X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Ramon Novarro Biography

Birth Name:Jose Ramón Gil Samaniego

Birth Place:Durango City, Durango, Mexico

Profession Actor, Soundtrack, Director

Fast Facts

  • Supplemented his income during his early years in Hollywood by working as a singing waiter
  • Made his screen acting debut in the film "Mr․ Barnes of New York" in 1914
  • Best known for his title role in 1925's "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" and as Lieutenant Alexis Rosanoff in "Mata Hari․"
  • Wrote, produced, and directed the film "Contra la corriente" in 1936
  • In the decade from 1925 to 1935, he made more money for MGM than any other actor except for Joan Crawford
  • His house in Hollywood Hills is one of the best known designs by Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright
  • After Rudolph Valentino's death in 1926, he became Hollywood's leading Latin actor and sex symbol

Awards

  • 1923Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (May): winner
  • 1923Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (December): winner
  • 1924Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (October): winner
  • 1926Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (March): winner
  • 1929Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (April): winner
  • 1930Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (February): winner
  • 1930Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (May): winner
  • 1930Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (September): winner
  • 1931Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (June): winner
  • 1932Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (February): winner
  • 1933Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (February): winner
  • 1933Photoplay Award-Best Performances of the Month (June): winner