stardom Club. Her ambitious self-promotion bolstered the success she found with her first big lead in Arabian Nights, released in 1943. From then on, the studio referred to her as "The Queen of Technicolor."
Universal did not have a "glamour girl" like other studios, an equivalent to Hedy Lamarr (MGM), Dorothy Lamour (Paramount), Betty Grable (20th Century Fox), Rita Hayworth (Columbia), or Ann Sheridan (Warner Bros). They decided to groom Maria Montez to take on this role, and she received a lot of publicity.
With her strikingly exotic looks and accent, she was cast by Universal studios in a number of technicolor 'sword and sandal escapism fantasy films.' On account of her strikingly exotic looks and her exotic accent, the studio soon paired her with other "exotics" (Sabu and Turhan Bey), and usually with a more "home-style" hero (Jon Hall), in a series of low-budget adventures, filmed in Technicolor and situated in fantasy lands, with Montez herself often situated in revealing dress. With Montez threatened by all manner of nastiness -- from evil caliphs to man-eating sharks to her own cobra-worshipping twin sister (!) -- her pictures soon became immensely popular, even though she could not really act, could not dance and could not sing. Audiences flocked to see her films, just to witness the trials and endurance of an alluring beauty in distress (as well, perhaps, as to glimpse some scantily clad, beauteous flesh)...in these films she was the '40s version of The Perils of Pauline! She was indeed, The Queen of Technicolor.
The secret of her success? She acted like a movie star. She leaned on the vampish tradition set up by Nazimova and Theda Bara... She went in heavily for astrology. Her name became synonymous with exotic enchantresses in sheer harem pantaloons." She took on a "star" pose in her private life. One newspaper called her "the best commissary actress in town... In the studio cafe, Maria puts on a real show. Always Maria makes an entrance."
She dedicated herself to a tried and true method – courting controversy and never letting the Hollywood press forget her name. A bombshell with a penchant for showing off her body, it didn’t take Montez long to run afoul of moralists of the time for wearing overly tight sweaters in photo spreads. She rode the ensuing uproar like an uplifting wave, leveraging her sexual potency into ever more publicity and better and better roles in movies.
Another part of Montez’s success was that she loved to exaggerate her character, and was always in on the joke. In one instance while she ascended the ladder of fame, Montez self-promoted by attending a freshman dance at Harvard University. Of course the image of the glamorous star setting foot on the elitist campus caused a major stir, and Montez lapped it all up, having a great time serving young men the myth that she had any interest at all in dancing with them. “She always had a story ready for a newspaper columnist,” said author Tom Zimmerman, “and she never said ‘no.’ She’d do anything to get into their columns.”
It was common to see her appearing in ads in the many movie magazines of the day. Montez endorsed Max Factor Cosmetics, Jergens Lotion, Deltah Pearls, Lux Soap, and Woodbury Powder.
In 1943 Montez was awarded two medals from the Dominican government for her efforts in promoting friendly relations between the US and her native land. The international airport at Barahona, Dominican Republic, is named the Maria Montez International Airport in her honor.
In 1944 Montez said that the secret to her success was that she was "sexy but sweet...I am very easy to get along with. I am very nice. I have changed a lot during the last year. I have outgrown my old publicity. I used to say and do things to shock people. That was how I became famous. But now it is different. First the public likes you because you're spectacular. But after it thinks you are a star it wants you to be nice. Now I am a star, I am nice."
The 39-year-old Montez died in Suresnes, France, on September 7, 1951 after apparently suffering a heart attack and drowning while taking a hot bath. She was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris. Maria was known for bathing in very hot water, and this may have been a cause for her heart attack.
She was only 39 and had appeared in only 27 movies, but her legacy lives on in the colorful characterizations that she left on film. She is still a much loved figure in movie history.
Despite her short career, Maria Montez remains a cultural icon and a beloved figure in the world of cinema. Her exotic beauty, impeccable style, and larger-than-life performances set her apart from other Hollywood actresses of her time. Her life and legacy serve as a reminder of the power of film to inspire, entertain, and captivate audiences around the world. Maria Montez may be gone, but her star shines on.
Famous Quotes by Maria Montez:
On viewing Arabian Nights (1942)]: "When I look at myself, I am so beautiful I scream with joy!"
On her film debut in The Invisible Woman (1940)] "When I see myself on the screen, I am so beautiful, I jump for joy!"
After meeting Orson Welles: "He is as spectacular as I am!"
Nicknames
The Queen of Technicolor, The Caribbean Cyclone
Height
5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
(Sources: The Guardian, IMBD, Wikipedia, Vintage Vandalism)
She was born Maria Africa Vidal de Santo Silas, (other reports list her as María África Gracia Vidal) on June 6, 1912, (later changed in studio publicity to 1917) in Barahona, educated at the Sacred Heart Convent in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, where she learned English. She was the second of ten children.
