Ramon Novarro as a rival to Rudolph Valentino, and Ingram suggested he change his name to "Novarro." From 1923, he began to play more prominent roles. His role in "Scaramouche" (1923) brought him his first major success. In 1925, Novarro achieved his greatest success in "Ben-Hur." His revealing costumes caused a sensation. He was elevated into the Hollywood elite. As did many stars, Novarro engaged Sylvia of Hollywood as a therapist (although in her tell-all book, Sylvia erroneously claimed that Novarro slept in a coffin). With Valentino's death in 1926, Novarro became the screen's leading Latin actor, though ranked behind his MGM
Paul Vermoyal in the Charles Burguet directed serial film "The Mysteries of Paris" as Maître Ferrand. The film serial ran in twelve installments and was based on the novel of the same name by Eugène Sue. Other prominent film roles of the era include appearances in the Léonce Perret directed "Koenigsmark" (1923), starring Maurice Lehmann and Huguette Duflos; the Edward José directed "Terreur" (1924), opposite American actress Pearl White; and the American film "The Arab" (1924), directed by Rex Ingram and starring Ramon Novarro and Alice Terry. His final film appearance was in the 1925 Benito Perojo directed "Au-delà de la mort