Belgian postcard by S. A. Cacao et Chocolat Kivou, Vilvorde / N. V. Cacao en Chocolade Kivou, Vilvoorde. Photo: Artistes Associés (United Artists).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 3557/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Atelier Jacobi, Berlin.
Italian postcard by Cinema-Illustrazione. Photo: Fox Film.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 6132/1, 1931-1932. Photo: Fox.
Austrian postcard by Iris Verlag, Berlin, no. 5847. Photo: Fox.
Maris because it reminded her of the sea
Mona Maris was born Rosa Emma Mona Maria Marta Capdevielle (according to IMDb) or Mona Maria Emita Capdeville (according to Wikipedia) in Buenos Aires, Argentine, in 1903, of Spanish-French parentage.
Although she was born 'Maria,' her family nicknamed her "Mona", Spanish for "graceful" or "pretty," and she later chose the last name of Maris because it reminded her of the sea.
Orphaned when she was four years old, Maris lived with her grandmother in France and was educated in a convent there, as well as in England and Germany. Her well-to-do background ensured a quality education with an emphasis on foreign languages.
By the age of 19, she spoke three languages but English was not among them. This mattered little early on, as her career began in silent films in 1925, first in England and France, then with Universum AG in Germany.
Her British debut film was The Apache (Adelqui Migliar, 1925) opposite Adelqui Migliar himself. In Germany, she starred in several silent films including the comedy Der Fürst von Pappenheim/The Prince of Pappenheim (Richard Eichberg, 1927), co-starring Curt Bois and Dina Gralla, and the drama Die Leibeigenen/The Serfs (Richard Eichberg, 1928), opposite Heinrich George.
Moving to the U.S. in 1929, she was signed by Fox to co-star opposite Warner Baxter in two above-average Westerns: Romance of the Rio Grande (Alfred Santell, 1929) with Mary Duncan and Antonio Moreno, and The Arizona Kid (Alfred Santell, 1930) in which she was rather overshadowed by a young Carole Lombard.
I.S. Mowis at IMDb: "In fairness, neither film gave her much to do, except be ornamental. In Arizona Kid, she was also unwisely permitted to sing, which was not her forte. Combined with her rather strained command of English, it was somewhat inevitable that she would find herself relegated to acting in a string of Spanish-language versions of American films."
Spanish collectors card in the Estrella de Fox Film series, no. 9.
Spanish collectors card, no. 13. Photo: Fox Film. Mona Maris, María Calvo, and Roberto E. Guzmán in Del mismo barro (David Howard, 1930). It was the alternate-language version of Common Clay (Victor Fleming, 1930).
Spanish collectors card, no. 29. Photo: Fox Film. Mona Maris, José Mojica and René Cardona in Cuando el amor ríe/When Love Laughs (David Howard, Manuel París, William J. Scully, 1930). The Spanish release title was Ladron de amor.
Spanish collectors card by Estrellas del cine, no. 34. Photo: Fox Film.
Typecast as south-of-the-border senoritas
Mona Maris is remembered today less for her sojourn in Hollywood, than for her on-screen chemistry with legendary singer Carlos Gardel in the musical drama Cuesta abajo/The Downfall (Louis J. Gasnier, 1934). Filmed in Argentina, it co-starred Mona as a femme fatale and proved to be her defining screen role.
Having just completed the shooting of Kiss and Make-Up/Salon de dames (Harlan Thompson, 1934), she auditioned for the part via telephone from the Paramount lot for French-born director Louis J. Gasnier. She won out over fellow candidates Raquel Torres and Rosita Montenegro. Cuesta abajo/The Downfall was well-received upon its release in the U.S., becoming the most successful Spanish-language film up to that time.
Following Gardel's untimely death in 1935, Mona absented herself from the screen for six years. She returned to Hollywood again in the early 1940s, free-lancing for most of the majors, in films like The Falcon in Mexico (William Berke, 1944) and Tampico (Lothar Mendes, 1944), starring Edward G. Robinson.
I.S. Mowis at IMDb: "Even though her English was now fluent, she remained mostly typecast as south-of-the-border senoritas." After an uncredited bit in the Bob Hope comedy Monsieur Beaucaire (1946), her career wound down with a third-billed part in a third-rate Swashbuckler for Republic, The Avengers (John H. Auer, 1950).
Shortly after that, she called it a day and in 1960 retired to Lima, Peru, with her second husband, Dutch millionaire Herman Rick. She was married twice. Her first marriage took place while she was working in Europe and dissolved before she traveled to the United States. She began an affair with director Clarence Brown in 1931, and he reportedly proposed to her. Despite multiple sources listing them as being married, they were not, and the affair ended shortly after the proposal. Maris and Rick divorced in 1969. Maris had no children.
In 1984, Mona Maris returned to the screen for her final film, the Argentine drama Camila (María Luisa Bemberg, 1984), based on the story of the 19th-century Argentine socialite Camila O'Gorman. The story had previously been adapted in 1910 by Mario Gallo, in the now considered lost film Camila O'Gorman. Camila (1984) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, marking the second time an Argentine film was nominated for this award.
Mona Maris passed away in 1991 in her native Buenos Aires, Argentina, of lung trouble. She was 87. Maris is buried at La Chacarita Cemetery.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3004/1, 1927-1928. Photo: Eichberg-Film, Berlin. Ufa. In 1927-1928 Maris played in several films of Eichberg Film, including Der Fürst von Pappenheim (Richard Eichberg, 1927) distributed by Ufa, and starring Maris.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 3887/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Hanni Schwarz, Berlin.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 5639/1, 1930-1931. Photo: Fox. Warner Baxter and Mona Maris in Romance of the Rio Grande (Alfred Santell, 1929).
Italian postcard by Cinema-Illustrazione, Milano, no. 16, Serie 1. Photo: Fox Film. Mona Maris and Humphrey Bogart in A Devil with Women (Irving Cummings, 1930).
French postcard by EC, no. 828. Collection: Didier Hanson.
Sources: I.S. Mowis (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
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