15 heartthrobs from the silent film era who would be successful these days

When cinema began to become popular as an art and as a business, in the 1910s, the figure of the heartthrob was born. After all, since that time, the producers realized that it was necessary to put beautiful and charming figures on the screen to attract the audience, even if it was not possible to hear their voices.

The silent cinema, which reigned until the end of the 1920s, had Hollywood as its great factory of stars, some “imported” from Europe or Asia. Many actors and actresses continued acting with the arrival of talkies. Some, however, could not adapt to the novelty, as they did not have beautiful voices or struggled to memorize and say their lines. The artist (2011), awarded the Oscar for Best Picture, shows this transition in the life of a famous actor.

Do you want to know how handsome your great-grandmothers or great-grandmothers sighed in the dark of the cinema? O awesome.club did a survey and shows a top 15 of the most seductive good guys of those times. Find out who were the “Depps”, “DiCaprios” and “Pitts” of silent cinema. And don’t miss the bonus in the end, with an actor that many consider the most beautiful of those and of all time.

Born in Italy, Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) was one of the first superstars of American cinema and great idol of the crowds. His untimely death at age 31, caused by peritonitis, has touched fans around the world.

In the films, Valentino personified the Latin lover, as the bullfighter of blood and sand (1922). Or the seducer of exotic lands, as in the movie the sheikh (1921).

Sessue Hayakawa (1889-1973), born in Japan, was one of the first heartthrobs of the silent film era in the United States and Europe. He played the romantic and elegant genre or played the prince of eastern lands, when the script’s fantasy demanded it.

Sessue Hayakawa has also shot several films alongside her real-life wife Tsuru Aoki. He was successful in the era of talkies and was even nominated for an Oscar for Supporting Actor for The River Kwai Bridgegreat success of 1957.

Ramón Novarro (1899-1968) was also a heartthrob imported by American cinema. He was born in Mexico and was cast on screen as the rival of Rudolph Valentino. He was highly sought after for exotic and adventurous roles that explored his athletic physique and agility, such as Ben-Hur (1925).

With the death of Valentino, Novarro snatched the status of Latin lover, which he kept on display until the 1930s. His career was not shaken by the arrival of the talkies. He continued acting until the early 1960s.

The artistic streak was already in the family of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (1909-2000). His father was a pioneering American film actor and later served as a producer; but he did not want his son to pursue a career in art, he preferred that he attend a university.

Fairbanks Jr.’s “man” streak, however, won over women in the last few years of silent film. His marriage to star Joan Crawford boosted his career, which was interrupted in World War II when he enlisted in the Navy to serve the United States. He returned to acting after the war and his last film dates from 1987.

With his ambiguous charm (who can resist that wink?), the Welshman Ivor Novello (1893-1951) was an eclectic actor, successful in adventure, romantic and suspense films. As one of his most famous silent films proves, The resident (1927), directed by Alfred Hitchcock in England.

In addition to acting, he was a composer of very successful musical pieces in the United Kingdom. In 1955, the Ivor Novello Award was created, which annually celebrates the best in music. Amy Winehouse, Elton John, Kylie Minogue, U2 and Madonna are some of the artists who won the statuette.

Ronald Colman (1891-1958) was born in England, where he made a few films, and moved to the United States to act in theater. His heartthrob bearing was soon noticed by movie producers in emerging Hollywood and success was immediate.

The transition to talkies was successful for Colman. He had a beautiful voice and was often invited to do voiceovers on radio stations. His career lasted until the end of his life and he even rose to prominence on television, sort of becoming popular in the United States in the 1950s.

Ralph Graves (1900-1977) was born in the United States and began his career at age 18. He had a hectic professional life not only in front of the cameras, but also as a director and screenwriter. With his good-natured face and gallant air, he was tipped for romantic roles.

Graves also acted in talkies, but abandoned the career in 1949.

The American Conrad Nagel (1897-1970) began working in cinema in 1918 and had a sophisticated style, which guaranteed him roles in romantic comedies and historical dramas.

He had a long career, which spanned talkies and the early years of television, in which he served as a host of variety shows and games.

Charles Morton (1908-1966) was born in the United States and began his career on stage, in variety shows. He has done comedies, romantic and action films.

His stardom, however, ended in the early 1930s. Morton is an example of an actor who did not adapt to the novelty of talkies.

George O’Brien (1899-1985), a native of San Francisco, California, excelled in student sports life. He captained basketball and swimming teams during his high school days. The family owned a ranch, where he learned to ride and handle horses. Interestingly, he went to Los Angeles, the film capital, to get a job as a camera assistant.

Arriving there, his athletic type caught the attention of producers, who cast him as an actor, especially suitable for action films. From time to time, however, he ventured into romantic roles as happened in Aurora (1927) by FW Murnau, considered one of the masterpieces of the silent era. With the arrival of talkies, O’Brien made a long series of Westerns.

Born in Sweden, Nils Ather (1987-1981) moved to Hollywood in the 1920s and soon conquered the position of heartthrob in silent cinema, due to his masculine and elegant demeanor. During this period, he was called “Greta Garbo in pants”, in reference to the actress, also Swedish, who was emerging as a star in American cinema.

He even played opposite Garbo (in wild orchids, from 1929, for example), but she did not have the same success as her countrywoman in the transition to talkies. His accent was strong and he only got roles in which he had to play foreigners. As a result, he lost his leading role, but continued acting until the early 1960s.

Antonio Moreno (1887-1967) was born in Madrid, capital of Spain, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 14. He started acting in the 1910s and, before Rudolph Valentino, created the “Latin lover” style. For the next decade, he was one of the highest paid actors in American cinema.

His career also suffered with the advent of sound films, because of the accent. Even so, he continued to interpret characteristic types until the late 1950s.

American Charles Farrell (1900-1990) made some action films, but became famous for the romantic stories in which he played opposite star Janet Gaynor.

He had no trouble adapting to talkies, but preferred to lead a quiet life in the then deserted city of Palm Springs, California, of which he became mayor in the 1940s. In the 1950s, he briefly reappeared in television productions.

Before becoming a movie star, John Barrymore (1882-1942) had a respected career in American theater, in which he starred in Shakespearean tragedies. His serious appearance, suitable for major dramatic, historical roles or based on classics of literature, has earned him the nickname “The Great Profile”.

He began acting in the 1910s, took part in blockbusters and played opposite some of the biggest stars of the time. Health problems, however, caused his career to languish. A curiosity: John Barrymore is the grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore.

The Englishman Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) never made the heartthrob genre. But his youthful photos show that he could have been a romantic star had he wanted to. Above all the handsome ones, however, Charlie Chaplin is still the most recognizable actor of the silent era of cinema, thanks to Carlitos, the agile and hilarious character he created and with which he starred in several productions.

It is enough to see any of his films, silent or spoken, for our face to gain a smile.

Gary Cooper (1901-1961) is one of the most successful actors in the transition from silent to talkies. He started doing figurations in 1925; the following year he got a better role and in a short time he was starring in romantic, adventure, drama and western films. He caught the end of the silent era and remained a star until the late 1950s.

Cooper wasn’t just big on art. At 1.90 meters and with a masculine build, he was the very definition of beauty and elegance in his time. He left a legacy of over 100 films and is still a mirror for young actors who dream of winning in Hollywood.

Did you like the silent movie heartthrob gallery? Which ones did you find the most beautiful? Which ones do you believe would be successful in modern cinema and in what kind of film? Tell everything in the comments!