antos Ortega (June 30. 1899 - April 10. 1976)
Length: 5' 10" (1m 78) Eyes: brown Sister: Isabelle Mannlein (Jun 8. 1891 - Nov 26. 1979) Marriages: (1) Evelyn Elizabeth Fairbank      (Dec 30. 1923 - ?,  divorced) (2) Cynthia Alison Beckett, CBS employee      (ca 1949 - aft. 1964, divorced)       Son: Stephan (b.1957)       Daughter: Alison (b. 1963) married to                        Scott Anthony Mullen (3 children)       They all lived in Tenafly,  New Jersey.
Above right: Santos Ortega was a prolific cigar smoker and was known to have his cigars with him while acting his roles. The mythology says he often set the scripts of other actors on fire with his lighted cigar. A number of publicity shots exist showing him with cigar/pipe.
Born on June 30. 1899 as Santos Edward Ortega in New York City, New York. His father Rafael, of Spanish origin, was born in Venezuela and his mother Isabella Corbett was from Dublin, Ireland. His father (related to the dramatist Lope de Vega) is believed to have been a cigar maker who found himself in New York City by 1890. His father died when Santos was only four years old and his mother raised Santos and his older sister with help of two maiden aunts. He studied to be a priest for two years in the Christian Brothers' Seminary at Pocantico Hills, N.Y., before he decided that he was not fitted to be a clergyman. (What's On the Air Dec 1930) Among the varied jobs he held was a hitch as a brakeman on the D. L. & W. Railroad but after starting out as usher at the old New York Hippodrome Theater, he began his acting career at 17 on the stage as walk-on singing in "an extravaganza" in that same theater. Soon after that he toured with a singing group (bass singer in a quartet) and followed this by playing second leads in various stock companies in the Philadelphia and New York area. "The other guy always won the girl," he once said smilingly. But soon he found himself back in the City trying for rotes on Broadway.
Santos married Evelyn Fairbank, a 27 year old widow, in New York City on Dec 30, 1923 (Above right).
Among the plays with which he appeared on Broadway were: What's the Use (Princess, Sep 6. - Sep 15. 1926), What Never Dies (Lyceum, Dec 28. 1926 - Jan 29. 1927), Puppets of Passion (Masque, Feb 24. 1927 - Mar 1. 1927), and Congai (Sam H. Harris, Nov 27. 1928 - Mar 1. 1929). In March 1928 he played with a stock co. under the direction of  Thomas A. Magrane at the Casino, Philadelphia (Rain, Tenth Avenue, Speakeasy, The Night Hawk, The American Tragedy). After this he went to radio which was beginning to establish itself as a medium to be aware of in no uncertain terms! Ortega joined the small cast of Blackstone Plantation (aka The Blackstone Hour, named after their sponsor Blackstone Cigars), a variety show consisting of music, talk and songs (first CBS-Radio then NBC-Radio 1929-33). He played Don Roderigo along with the other featured regulars Frank Crumit, Ted De Corsia (!) and Julia Sanderson who were highly popular in their day. "It was not that I had a Spanish dialect, or that I'd ever done a Spanish dialect before; it was just that my name being so Spanish, that one of the casting directors said 'Well, certainly, this guy ought to have a Spanish dialect ' ... I was called for it and since I had spent 8 or 9 months in Caracas, Venezuela I said well, do what I heard there. I did and I got the part.'  He won the friendship of a vast radio audience through his work (1929-30) over the Columbia Broadcasting System in The Blackstone Hour, True Detective Mysteries, and The Couple Next Door.
Above: The Couple Next Door (aka The Newlyweds, CBS, Aug 1930 - ), was written by dramaturge Thompson Buchanan and offered a characteristically humorous, observant work which was "something of a tattletale." Under the direction of Georgia Backus the cast was made up entirely of stage people such as Virginia Morgan (L), Effie Palmer (R) and Santos Ortega.*
Along came The Robert Burns Panatela Program a comedy/variety (CBS-Radio 1932-33) which starred George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen. Although very much married, George and Gracie played "singles" on this show with Gracie setting George up in humorous situations of her making. Frank Knight and Santos Ortega were the show's announcers. On Broadway he did a one night appearance in the flop Marilyn 's Affairs (Mansfield, Mar 15. 1933).
Above left: When you listened to The Scorpion from CBS, New York you could hear that mysterious East Indian Servant, Rangi, portrayed by Santos Ortega (1932) Above right: Rita Lupez and Santos Ortega in "Broken Wing" an episode of Lux Radio Theatre (Apr 14. 1935)
