Peter J. Ortiz

Pierre (Peter) Julien Ortiz OBE (July 5, 1913 – May 16, 1988) was a United States Marine Corps colonel who received two Navy Crosses for extraordinary heroism as a major in World War II. He served in North Africa and Europe during the war, as a member of the French Foreign Legion, the Marine Corps, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), operating behind enemy lines several times. Ortiz also acted in Hollywood films after the war. He was one of very few Marines who served in combat in Europe during World War II, and one of the most decorated Marine officers of the war.

Early life Ortiz was born in New York to an American mother of Swiss descent and a French-born Spanish father. He was educated at the University of Grenoble in France. He spoke ten languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German and Arabic.

French Foreign Legion On February 1, 1932, at the age of 18, Ortiz joined the French Foreign Legion for five years' service in North Africa. He was sent to the Legion's training camp at Sidi Bel Abbès in French Algeria. He later served in Morocco, where he was promoted to corporal in 1933 and sergeant in 1935. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre twice during a campaign against the Riffian people. He was promoted to captain on December 3. He appeared in a number of films, several with director John Ford, including Rio Grande, in which he played "Captain St. Jacques". According to his son, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Peter J. Ortiz, Jr., "My father was an awful actor but he had great fun appearing in movies".

Ortiz's acting career floundered during the 1950s, and in 1955 he advertised for work in movie trade publications. Ortiz lived in a small tract house in Tarzana, California, with his wife and 19-month-old son. He told Aline Mosby of United Press International that a movie producer had promised to promote his career when he appeared on the radio program This Is Your Life in 1951, but that promised opportunities in film had not materialized and that he had only obtained work as an extra. His ad said that he was "willing and able to do anything".

He also appeared in one episode of the short-lived TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger (1953).

Death Ortiz died of cancer on May 16, 1988, at the age of 74 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Plot: Section 59 Site 1269. He was survived by his wife Jean and their son Peter J. Ortiz Jr.

In August 1994, the village of Montgirod, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, renamed its town hall square the "Place du Colonel Peter Ortiz".

Military decorations Ortiz was the most highly decorated member of the OSS.

Citation:

Complete filmography