Josep Lluis Moll, later known as Fortunio Bonanova, was a Spanish-born musician who studied music in Madrid and at the Paris Conservatoire. He changed his name to Bonanova, which was considered more fitting for a rising musical star. Bonanova made his international opera debut as a baritone in 1922 and was mentored by the renowned Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin Sr. He went on to tour Europe and South America in 1923 and established himself as a major talent.
Bonanova's early career was marked by performances in Paris and the writing of plays and short stories. He also began his film career in 1922, starring in the title role of "Don Juan Tenorio," a Spanish production filmed in Barcelona. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he ran his own repertory company in South America.
After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Bonanova moved to the United States, where he divided his time between stage performances and small supporting roles in Hollywood. He often played aristocratic characters, opera singers, managers, or police chiefs, and was typecast as excitable or pompous Latin Americans, Spaniards, or Italians.
Bonanova appeared in numerous films, often in brief roles. Some of his most memorable performances include his portrayal of Signor Matiste, an opera coach, in "Citizen Kane" (1941); Sam Galopis, a down-on-his-luck character, in "Double Indemnity" (1944); and Carmen Trivago, a sad wannabe opera star, in "Kiss Me Deadly" (1955).
Bonanova continued to play similar roles until his retirement in the mid-1960s. He passed away in Woodland Hills, California, in April 1969 at the age of 74.