Then in 1933-34 there was the comedy show The White Owl Program on CBS-Radio (more sponsoring cigars - perhaps that's how George got so attached to them!) a follow-up to the Panatela Show and also starring Burns and Allen. Again Knight and Ortega were the announcers. Front Page Drama was and anthology series which on May 2. 1935 brought "The Silver Queen" with Santos Ortega. Based on a story in American Weekly about a romance of the mining days of the West and the devotion of a woman whose love survived disaster. Santos appeared as "Carlo" next to Irene Hubbard (as Maria) on the juvenile program Captain Henry's Showboat (aka Maxwell House Showboat, NBC, Sep 1935). On March 30. 1936 Proctor & Gamble Co. inaugurated a 13-week test program The Magic Voice (NBC Blue) this revival series featuring Santos (as Jim) and Gertrude Hitz (as June). That same year in Santos appeared (NBC, Sep 1936) as "Dick Harding"with singers Jack and Loretta Clemens in the radio program Studio 7, which aired three times a week on NBC. Ortega became a member (1936-49) of a regular crew who did voice-overs for the excellent crime drama series Gangbusters (NBC-Blue to CBS-Radio and others 1935-57 inclusive). This was a series of dramas based on actual FBI files and at the end of each episode a description of a wanted criminal was broadcast to the listening audience. Hundreds of criminals were apprehended as a result of this extraordinary program.
Top: Arline Blackburn and Santos Ortega are heard in the leading roles of the new dramatic serial, "By Kathleen Norris" which is presented over WCCO Mondays through Fridays at 4 p.m. "Woman In Love," one of Kathleen Norris most popular novels will be the first story to be dramatized. Each script of the radio dramas is submitted to Mrs. Norris for final approval. This new series is under sponsorship of General Mills. (Oct 9. 1939) Above left: Labeling this toy machine gun "Gang Busters" made it natural for exploitation in a war-conscious world. Louis Marx, Inc. New York sold 350,000 at one dollar each. Operating here is Santos Ortega of the cast of Gangbusters (1940) Above right: Left agonized Santos Ortega, right hilarious Mr. Ortega. Pictures illustrating the versatility of performers in soap opera. Santos appeared then as John Lane, the sobbing, broken-hearted husband in Beyond These Valleys (CBS, 1940).
Of course in OTR an actor's career was incomplete without an infusion of "soap" and Ortega's was no exception. His radio output was second to none, even at this early stage of his career. Between 1936 and 1939 he was featured on such shows as: The Columbia Workshop (CBS, Nov 14. 1936 - Sep 28. 1946); Bill and Betty (NBC, 1938), The O'Neills (NBC, 1937-38), Joyce Jordan, Girl Interne (later aka Joyce Jordan, M.D. as Captain Clayton, CBS, 1938); Myrt and Marge (as suitor Lee Kirby, CBS, Dec 1938 -40); and This Day is Ours (as General Ming, CBS, Nov 7. 1938-39). He went on to become a regular cast member (Oct. 9. 1939-40) of By Kathleen Norris (anthology on CBS-Radio from 1930 to 1940 and on NBC-Radio from 1940 to 1941). These were dramas based on stories created by the famed novelist and were hosted by actress Ethel Everett portraying Miss Norris. In another soap The Man I Married (NBC-Radio 1939-41 to CBS-Radio 1941-42) Van Heflin starred as the impoverished Adam Waring, a disinherited millionaire's son who, with his wife, tries to make a new life in a small town. Santos also had a running role that of Phineas Grant.
Above left: Ted De Corsia and Santos Ortega, two regulars in The Adventures of Ellery Queen Above right: Inspector Richard Queen of the NYPD, a role originated by Santos Ortega (1939-47).
In Ellery Queen the well-done crime drama series the young Hugh Marlowe was the original sophisticated Ellery who helps solve crimes, without pay, saying that the work involved is merely research for the popular mystery books he writes. He is, in fact, helping his father, Inspector Richard Queen of the NYPD, a role originated by Santos Ortega (Jun 18. 1939 - Dec 1946). He had recently left his role on the series Myrt and Marge to take up the new character. Of his role and the Ellery Queen series Ortega said "I thought it was a fine hour show ... because the character of the Inspector had so many facets, so many sides. Of course, when they cut it down to half-hour, commercial, it was quite another thing. You couldn't get all the things into it because, after all, your star and your hero, was Ellery, who I always thought was a stuffed shirt." In March 1940 Santos played the obnoxious Harvey Bainbridge in Society Girl which had Carleton Young in the lead. Between March 4. and March 15. 1940 Santos joined Ellery Queen co-star Marion Shockley for 6 episodes of radio's Superman and then again in Our Gal Sunday (CBS, Mar 29. 1937 - Jan 2. 1959) Santos as Oliver Drexton was in support (Oct 1940 - Mar 1941) of that other Nikki Porter: Kaye Brinker.

