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Fortunio Bonanova

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
81

Gender
Male

Birthday
January 13, 1895 (131 years old)

Place of Birth
Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

Fortunio Bonanova

Biography

Fortunio Bonanova, pseudonym of Josep Lluís Moll, (13 January 1895 – 2 April 1969) was a Spanish baritone singer and a film, theater, and television actor. He occasionally worked as a producer and director.

According to Lluis Fàbregas Cuixart, the pseudonym Fortunio Bonanova referred to his desire to seek fortune, and his love of the Bonanova neighborhood in his native Palma.

As a young man, living under his birthname, he was a professional telegraph operator. He studied music with the Italian Giovachini. In 1921, he debuted as a singer in Tannhäuser, at the Teatre Principal in Palma. That year, along with a group of Majorcan intellectuals and Jorge Luis Borges (who was briefly living in Majorca with his parents and sister), he signed the Ultraist Manifesto, using the name Fortunio Bonanova.

Also in 1921, he appeared in a silent film of Don Juan Tenorio by the brothers Baños, which was shown the following year in New York City and Hollywood. He later directed his own Don Juan in 1924.

In 1927, he acted in Love of Sunya, directed by Albert Parker and starring Gloria Swanson. In 1932 he had small parts in Hollywood productions featuring Joan Bennett and Mary Astor. In the same period, he appeared in New York in several operas as well as the zarzuelas La Canción del Olvido ("The song of forgetting"), La Duquesa del Tabarín ("The Duchess of Tabarín"), Los Gavilanes, and La Montería. In 1934, he returned to Spain, where he had a major role in the film El Desaparecido ("The disappeared one") written and directed by Antonio Graciani. In 1935 he acted and sang in the film Poderoso Caballero ("A Big Guy"), directed by Màximo Nossik.

In 1936, with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he returned to the United States, where he played the role of Captain Bill in a film called Capitán Tormenta, directed by Jules Bernhardt. A sequence of increasingly larger acting and singing roles mostly in English-language films followed, especially after 1940. Among his roles were Signor Matiste, Susan Alexander Kane's opera coach in Citizen Kane (1941); General Sebastiano in Five Graves to Cairo (1943); Don Miguel in The Black Swan (1942); Fernando in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943); Sam Garlopis in Double Indemnity (1944); and a singing Christopher Columbus in Where Do We Go From Here?. He continued for the next several decades in a miscellany of character roles.

Known For

Acting

1964Death Whistles the Bluesas Comisario Fenton
1964The Ballad of Hector the Stowaway Dogas Inspector
1963The Running Manas Spanish Bank Manager
1959Thunder in the Sunas Fernando Christophe
195877 Sunset Stripas Santos
1958The Saga of Hemp Brownas Serge Bolanos
1957An Affair to Rememberas Courbet
1956The Count of Monte Cristoas
1956Jaguaras Francisco Servente
1955Kiss Me Deadlyas Carmen Trivago
1955New York Confidentialas Senor
1954December Brideas
1954With This Ringas Senor Corelli, Opera Singer
1953The Girl on The Roofas TV host
1953Conquest of Cochiseas Mexican Minister
1953Second Chanceas Mandy, hotel owner
1953So This Is Loveas Dr. Marafioti
1953The Moon Is Blueas Television Performer
1953Thunder Bayas Sheriff Antoine Chighizola
1953General Electric Theateras
1952The Abbott and Costello Showas Prof. Roberto
1952The Abbott and Costello Showas Uncle Bozzo
1951I Love Lucyas Professor
1951Havana Roseas Ambassador DeMarco
1951Racket Squadas
1950September Affairas Grazzi
1950Nancy Goes to Rioas Ricardo Domingos
1950Whirlpoolas Feruccio di Ravallo
1949Bad Men of Tombstoneas John Mingo
1948Adventures of Don Juanas Don Serafino Lopez
1948Angel on the Amazonas Sebastian Ortega
1948Romance on the High Seasas Plinio
1947Rose of Santa Rosaas Don Manuel Ortega
1947The Fugitiveas The Governor's Cousin
1947The Kneeling Goddessas
1947Fiestaas Antonio Morales
1946Monsieur Beaucaireas Don Carlos
1946Pepita Jiménezas Don Pedro Vargas
1945Hit the Hayas Mario Alvini
1945Man Aliveas Prof. Zorado
1945The Red Dragonas Insp. Luis Carvero
1945A Bell for Adanoas Gargano - Chief of Police
1945La pícara Susanaas
1945Where Do We Go from Here?as Christopher Columbus
1944Brazilas Senor Renaldo Da Silva
1944Mrs. Parkingtonas Signor Cellini
1944Double Indemnityas Sam Garlopis
1944My Best Galas Charlie
1944Ali Baba and the Forty Thievesas Old Baba
1944Going My Wayas Tomaso Bozanni
1943The Sultan's Daughteras Kuda
1943For Whom the Bell Tollsas Fernando
1943Dixieas Waiter
1943Five Graves to Cairoas Gen. Sebastiano
1942The Black Swanas Don Miguel (uncredited)
1942Girl Troubleas Simon Cordoba
1942Larceny, Inc.as Anton Copoulos
1942Obliging Young Ladyas Chef
1942Four Jacks and a Jillas Mike - Nightclub Owner (uncredited)
1942Mr. and Mrs. Northas Buano
1941Two Latins from Manhattanas Armando Rivero
1941A Yank in the R.A.F.as Louie - Headwaiter
1941Unfinished Businessas Impresario
1941Moon Over Miamias Mr. Pretto, the Hotel Manager
1941Blood and Sandas Pedro Espinosa
1941Citizen Kaneas Signor Matiste
1941That Night in Rioas Pereira, the Headwaiter
1940The Mark of Zorroas Sentry (uncredited)
1940Down Argentine Wayas Hotel Manager
1940I Was an Adventuressas Orchestra Leader
1938Bulldog Drummond in Africaas African Police Corporal
1938Tropic Holidayas Barrera
1938Romance in the Darkas Tenor
1936El carnaval del diabloas
1935Poderoso caballeroas
1934El desaparecidoas
1932A Successful Calamityas Pietro Rafaelo
1932Careless Ladyas Rodriguez
1929Pacto con el Diablo (o el socio, Mr. Davis)as
1928Las cuatro plumasas
1922Don Juan Tenorioas Don Juan Tenorio

Production

1929Pacto con el Diablo (o el socio, Mr. Davis)...Director
1928Las cuatro plumas...Director
1928Las cuatro plumas...Adaptation
1928Las cuatro plumas...Editor