Villain of the Month: Nestor Paiva
To paraphrase James Brown, Nestor Paiva was the hardest working character actor in Hollywood. Unlike most stage actors, Paiva didn’t go to Broadway and get discovered, he stayed in California, where he was discovered in a production of The Drunkard, a production he would remain with for over ten years while appearing in countless films.
A quick overview of his film credits includes Another Thin Man (1939), The Sea Hawk (1940), Hold That Ghost (1942), The Road to Morocco (1942), The Road to Utopia (1946), The Road to Rio (1947) (he was very popular in the Hope / Crosby films), the Jungle Jim thriller Killer Ape (1953), Elvis’ Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962). Of course he is best remembered today by horror fans as the crusty captain of the Rita in Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) and Revenge of the Creature (1955).
His serial work was not as prolific. He played a minor henchman in Columbia’s The Spider’s Web (1938). Republic cast him as Count Baroni, one of three Axis agents committing sabotage against Canada in King of the Mounties (1942). His final serial was playing spy master The Scorpion, sabotaging the U.S. war effort in Universal’s Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (1943).
A real trooper, Paiva died in harness, passing away while working on William Castle’s The Spirit is Willing (1967).
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment