Dolores del Río (August 3, 1904 - April 11, 1983) was a Mexican actress of the 20th century, active in 53 feature films, 1 telemovies and 8 stage plays over 53 years from 1925 and 1978.
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Del Río began her career in Hollywood in 1925 and made her film debut in Joanna. Over the next five decades, she appeared in a range of genres, including contemporary crime melodramas, musical films, comedies and romantic dramas.
During the 1920s, her career flourished with success in Silent films such as Resurrection (1927), Ramona (1928) and Evangeline (1929). With the advent of talkies, her Hollywood career continued through the 1930s and until 1943, in notable films such as Bird of Paradise (1932), Flying Down to Rio (1933), Madame Du Barry, Wonder Bar (1934) and Journey into Fear (1943). In 1943, del Río returned to Mexico and became in one of the most important female stars of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Among her most outstanding films in Mexico are Wild Flower (1943), María Candelaria (1943), Las abandonadas (1944), Bugambilia (1944) and La Malquerida (1949).
In the 1960s, del Río opted for work in stage. She starred in successful stage projects in her native country. She also participated in some American TV series. Her final appearance in a theatrically released film was a supporting role in The Children of Sanchez in 1978.
Screen
edit| Films | 53 |
| Telemovies | 1 |
| Theatre | 8 |
| TV documentaries | 1 |
Feature films
edit1925 – 1929
edit1930 – 1942
edit1943 – 1959
edit1960 – 1978
editShort subjects
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1926 | |
| 1930 | Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 14 | |
| 1930 | Screen Snapshots Series 9, No. 23 | |
| 1930 | Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 24 | |
| 1935 | A dream comes true: The Making of An Unusual Motion Picture | |
| 1935 | A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio | |
| 1937 | Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 7 | |
| 1937 | Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 8 | |
| 1939 | Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 10 | |
| 1940 | Meet the Stars # 1: Chinese Garden Festival | |
| 1941 | Meet the Stars # 2: Baby Stars | |
| 1954 | Screen Snapshots: Hollywood goes to Mexico | |
| 1967 | Río Blanco | |
| 1968 | Mexico '68: Instantaneous /Dolores del Río's Mexico | |
| 1983 | Zelig | (Archive Footage) |
Documentary
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Die Filmstad Hollywood | |
| 1956 | Torero! | |
| 1961 | Hollywood: The Golden Years | |
| 1969 | Hollywood: The Selznick Years | |
| 1971 | The American West of John Ford | |
| 1976 | Salsa | |
| 1979 | Mexico de mis amores | |
| 2002 | The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema | |
| 2003 | Dolores del Río: The Mexican Diva of Hollywood | |
| 2012 | Arena : Screen Goddesses |
Television
editTheatre
edit| Year | Play | Role | Theatre | Other notable cast members |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | The Mercury Wonder Show | Many roles | California State Fair | Orson Welles |
| 1956 | Anastacia | Anastacia Romanov | Falmouth Playhouse, Massachusetts | Lili Darvas, Alan Shayne, Stephen Elliott, Boris Tumarin |
| 1958 | Lady Windermere's Fan | Mrs Erlynne | Teatro Virginia Fábregas, Mexico City / Teatro Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina | (México) María Rivas, Carlos Navarro, Joaquín Cordero, Anita Blanch, Tito Junco, (Argentina) Alberto Closas, Ana Luisa Peluffo |
| 1959 | The Road to Rome | Amitis | Teatro de los Insurgentes, Mexico City | Wolf Ruvinskis, Raúl Ramírez, Jorge del Campo, Rosenda Monteros |
| 1961 | La despedida | Herself | Million Dollar Theater, Los Angeles, California | Jorge Martínez de Hoyos |
| 1962 | Ghosts | Mrs. Helen Alving | Sala Chopin, Mexico City | Julián Soler, Adriana Roel, Jorge del Campo, |
| 1963 | Dear Liar: A Comedy of Letter | Mrs. Patrick Campbell | Teatro de los Insurgentes, Mexico City | Ignacio López Tarso |
| 1964 | La Vidente (La Voyante) | La Vidente | Teatro de los Insurgentes, Mexico City | Fernando Luján, Jacqueline Andere, Marilú Elízaga, Blanca Sánchez, Narciso Busquets, Magda Donato, Tamara Garina |
| 1967 | The Queen and the Rebels | Algira | Teatro Hidalgo, Mexico City | Ignacio López Tarso, Narciso Busquets, Patricia Morán |
| 1970 | The Lady of the Camellias | Marguerite Gautier | Teatro Hidalgo, Mexico City | Carlos Bracho, Marilú Elízaga, Germán Robles, Angélica Aragón |
Awards
edit| Year | Film | Result | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Las Abandonadas | Won | Silver Ariel Award | Best Actress |
| 1946 | La Otra | Nominated | Silver Ariel Award | Best Actress |
| 1949 | La Casa Chica | Nominated | Silver Ariel Award | Best Actress |
| 1951 | Doña Perfecta | Won | Silver Ariel Award | Best Actress |
| 1953 | El Niño y la niebla | Won | Silver Ariel Award | Best Actress |
| 1975 | Honorific Award | Won | Golden Ariel Award | Contribution to the Mexican Cinema |
Honorary awards
edit| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | WAMPAS Baby Stars | Promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored thirteen young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. |
| 1943 | Instituto de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de México | Best Actress (Flor Silvestre) |
| 1957 | Asociacion Nacional de Actores | Medal for her outstanding scenic work abroad. |
| 1952 | Neiman Marcus Fashion Award | Medal for the best dressed woman in America |
| 1961 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Motion Pictures (Location: 1630 Vine Street) |
| 1965 | Sarape de Plata (PECIME) | Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the talkies in Mexico. |
| 1967 | Organization of American States | Medal for her cultural contribution to the peoples of America |
| 1974 | Diosa de Plata Award (PECIME) | Motion Pictures Contribution |
| 1975 | Mexican Legion of Honor | Diploma for artistic merit |
| 1978 | Mexican American Institute of Cultural Relations | Award for artistic merit |
| 1982 | George Eastman Award | The George Eastman Award for distinguished contribution to the art of film was established by George Eastman House |
| 1993 | The Four Ladies | The Four Ladies of Hollywood gazebo at the western border of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The domed structure is held aloft by four caryatids sculpted by Harl West to represent the Mexican actress Dolores del Río, African-American actress Dorothy Dandridge, Asian-American actress Anna May Wong and the multi-ethnic, Brooklyn-born actress Mae West |
References
edit- Ramón, David (1997a). Dolores del Río vol. 1: Un cuento de hadas [Dolores del Río vol. 1: A Fairy Tale]. Editorial Clío. ISBN 968-6932-36-4.
- Ramón, David (1997b). Dolores del Río vol. 2: Volver al origen [Dolores del Río vol. 2: Return to the Origin]. Editorial Clío. ISBN 968-6932-37-2.
- Ramón, David (1997c). Dolores del Río vol. 3: Consagración de una Diva [Dolores del Río vol. 3: Consecration of a Diva]. Editorial Clío. ISBN 968-6932-38-0.
- Franco Dunn, Cinta (2003). Grandes Mexicanos Ilustres: Dolores del Río (Great Illustrious Mexicans: Dolores del Río). Promo Libro. ISBN 84-492-0329-5.
- Dolores del Río at IMDb
- Dolores del Río filmography at the TCM Movie Database
- Dolores del Río filmography at the Cinema of Mexico site of the ITESM (in Spanish)