1941 proved equally busy for our radio actor: he could be heard in the comedy-whodunit series The Amazing Mr. Smith (Mutual, Apr 7. - Jun 30. 1941); (unsuccessfully) auditioned for the lead part of The Adventures of the Thin Man (NBC) opposite to Claudia Morgan; did a stint in Voice of Freedom (NBC Blue, July 3. 1941); and was briefly heard in the popular soaps When a Girl Marries (CBS, 1941-42) and Hilltop House (CBS, 1941-42). On Aug 3. 1941 Santos (NBC Blue, Aug 3. 1941 - Aug 3. 1952) started the first of at least 57 contributions to Inner Sanctum in which he sometimes starred with multiple roles per episode. The host would usher in these proposed tales with dark-humored puns, but the improbable stories themselves were played strictly for thrills. By the time the story reached its conclusion, some kind of logical explanation would prove to take precedence over vampires, ghosts and monsters being the true culprits to the crime. At the conclusion our host would gloomily say, "Good niii-iiight Pleasant dreeeeeaaammmmssss" ... then the door slammed shut for yet another week. And in the Big Sister spin-off Bright Horizon (CBS-Radio Aug 25. 1941 - Jul 6. 1945) Ortega was a regular cast member in the story of a bitter singer who pretends to be a warm-hearted idealistic man. Five actors starred in the title role of the mystery series Bulldog Drummond (Mutual 1941-47 and again from Jan 3. - Mar 28. 1954). The first was George Coulouris, the second was Santos Ortega (Jun 11.1942 - Dec 1942) who was succeeded by Alex Hewitt (Dec 1942), the fourth Ned Wever and in the revival as fifth Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Each portrayed his own version of the dashing Englishman (now "working in the U.S.A.") Capt. Hugh Drummond nicknamed Bulldog for his doggedness in tracking down criminals. Michael and Kitty (NBC Blue, Oct 10. 1941 - Feb 6. 1942) was a swiftly-paced adventure series with (no ordinary) sleuths Michael and Kitty Piper. As husband and wife, a gay, witty and charming couple who lived on Park avenue and spent most of their exciting lives solving some of Manhattan's most baffling crimes. Elizabeth Reller and Santos Ortega played the lead roles and Johnny Gibson was heard as "Doc" Felix, their wise-cracking personal chauffeur.

