---
name: "Fortunio Bonanova"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/fortunio-bonanova"
fi1m_id: "fortunio-bonanova"
imdb_id: "nm0093769"
tmdb_id: 14979
wikidata_id: "Q1439141"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "13 January 1895"
died: "2 April 1969"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-25T07:52:12.734170+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Fortunio Bonanova

## Identity

Fortunio Bonanova

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/fortunio-bonanova
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** fortunio-bonanova
- **IMDb ID:** nm0093769
- **TMDB ID:** 14979
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1439141
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortunio_Bonanova, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1439141, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0093769/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14979

Actor. Born 13 January 1895 in Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain. Died 2 April 1969.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 13 January 1895, Palma de Mallorca, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
- **Died:** 2 April 1969
- **Active:** 1941–1957
- **Also known as:** Josep Lluís Moll
- **Frequently works with:** [Leo McCarey](https://film.one/person/leo-mccarey.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as actor, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1940s 79 (4), 1950s 82 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 82 to 77 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Crime 2, Mystery 2, Romance 2, Thriller 2, Adventure 1
- **Screen time:** 12 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $64m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortunio_Bonanova, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1439141, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0093769/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14979

## Fi1m on Fortunio Bonanova

> Fortunio Bonanova makes comic frustration count in small parts, most clearly as the opera coach in *Citizen Kane*. We value his economy, though the brief appearances seldom allow him to develop a character much further.

An opera coach tries to teach Susan Alexander in *Citizen Kane* (1941), and Fortunio Bonanova makes the man's exasperation funny. As Signor Matiste, he has work to do and good reason to lose patience. We laughed at his frustration: the difficulty of getting through a singing lesson gives us something immediately recognisable in Orson Welles's elaborate film. Bonanova is useful in precisely this sort of part, where irritation must register before the story moves on. He is worth noticing, even when the film has much larger concerns.

His work as a baritone preceded a Hollywood career that began in the late 1930s, with English-language character parts becoming more frequent after 1940. His recurring types included aristocratic dons, opera singers, managers and police chiefs, giving him opportunities to play men accustomed to being taken seriously. General Sebastiano in *Five Graves to Cairo* (1943) fits that pattern. These were useful opportunities for comic frustration, though repeated casting of this kind could leave the job more memorable than the man.

Billy Wilder gives him a different position in *Double Indemnity* (1944): Sam Garlopis, a down-on-his-luck insurance claimant. Here he contributes to the ordinary business surrounding the central crime, and that modest scale suits a performer effective in brief character parts. Our enthusiasm for the film rests chiefly on its viciously funny dialogue and three lead performances; Bonanova is a reason to look beyond them. Anyone coming chiefly for Bonanova should know that the pleasure is brief.

In *Kiss Me Deadly* (1955), he plays Carmen Trivago, a down-at-heel opera enthusiast, another role suited to his musical background. That later part offers a useful comparison with Matiste, but Welles gives us the clearer starting point. Bonanova's comic frustration supplies an accessible pleasure in a film whose elaborate structure can sometimes keep us at a distance. Start there, and leave a little attention for the singing teacher.

## Biography

Fortunio Bonanova was the stage name of the Spanish baritone singer and actor Josep Lluís Moll. Born in Palma de Mallorca in 1895, he studied music and made his operatic debut in 1921 in *Tannhäuser* at the Teatre Principal in Palma. He appeared in the 1922 silent film *Don Juan Tenorio* and later worked in theatre and zarzuela in Europe and South America before settling in the United States after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

In Hollywood he played supporting roles, often as excitable or aristocratic Latin characters. His credits include Signor Matiste in *Citizen Kane* (1941), Fernando in *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (1943), Sam Garlopis in *Double Indemnity* (1944) and Courbet in *An Affair to Remember* (1957). He also appeared in television series such as *I Love Lucy*.

Bonanova continued working in film and television until the mid-1960s. He died in Woodland Hills, California, in 1969.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *An Affair to Remember* (1957), Fi1m 78, as Courbet — [page](https://film.one/film/an-affair-to-remember.md)
- *Kiss Me Deadly* (1955), Fi1m 87, as Carmen Trivago — [page](https://film.one/film/kiss-me-deadly.md)
- *Double Indemnity* (1944), Fi1m 92, as Sam Garlopis — [page](https://film.one/film/double-indemnity.md)
- *Going My Way* (1944), Fi1m 74, as Tomaso Bozanni — [page](https://film.one/film/going-my-way.md)
- *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (1943), Fi1m 58, as Fernando — [page](https://film.one/film/for-whom-the-bell-tolls.md)
- *Citizen Kane* (1941), Fi1m 93, as Signor Matiste — [page](https://film.one/film/citizen-kane.md)

