Exceedingly rare, uncommonly early and just terrific 8x10-inch black and white portrait, looking uncharacteristically sophisticated in a top hat, tuxedo and opera cape, boldly signed and inscribed in black fountain pen during his silent movie heyday in 1920. In good condition, with minor toning to the corner tops and a few light surface creases. Plug-ugly, simian wrestler-turned-character actor Bull Montana appeared in scores of silent westerns and serials, and was memorable in several important horror, sci-fi, fantasy, crime, and mystery films, often playing dimwitted thugs, or clad in costume as gorillas, troglodytes and hirsute monsters. He memorably played the Ape-Man in Lost World (1925) and the Monkey Man in Flash Gordon (1936).

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