Above left: CBS Radio soap opera, Big Sister, with sound effects crew. Arnold Moss (as Dr. Reed Bannister); Nancy Marshall (as Ruth Evans); Santos Ortega (as Dr. Duncan Carvell) at City Hospital, and Ora Nichols, CBS director of sound effects (she is on the far right wearing hat). (Nov 26. 1941) Above right: Popular radio serial Helpmate heard daily Monday through Friday over NBC Network. Illustration posed by Arlene Francis as Linda, Santos Ortega as her father (Oct. 1942).

Helpmate (NBC Red, Oct 1941-42, NBC 1942-44) was a short-lived drama about a young single woman Linda trying to make it in the business world in a large unnamed American city. Santos (Oct 8. 1941 - Oct 1942) as Linda's father was part of the supporting cast. When the Blue Theatre Players' program (NBC-Blue, April 5. - Aug 30. 1942) was launched Santos Ortega, Frank Lovejoy and his wife Joan Banks were members of the permanent company who brought plays to the radio. Variety reported on April 22. 1942 that Santos Ortega had taken over the narrator assignment on Let's Fight local recorded show on WEAF. He also cooperated for This Is Our Enemy which was produced in co-operation with the War Production Board (Mutual, in 4 episodes between July 12 . 1942 and Jul 28 1943). That same year (1942) Santos as "Clint Morley" joined the soap Portia Faces Life (CBS, 1940-51). Lucille Wall played "Portia Blake", a young woman lawyer who battled corruption in the small town of Parkerstown. As Clint Morley, candidate for state's attorney, he was determined that Portia, who had secretly married Walter, should love him. Santos Ortega (1943) played the uneccentric Lieutenant Weigand who came to Pam North's rescue each episode of Mr. and Mrs. North (NBC, CBS, 1942-55). Many do remember his title role in The Adventures of Nero Wolfe (mystery). J.B. Williams briefly played the part of Wolfe when the series was first broadcast on the New England Network in mid-1943. When it moved to ABC-Radio later in 1943 Ortega took over the role (Jul 5. 1943 - Sep 27. 1943). Ortega played the overweight, cranky, orchid-loving (10,000 of them on his roof) gourmet who never leaves his home, the epitome of an armchair detective to a tee. Assistant Archie does all the leg-work and brings the clues to his boss who proceeds to solve the mystery. Ortega's signature on the program was his opening each show with a wheeze. Given the events in the world Santos also took part in patriotic programs like Men Machines and Victory (NBC Blue, 1943), Words At War (NBC, Nov 2. 1943 and March 14. 1944), and even started with Treasury Salute (Treasury Department syndication, 15 programs between June 12. 1944 and Jan 28. 1946). In Feb 1944 Ortega became "Bob Sherwood" Green Valley's lovable lawyer and narrator of Green Valley U.S.A. (Mutual, Feb 27.1942-44) patriotic wartime drama which features tales of happenings in the lives of the inhabitants of a small country town. Santos was so busy, running from studio to studio doing shows, that the press department was going slightly nuts trying to clear time for the interviews. After listening to the actor check off his shows, in an attempt to find open time for the interview the agent exclaimed: "Heck, you're a dramatic Charley Cantor!" That actor was famed for sometimes, totaling 40 shows a week. One of he recurrent roles was in the soap Big Sister (CBS-Radio 1936-52) which told the events in the lives of the "Evans sisters". Here Ortega was cast as Dr. Duncan Carvell (1944-49). Quick as a Flash was a quiz first heard over Mutual in 1944. The final round was a mystery featuring a guest detective such as " Nick Carter," " The Falcon," "Ellery Queen" etc. The first contestant to spot the clue that solved the mystery won the round. Occasionally no one could unravel it, so the guest detective gave the solution himself. Among the dramatic cast was Santos Ortega (1944-47). From 1944-46 he was one of four to play famed attorney Perry Mason for CBS-Radio (1941-55). There was more gun-shootin' than court action on radio than on the eventual television series starring Raymond Burr. More "criminal fare" again where Ortega was a regular cast member included Crooked Square (Mutual, 1945) and This is Your FBI which offered dramatized cases taken from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover appeared on the premiere broadcast over ABC on April 6, 1945. With Helen Lewis, Santos Ortega (1945-47). Perhaps his most important stage role on Broadway was the mill manager in Jeb (Martin Beck, 21 feb. - 28 feb 1946), the Robert Ardrey play about a black soldier, played by Ossie Davis, returning to the post World War II South.

Above left: From 1944-46 Ortega was one of four to play famed attorney Perry Mason for CBS-Radio. Above right: Reenacted scene from Big Sister. Diane Ramsey's (Eric Elspeth) Mysterious return from New York City got her to Glen Falls so she could nurse her foster father Dr. Duncan Carvell (Santos Ortega) through a bad heart attack. During the ilness of Glen Falls' kindly veteran G.P., Diane's assistance has been valuable to Dr. John. (Radio Mirror, 1946)

Above left: Big Sister's Dr. Carvell (Santos Ortega) is a kindly, home-spun country doctor who's anxiously trying to revive young Richard Wayne (on the air played by Ruth Shafer) the feeling of security which has been so profoundly disturbed. (1947) Above right: Staats Cotsworth (L) as "District Attorney" and Santos Ortega "Public Defender," are featured in dramatizations of authentic cases that have faced such public servants in the new MBS feature Roger Kilgore, Public Defender. Tuesday evenings (10 to 10:30 pm. EDT) (April 30. 1948).

Early 1947 had Santos in Studio One (CBS, "Dodsworth" May 27. 1947) and began a longer commitment in The Eternal Light (NBC, including repeats more than 100 programs between July 6. 1947 and March 1969, 1976). After a previous one-time guest appearance Oct 30. 1938 in 1947 The Shadow (CBS-Radio to NBC-Radio to Mutual 1930-54) made use of Ortega's fine talent (Mutual, Sep 7. 1947-51) as one of six actors who played Commissioner Weston in this long-running mystery series. Ted De Corsia being one of the other six. Orson Welles at the tender age of twenty-two was the original "Shadow". The somewhat spoiled wealthy playboy & world-traveler who is amazingly proficient with his two revolvers (always with him) and who has the "power to cloud men's minds" through a form of hypnotism thus rendering himself invisible to them. He covers his face because it was damaged when he was "doing spy work for the United States" during World War I. "The Shadow" also known as Lamont Cranston works with police commissioner Weston to root out crime in the big city. Since the character did not appear regularly, Ortega was able to continue his other radio roles without much difficulty or conflict. Santos addressed himself to the role of Charlie Chan in a mystery series which started on NBC-Blue (went to Mutual, to NBC-Red, to ABC-Radio and back to Mutual 1932-48 inclusive) Ortega was the third actor to portray the beloved Oriental detective on radio (Dec 1947 - Jun 21. 1948) , he was preceded by Walter Connally and Ed Begley and followed by the fourth William Rees. The radio audiences adored the delightful Chan,  his wise sayings and the way he solved crimes all over the world aided and abetted by "#1 son Lee" (there were 14 Chan offspring in all). He also played Charlie in Quick as a Flash on Dec 27. 1947. Along the way there was a game show Who-Dun-It for CBS-Radio in 1948... wherein a mystery was shown on stage and one of four audience members who could name the culprit won $100 Bob Dixon hosted and Ortega was Inspector Slade. Santos was heard on Criminal Case Book  (NBC-Radio, 1948) with tales of the sordid lives of criminals. As was the case with a short-lived crime drama series for Mutual in 1948 titled Roger Kilgore, Public Defender with Ortega (Apr 15. - Oct 12. 1948) as a lawyer who defended the indigent. On a personal note Ortega, now divorced, married Cynthia Beckett, a CBS employee, around 1949 (certainly before Sep 1. 1951). They would have two children. Ortega also starred in the title role in the superbly written crime drama The Affairs of Peter Salem (Mutual 1949-53) about a small-town detective who used his wits to thwart big-city lawbreakers. According to critics Santos deserved "some sort of medal for handling that jaw-breaking dialogue with such superb aplomb. He sounds as if he knows what all the words mean, no small accomplishment." Ortega had the title role in the daily crime drama Hannibal Cobb (ABC-Radio 1950-51) playing a private detective who gets involved in his clients' private lives. There was simultaneously a television version of this series starring Chuck Webster. Not much is known about the radio series. On Dimension X (NBC), an anthology radio program featuring science fiction dramas Santos was heard in two episodes (as gangster Duke in "Almost Human", May 13. 1950 and as Arvardan in "Pebble in the Sky", June 17. 1951). The series was renamed to X Minus One and used the same scripts and actors, it had Ortega four times as guest in 1955 (as Chief in "The Man in the Moon", May 29.; as Dr. Klein in "Nightmare", July 21.; as gangster Duke in "Almost Human", Aug 11.; and as high priest Sor during a total eclipse of the Sun "Nightfall", Dec 7.).

Above left and right: View inside the radio studio during a performance of City Hospital on CBS radio (1951-1958). Santos Ortega opposite an unknown co-star. James Hayes, director is seen in the background.

