RAMON NOVARRO

Ramon Novarro was a major Mexican star from the 1910s to the 1930s. He was an extra until starring in The Prisoner of Zenda in 1922, for which he was paid $125 a week. Three years later, he was one of Hollywood's biggest stars, and he earned $10,000 a week for starring in his most famous role, 1925's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. He survived the coming of sound, but his popularity declined greatly after a few sound movies, and he mostly retired. Some of his other movies include: The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and The Big Steal. Sadly, in 1968, he was beaten to death by two punks who invaded his Hollywood home thinking he had a large amount of cash hidden away (he did not!). He was 69 years old.