Ramon Novarro, the silent movie star of classic films such as Ben Hur and The Silver Chalice, kept many things to himself. Rudolph Valentino’s best friend's biggest secret was his preference for sex with men, especially young adult males.
Unfortunately, one of Novarro’s peccadilloes led to his murder.
On Oct. 30, 1968, Novarro invited over two brothers, Paul and Tom Ferguson, for a quiet evening at his estate in Studio City. He was hoping for a night of intimacy with one of the two young men. The Fergusons, on the other hand, were looking to fatten their bank accounts. Older brother Paul heard that Novarro kept a large amount of money hidden away in his mansion.
That night, Novarro and Paul Ferguson engaged in a sexual encounter. After the tryst was complete, Paul turned the tables on Novarro and demanded the actor’s secret stash. Novarro sheepishly admitted that he had no money on him. He offered to pay the Fergusons with a check. But the Fergusons knew Novarro was not broke. In fact, they knew he was quite wealthy. His money, however, was tied up in the bank and stock market. He was not fond of carrying cash.
The news did not sit well with Paul Ferguson. The 22-year-old hustler decided Novarro was lying so he began to beat the information out of the actor. For several hours, Ferguson tortured Novarro with a silver cane. He pummeled the 68-year-old former movie star on the back, stomach and groin areas with the makeshift weapon that left numerous black and blue bruises all over the actor’s body.
Though none of the cane blows proved to be fatal, Novarro eventually choked to death on his own blood.