In City Hospital (CBS-Radio, Oct 6. 1951 - Nov 8. 1958) he had (1951-53) the lead role of Dr. Barton Crane, the medical director of a big city hospital and his concern for and involvement in the lives of the patients. The radio version eventually became a television series (on TV 1951-53 Crane was played by Melville Ruick). Ortega, however, seemed to gravitate towards crime series. The coming of television did startle Santos somewhat as we learn from this newspaper clip "Two veterans of 20 years of radio acting, Michael Fitzmaurice and Santos Ortega, explained their mistrust of television the other day with the simple universal word - money. They are making a very good and very easy living in radio. Now this is seriously threatened says Mr. Fitzmaurice. Ortega is as sour on television as Fitzmaurice but differs with him on one point. He thinks radio actors should get into television for experience in case radio just vanishes some day." (Article: Many Radio Stars Wish Video Wasn't Invested by John Crosby, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sep 25, 1949). How right he was in both thinking and execution! Santos had no trouble switching over to TV because he had originally been a stage actor and knew most of the casting directors.

Above left: (L-R) John Derek, Erin O'Brien-Moore, Santos Ortega, Carl Benton Reid in the film The Family Secret (1951). Above right: This is Nora Drake was heard over CBS radio (April 1954). Pictured here in their radio roles, are Bill Quinn as Fred Molina, Joan Tomkins a Nora Drake, Everett Sloane as Lee King, and Santos Ortega as Dan Welch.

Santos also made a couple of movies: The Family Secret (Santana, Oct 24. 1951) and later Crowded Paradise (Ben Gradus, June 21. 1956). He still continued to act in radio, but mainly in "one-off" appearances. Reportedly Santos was first heard on TV in a Chevron seat belt commercial. Santos made a second career of television commercials. On the TV version of  (Westinghouse) Studio One, a pinnacle of the Golden Age of Television, which presented a wide range of memorable dramas Santos played in "The Roman Kid" (CBS, Aug 3. 1953). Twenty-First Precinct (CBS radio, July 7. 1953 - July 26. 1956) was a police drama broadcast. CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for this series and to focus on the happenings in an actual police precinct. The premise was to put the listener into the drama from the opening phone call until the final report was written. Santos Ortega (Dec 25. 1953 - Jan 13. 1956.) appeared frequently as Lt. Patrick "Red" Gorman.  Santos joined This is Nora Drake (NBC-CBS radio, Oct 27. 1947 - Jan 2. 1959) a serial drama in 1954 as "Dan Welch" opposite Joan Tompkins as "Nora Drake". Each week The Way of the World (NBC, 1955) a soap opera on TV told a different story in five episodes. Santos was seen both in the week for Jan 17. 1955 and starting Jan 31. 1955 in the episodes called "The Bewitched Spinster". While in 1956 he continued to work in several series: Aunt Jennie Real Life Stories (CBS, 1956) with Santos (as Jim Coy); Indictment (CBS, Feb 12. 1956 -58); My True Story (ABC, 1956);  Whispering Streets (ABC, 1956) with Gertrude Warner; and Paging the New (ABC, 1956) there was a TV-contract initially for a few episodes coming up which turned out to be something else!

Top: "Surrounded by a loving wife and the gay laughter of young children, Santos Ortega is a very happy man." (April 1964) Above left: April 1966 - One, two, three: and so begins the eleventh year for the top-rated daytime dramatic series, As the World Turns, televised Mondays through Fridays, 1:30-2:00 PM; ET, over the CBS Television Network. Here, Santos Ortega and Helen Wagner, who play Grandpa and Nancy Hughes, two of the key characters on the series, blow out the candles, marking 10 successful years of As the World Turns. Above right:  William "Grandpa" Hughes (Santos Ortega).

On TV** he was hired for a single shot as William "Grandpa" Hughes in the soap opera As The World Turns and the over-all reaction was so good he was handed the part permanently, a role he held for 20 years (April 2. 1956-76) (Above right). ATWT was #1 in soaps for 20 years (1958-78).Ortega as Grandpa and veteran actress Helen Wagner (50 years in the same role!) were performing in a scene on a live set when they were interrupted (unbeknownst to them) by a bulletin announcing that President John F. Kennedy had been shot. They finished their scene and left the set and it was then that they heard the dreadful news. Almost immediately Walter Cronkite came on with a permanent interruption. It was a day the actors would never forget. ATWT was the first daytime 1/2 hour soap. It accumulated 42 Daytime Emmy Awards. Another cast member Don Hastings has played Dr. Bob Hughes for 45 years. Some of the soap's graduates include Marisa Tomei, Meg Ryan, Cicely Tyson and the marvelously-voiced James Earl Jones.