Eventually making her way to Hollywood, she is known as Maria Montez.
Following her arrival in Los Angeles, Montez began cultivating the larger-than-life persona for which she is known. Her beauty, personality, and series of publicity antics, including dramatic restaurant entrances, endeared her to the press. She even created her own fan club―The Montez for Stardom Club. Her ambitious self-promotion bolstered the success she found with her first big lead in Arabian Nights, released in 1943. From then on, the studio referred to her as "The Queen of Technicolor."
Universal did not have a "glamour girl" like other studios, an equivalent to Hedy Lamarr (MGM), Dorothy Lamour (Paramount), Betty Grable (20th Century Fox), Rita Hayworth (Columbia), or Ann Sheridan (Warner Bros). They decided to groom Maria Montez to take on this role, and she received a lot of publicity.
With her strikingly exotic looks and accent, she was cast by Universal studios in a number of technicolor 'sword and sandal escapism fantasy films.' On account of her strikingly exotic looks and her exotic accent, the studio soon paired her with other "exotics" (Sabu and Turhan Bey), and usually with a more "home-style" hero (Jon Hall), in a series of low-budget adventures, filmed in Technicolor and situated in fantasy lands, with Montez herself often situated in revealing dress. With Montez threatened by all manner of nastiness -- from evil caliphs to man-eating sharks to her own cobra-worshipping twin sister (!) -- her pictures soon became immensely popular, even though she could not really act, could not dance and could not sing. Audiences flocked to see her films, just to witness the trials and endurance of an alluring beauty in distress (as well, perhaps, as to glimpse some scantily clad, beauteous flesh)...in these films she was the '40s version of The Perils of Pauline! She was indeed, The Queen of Technicolor.
The secret of her success? She acted like a movie star. She leaned on the vampish tradition set up by Nazimova and Theda Bara... She went in heavily for astrology. Her name became synonymous with exotic enchantresses in sheer harem pantaloons." She took on a "star" pose in her private life. One newspaper called her "the best commissary actress in town... In the studio cafe, Maria puts on a real show. Always Maria makes an entrance."
She dedicated herself to a tried and true method – courting controversy and never letting the Hollywood press forget her name. A bombshell with a penchant for showing off her body, it didn’t take Montez long to run afoul of moralists of the time for wearing overly tight sweaters in photo spreads. She rode the ensuing uproar like an uplifting wave, leveraging her sexual potency into ever more publicity and better and better roles in movies.
Another part of Montez’s success was that she loved to exaggerate her character, and was always in on the joke. In one instance while she ascended the ladder of fame, Montez self-promoted by attending a freshman dance at Harvard University. Of course the image of the glamorous star setting foot on the elitist campus caused a major stir, and Montez lapped it all up, having a great time serving young men the myth that she had any interest at all in dancing with them. “She always had a story ready for a newspaper columnist,” said author Tom Zimmerman, “and she never said ‘no.’ She’d do anything to get into their columns.”
It was common to see her appearing in ads in the many movie magazines of the day. Montez endorsed Max Factor Cosmetics, Jergens Lotion, Deltah Pearls, Lux Soap, and Woodbury Powder.
In 1943 Montez was awarded two medals from the Dominican government for her efforts in promoting friendly relations between the US and her native land. The international airport at Barahona, Dominican Republic, is named the Maria Montez International Airport in her honor.
In 1944 Montez said that the secret to her success was that she was "sexy but sweet...I am very easy to get along with. I am very nice. I have changed a lot during the last year. I have outgrown my old publicity. I used to say and do things to shock people. That was how I became famous. But now it is different. First the public likes you because you're spectacular. But after it thinks you are a star it wants you to be nice. Now I am a star, I am nice."
The 39-year-old Montez died in Suresnes, France, on September 7, 1951 after apparently suffering a heart attack and drowning while taking a hot bath. She was buried in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris. Maria was known for bathing in very hot water, and this may have been a cause for her heart attack.
She was only 39 and had appeared in only 27 movies, but her legacy lives on in the colorful characterizations that she left on film. She is still a much loved figure in movie history.
Despite her short career, Maria Montez remains a cultural icon and a beloved figure in the world of cinema. Her exotic beauty, impeccable style, and larger-than-life performances set her apart from other Hollywood actresses of her time. Her life and legacy serve as a reminder of the power of film to inspire, entertain, and captivate audiences around the world. Maria Montez may be gone, but her star shines on.
Famous Quotes by Maria Montez:
On viewing Arabian Nights (1942)]: "When I look at myself, I am so beautiful I scream with joy!"
On her film debut in The Invisible Woman (1940)] "When I see myself on the screen, I am so beautiful, I jump for joy!"
After meeting Orson Welles: "He is as spectacular as I am!"
Nicknames
The Queen of Technicolor, The Caribbean Cyclone
Height
5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
(Sources: The Guardian, IMBD, Wikipedia, Vintage Vandalism)
