Mona Maris
| Mona Maris | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Mona Maria Emita Capdeville or Maria Rose Amita Capdevielle November 7, 1903 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | March 21, 1991 (aged 87) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1925-1984 |
| Spouse(s) | Clarence Brown Herman Rick (1960-1969) (divorced) |
Mona Maris (November 7, 1903 – March 23, 1991) was an Argentine film actress who was born in Buenos Aires.
Her given name was Mona Maria Emita Capdeville. (The book Hollywood-- Se Habla Español shows her last name as Cap de Vielle, while the reference book Hollywood and the Foreign Touch: A Dictionary of Foreign Filmmakers and Their Films from America, 1910-1995 gives her name as Maria Rose Amita Capdevielle.) Her mother was a Spanish Basque and her father a French Catalan.
After being orphaned when she was 4 years old, Maris lived with her grandmother in France and was educated in a convent in France, in England, and in Germany and by the age of 19 she spoke four languages — French, German, English and Spanish.
In the April 1930 issue of Picture Play magazine, William H. McKegg wrote that Maris "has assimilated much from each country [in which she has lived] — cynical frankness of the French, the simplicity of the Germans -- the romanticism of the Italians, and the independence of the English."
Maris' ambition to become an actress originated during World War I, when she was a pupil in Luders, France. Together with her classmates she wrote, directed, and presented short plays to entertain soldiers billeted near the school. After graduation Maris begged to go to England and her mother finally relented. In England she found a woman was given much more freedom than in either Spain or South America. She traveled to England under the indirect chaperonage of an Argentine family.
Her stay was intended to last only six months, but was extended another two years. The Argentine ambassador in Berlin received a letter which led to Maris being introduced to the President of the United Film Association. Soon she journeyed to Germany, where she participated in Universum Film AG productions. She was given a screen test during which the camera was not loaded with film. A prominent director noticed Maris and offered her a five-year contract. She counseled with her grandmother, who reluctantly allowed her to accept.
Maris' screen debut was in the German film Los Esclavos del Volga, which was directed by Richard Eichberg. (The book Hollywood-- Se Habla Español says, "Maris' film career began with the 1925 silent movie The Apache", while a 1985 Associated Press newspaper article said, "She first appeared in the British-made movie, The Little People in 1924.") Jorge Finkielman wrote about her performance in his book, The Film Industry in Argentina: An Illustrated Cultural History: "Her portrayal of the character Tatiana showed that she was an actress who could be expected to turn out noteworthy performances."
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