When it was announced in As The World Turns that Grandpa Hughes was about to celebrate his 70th birthday (Sep 1963) and any viewer who'd like to drop the old boy a card was welcome to do so. A few days later a messenger from the production crew wandered over to the advertising agency's mailroom to pick up the program's fan letters. After surveying the scene he sent out an SOS for a two-ton truck because Grandpa Hughes had made a notable contribution to solving the postal deficit via an unbelievable onslaught of 180,000 birthday cards. In the wake of ABC's great success with its prime-time soap opera Peyton Place, CBS decided to try its own version and its first venture in the prime-time television with its form that premiered May 5. 1965 titled Our Private World. This series was a spin-off from its highly successful daytime serial As The World Turns. Santos played "Pa Hughes" in the first episode. While Santos continued to perform for radio, his focus was on As The World Turns. In 1974 en 1975 he was heard 4 times in CBS Radio Mystery Theatre. "A Very Old Man" (Jan/Mar 1974) featured Santos in the story of an elderly man with supernatural healing powers. When Santos took ill and it seemed likely that he would die, the show's writers decided to have Grandpa marry and go off to live with his new wife on a farm with his son John. This way when Ortega did die, the actors who had come to be his close friends and colleagues over the years were spared having to deal with Grandpa's death in the storyline until some months after the did of the actor himself. Ortega died on April 10. 1976 in Broward General Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida from the effects of cancer. He was visiting Florida. He lived recently in Tenafly. N.J. Some weeks later, the writers had Grandpa pass away too, his daughter-in-law found him seemingly asleep in his favorite chair.

So on Friday, June 4, 1976, something unique happened on CBS. A eulogy for Ortega was delivered on as part of the regular As the World Turns episode. Only once before had the death of an actor in a popular daytime series been publicly acknowledged, and the grief of the passing shared with viewers (the previous time, in 1973, it was for Theo Goetz who had been in the cast of The Guiding Light, written by the same team). "Sandy" was a too great a friend to his colleagues, and too admired by millions of fans not to receive this final tribute. A good part of an hour episode was devoted to Grandpa's funeral, the emotions needed no rehearsing; they were for Santos. The character died but Grandpa was such a driving, well-loved force in the family that he was scripted in for several months after his passing. Santos Ortega was one of the stalwarts of Old Time Radio. Where his career is concerned there can never be any doubt about either his talent or his versatility.

Notes: * The show was revived for radio in 1944 and 1957 and had both TV and film versions. ** While many sources seem to suggest that Santos appeared in TV's The Brighter Day      (1954-55) this seems untrue. All dates for movies are for the first US release. All dates for TV programs are original first airdates. All dates for (radio) plays are for the time span the actor was involved. Facts in red still need confirmation.

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Other references (1) Old Time Radio column by the late Betsy W, Betsy Weinberg, 5 Mar 2009 (2) Wikipedia (3) RUSC (4) IMDb (5) Santos Ortega: Any Detective He Didn't Play?, Jim Widner, Radio Recall,      2013 (6) IBDB (7) OTRRpedia (8) Radiogoldindex (9) Playbill.com Additional video & audio sources (1) Santos in As The World Turns (YouTube video clip, 1950s) (2) The Man who Played God (Ford Theater, Dec 21, 1947) (3) Old Time Radio downloads (4) CBS Radio Mystery Theatre "A Very Old Man" 1974 (5) CBS Radio Mystery Theatre (links to all 4 episodes) (6) Twenty First Precinct episodes on YouTube (7) Inner Sanctum episodes on Youtube

This actor profile is a part of Ellery Queen a website on deduction. The actor above played Inspector Queen in the Ellery Queen radio series. Click Uncle Sam if you think you can help out...! Many of the profiles on this site have been compiled after very careful research of various sources. Please quote and cite ethically!

Page first published on Oct 21. 2013  Latest update February 26. 2024

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