[2] He was signed to a contract by Louis B. Mayer and listed as a Metro-Goldwyn principal player in the same year.
'[5] Like other Latino actors in silent-era Hollywood, he had adapted a WASPy screen name, which stood in contrast to his dark features, a look that was popular at the time.
Despite this, he was still cast almost exclusively as secondary ethnic characters, unlike his contemporaries in silent-era Hollywood like Gilbert Roland and Barry Norton (a fellow Argentine).
[6] The coming of sound found Paul Ellis relegated to bit parts, though he did secure some substantial roles in Spanish-language versions of English-language films such as La Voluntad del muerto (1930).
[7][8][9] Ellis also appeared in Charros, gauchos y manolas, a musical directed by Xavier Cugat.