Maria Montez

Watch and download free copy of Hell Ship Mutiny"

Maria Montez, the Hollywood movie star often referred to as the “Dominican Dynamite,” wrote to her sister in the Dominican Republic, “The first thing a young lady must do in order to be an actress is to believe she is the most beautiful and important of all women living on earth. In other words, behave as if you were a queen. Do not be afraid in front of any directors, not even how exacting and ill-tempered they are to you. Remember, my dear Lucita, it is the public, and not them, that has the last word.”

The wondrous and exotic Maria Montez was born Maria Africa Antonia Garcia Vidal de Santo Silas, June 6, 1912, in Barahona, Dominican Republic, the second daughter of ten children. Her father was an exporter of wood and textiles and a diplomat holding the title of Honorary Vice Consul to Spain.

Everyone felt that Maria had “the calling” of an actress. Even as a child she would create stage shows for her family and friends. Little Maria learned English all by herself while reading U.S. magazines and listening to U.S. music. Maria told everyone, “Someday I will be a Hollywood star.”

On November 28, 1932, Maria married William McFeeters, an agent for the First National Bank of New York, and they lived in a tiny yellow house with red trim. Seven years later she moved with him to New York where she got a taste of the big city. Maria divorced McFeeters, and obtained a modeling job posing for a magazine that paid her $50. The photo was discovered by a famous New York artist, McLelland Barclay, who painted her portrait. After the painting was revealed, Maria became highly sought after for modeling work. Everyone wanted to know who the unusual beauty was, and she was soon offered a screen test and a contract with Universal Studios.

Maria renamed herself Maria Montez, in honor of dancer Lola Montez, whom her father admired. Her first appearance was in Lucky Devils (1941), and her next appearance was in Boss of Bullion City (1941) . Then she got to say one line in The Invisible Woman (1943), and studio executives knew they had to do something with the beautiful woman. First, for a short time, they made her a blonde.

Then, brunette Maria had to regain the accent she had purposely lost in the United States so she could play the exotic beauties that would become her trademark, which included gorgeous Arabian princesses, gypsies, and jungle queens. Her male co-stars were usually Sabu, Turhan Bey, or Jon Hall who one critic described as being built better than she was. Montez cultivated her image in the grandest tradition of a movie star. She created her own fan club, the MMMS, "Make Maria Montez a Star” club, and sent herself hundreds of fan letters, creating a flurry of interest in the woman who, after her appearance in White Savage (1943), became known as the “Queen of Technicolor.”

She dripped herself in lavish jewels and opulent costumes wherever she went. Magnificent entrances to nightclubs, parties, and events were her specialty, and she had the ability to make sure she was followed by a bevy of reporters who were constantly enchanted with her tales. When there was little news about other stars, newspaper editors often told their reporters to "Get up to Beverly Hills (where Maria lived her movie star life in an elegant white Spanish mansion amid lush tropical foliage) and see what Montez is up to!" She couldn’t really act, she couldn’t sing, and could dance just a little. But she was gorgeous and often half naked, and Maria Montez became a movie star with an enormous, adoring public.

When Montez saw herself in the film Arabian Nights (1942), she exclaimed to the press, “When I look at myself, I am so beautiful I scream with joy!” Quoted in a magazine, Maria said, "There is only one Maria Montez. I want to give everyone in the country the Montez touch."

President Franklin Roosevelt appointed Montez the Good Will Ambassador to Latin America, a position in which she served and travelled extensively from 1943-1944. On July 13, 1943, she married French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont. They had a daughter, Tina Aumont, born February 14, 1946, who later became an actress in French and Italian films.

Some of Maria's movies include South of Tahiti (1941), Arabian Nights (1942), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), Follow The Boys (1944), Cobra Woman (1944), Sudan (1945), Tangier (1946), and Pirates of Monterey (1947). Maria Montez' final American movie was Siren of Atlantis (1948).

With the end of World War II, the public’s taste for exotic stars and locations began to wane, and Maria and her husband moved to France. In Europe, they both made several successful movies.

On September 7, 1951, 39-year-old Maria Montez was found drowned in a bathtub in her Paris mansion, presumably after suffering a heart attack brought on by an unusually hot bath. If you take a plane to Barahona today, you will land at the Maria Montez International Airport. In Barahona you may encounter this sign, "En este solar nacio la eximia Maria Montez"- "In this area was born the very distinguished Maria Montez."

Sources The Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz
Leonard Maltins Movie Encyclopedia
Bill Takacs Internet Maria Montez biography
Denny Jackson Internet Maria Montez biography
Maria Montez websites

Steve Starr is the author of "Picture Perfect-Deco Photo Frames 1926-1946," published by Rizzoli International Publications. An artist, writer, designer, and photographer, he is the owner of Steve Starr Studios, specalizing in original Art Deco artifacts and photo frames, and celebrating its 39th anniversary in 2006. Steve Starr's collection of over 950 magnficent Art Deco frames is filled with photos of Hollywood's most elegant stars.

His column, STARRLIGHT, is about stars of the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's and appears in various publications including Entertainment Magazine Online, the Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine, Skyline Newspaper, the Modern, and the Windy City Times.

STARRGAZERS-Radiant Digital Photography by Steve Starr, is available in particular locations in Chicago, including the Seneca Hotels' Chestnut Grill, the Kit Kat Supper Club, Cornelia's Restaurant, Katerina's, and the Whitehall Hotel's Fornetto Mei where Steve Starr will personally photograph you and your friends, beautifully print it, sign it, frame it, and immediately deliver it to you on the premises. Call for schedule at 773-463-8017.

You may visit the Steve Starr Satellite Studio in the beautiful Ravenswood Antique Mart, 4727 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, or visit www.SteveStarrStudios.com where you can gaze at many gorgeous frames from his personal collection, read Starrlight Stories, and view letters, autographs and photos from some of his favorite luminaries.

Photo of Steve Starr January 28, 2006, taken by NBC News director Harold "Sandy" Whiteley at the Whitehall Hotel, Chicago Illinois.