Maria Montez, also known as The Caribbean Cyclone, was born Maria Africa Vidal de Santo Silas, on June 6, 1917, in Barahona, Dominican Republic, to a Spanish consul and his wife. After a stint in modeling, she made an attempt at Hollywood. Maria's exotic beauty landed her a contract in the movie colony. Her first film was as Marie in The Invisible Woman (1940). Five more movies with five more bit roles followed until the Hollywood brass decided to do something more with the beautiful Miss Montez. They gave her a sizable role in 1941's Boss of Bullion City (1940). That was followed the next year by a bit more substantial role in Arabian Nights (1942). It was these sand-and-sandal epics of the 1940s that kept Maria employed and moviegoers enthralled. The US was still trying to get out from under The Great Depression, and the public was weary of the war that was spreading throughout Europe and Asia. Hollywood turned to fantasy films, and Maria was just what audiences were looking for. She was immensely popular with the public. Her acting skills may not have been appreciated by some critics, but the public didn't seem to mind. They liked Maria and the dangers she faced in these cheaply made but colorful adventure flicks. Each desert film attracted droves of Montez fans to the box-office. As the Depression eased and the war ended, however, fans became bored with her films. After her Hollywood career faded, she moved to Europe with her second husband, actor Jean-Pierre Aumont. She appeared in a number of German, French and Italian productions. Her final film was a German movie entitled Schatten über Neapel (1951) (aka "Camorra"). On September 7 of that year, Maria was discovered dead of a heart attack. She was only 39 and had appeared in only 27 movies, but her legacy lives on in the colorful characterizations that she left on film. She is still a much loved figure in movie history.
