Quinn. He was first a contract player and portrayed villains for Paramount. But because he was not a United States citizen until 1947, he was able to move up to better roles while other actors fought in the war. He was still upset with the roles he got and didn’t renew his contract with Paramount. Instead, he turned to the theater for “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which gave him more clout when he returned to Hollywood. In 1952, he became the first Mexican-American to win an Oscar for his role as Eufemio Zapata in Viva Zapata! He won another Oscar in 1956 for his role in Lust for Life in which he was only on screen for less than 24 minutes.

Notable Film: Zorba the Greek

Ramón Novarro

Ramón Novarro wasborn in Mexico as Jose Ramón Gil Samaniego, and one of his early roles was as a villain in The Prisoner of Zenda. He then moved into starring roles playing American heroes in Scaramouche and The Arab, notes Turner Classic Movies. Following the death of Rudolph Valentino, he took the reigns as the “Latin Lover.” His popularity declined when he transitioned to “talkies,” (aka movies with sound) and by the end of the 1930s, he had difficulty finding work. He struggled with his homosexuality, which drew him to alcohol and made it hard for him to get his career back on track. By the 1960s, he was working in TV, but his life was cut short in 1968 when he was murdered.

Notable film: Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ

Carlos