## Complete filmography (81)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Death Whistles the Blues* (1964), as Comisario Fenton
- *The Ballad of Hector the Stowaway Dog* (1964), as Inspector
- *The Running Man* (1963), as Spanish Bank Manager
- *Thunder in the Sun* (1959), as Fernando Christophe
- *77 Sunset Strip* (1958), series, as Santos
- *The Saga of Hemp Brown* (1958), as Serge Bolanos
- *An Affair to Remember* (1957), as Courbet — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/an-affair-to-remember.md)
- *The Count of Monte Cristo* (1956), series, Actor
- *Jaguar* (1956), as Francisco Servente
- *Kiss Me Deadly* (1955), as Carmen Trivago — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/kiss-me-deadly.md)
- *New York Confidential* (1955), as Senor
- *December Bride* (1954), series, Actor
- *With This Ring* (1954), as Senor Corelli, Opera Singer
- *The Girl on The Roof* (1953), as TV host
- *Conquest of Cochise* (1953), as Mexican Minister
- *Second Chance* (1953), as Mandy, hotel owner
- *So This Is Love* (1953), as Dr. Marafioti
- *The Moon Is Blue* (1953), as Television Performer
- *Thunder Bay* (1953), as Sheriff Antoine Chighizola
- *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, Actor
- *The Abbott and Costello Show* (1952), series, as Uncle Bozzo, Prof. Roberto
- *I Love Lucy* (1951), series, as Professor
- *Havana Rose* (1951), as Ambassador DeMarco
- *Racket Squad* (1951), series, Actor
- *September Affair* (1950), as Grazzi
- *Nancy Goes to Rio* (1950), as Ricardo Domingos
- *Whirlpool* (1950), as Feruccio di Ravallo
- *Bad Men of Tombstone* (1949), as John Mingo
- *Adventures of Don Juan* (1948), as Don Serafino Lopez
- *Angel on the Amazon* (1948), as Sebastian Ortega
- *Romance on the High Seas* (1948), as Plinio
- *Rose of Santa Rosa* (1947), as Don Manuel Ortega
- *The Fugitive* (1947), as The Governor's Cousin
- *The Kneeling Goddess* (1947), Actor
- *Fiesta* (1947), as Antonio Morales
- *Monsieur Beaucaire* (1946), as Don Carlos
- *Pepita Jiménez* (1946), as Don Pedro Vargas
- *Hit the Hay* (1945), as Mario Alvini
- *Man Alive* (1945), as Prof. Zorado
- *The Red Dragon* (1945), as Insp. Luis Carvero
- *A Bell for Adano* (1945), as Gargano - Chief of Police
- *La pícara Susana* (1945), as Conde Mauricio Tonescu
- *Where Do We Go from Here?* (1945), as Christopher Columbus
- *Brazil* (1944), as Senor Renaldo Da Silva
- *Mrs. Parkington* (1944), as Signor Cellini
- *Double Indemnity* (1944), as Sam Garlopis — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/double-indemnity.md)
- *My Best Gal* (1944), as Charlie
- *Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves* (1944), as Old Baba
- *Going My Way* (1944), as Tomaso Bozanni — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/going-my-way.md)
- *The Sultan's Daughter* (1943), as Kuda
- *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (1943), as Fernando — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/for-whom-the-bell-tolls.md)
- *Dixie* (1943), as Waiter
- *Five Graves to Cairo* (1943), as Gen. Sebastiano
- *The Black Swan* (1942), as Don Miguel (uncredited)
- *Girl Trouble* (1942), as Simon Cordoba
- *Larceny, Inc.* (1942), as Anton Copoulos
- *Obliging Young Lady* (1942), as Chef
- *Mr. and Mrs. North* (1942), as Buano
- *Four Jacks and a Jill* (1942), as Mike - Nightclub Owner (uncredited)
- *Two Latins from Manhattan* (1941), as Armando Rivero
- *A Yank in the R.A.F.* (1941), as Louie - Headwaiter
- *Unfinished Business* (1941), as Impresario
- *Moon Over Miami* (1941), as Mr. Pretto · the Hotel Manager
- *Blood and Sand* (1941), as Pedro Espinosa
- *They Met in Argentina* (1941), as Pedro, Ranch Blacksmith (uncredited)
- *Citizen Kane* (1941), as Signor Matiste — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/citizen-kane.md)
- *That Night in Rio* (1941), as Pereira, the Headwaiter
- *The Mark of Zorro* (1940), as Sentry (uncredited)
- *Down Argentine Way* (1940), as Hotel Manager
- *I Was an Adventuress* (1940), as Orchestra Leader
- *Bulldog Drummond in Africa* (1938), as African Police Corporal
- *Tropic Holiday* (1938), as Barrera
- *Romance in the Dark* (1938), as Tenor
- *El carnaval del diablo* (1936), Actor
- *Poderoso caballero* (1935), Actor
- *El desaparecido* (1934), Actor
- *A Successful Calamity* (1932), as Pietro Rafaelo
- *Careless Lady* (1932), as Rodriguez
- *Pacto con el Diablo (o el socio, Mr. Davis)* (1929), Director
- *Las cuatro plumas* (1928), Director, Adaptation, Editor
- *Don Juan Tenorio* (1922), as Don Juan Tenorio

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/fortunio-bonanova