Rocío Espinosa López-Cepero (18 February 1931 – 17 March 2023), known professionally as Laura or Laurita Valenzuela (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlawɾa lawˈɾita βalenˈθwela]), was a Spanish television presenter, actress and model. She was one of the first television presenters in Spain appearing in the early broadcasts of Televisión Española (TVE). In 1969, she hosted the Eurovision Song Contest held in Madrid.
Laura Valenzuela | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Valenzuela in 2012 | |
| Born | Rocío Espinosa López-Cepero 18 February 1931 Seville, Spain |
| Died | 17 March 2023 (aged 92) Madrid, Spain |
| Other names | Laurita Valenzuela |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1954–2006 |
| Spouse |
José Luis Dibildos
(m. 1971; died 2002) |
| Children | 1 |
Valenzuela received the Iris Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Spanish Television Academy in 2012.
Biography
editBorn in Seville on 18 February 1931,[1] her first job was in a store in Madrid as a haute couture model. She made her film debut in 1954 and she was one of the first television presenters in Spain when Televisión Española (TVE) was launched in 1956. Between 1968 and 1970 she co-hosted with Joaquín Prat the musical show Galas del Sábado. She became known in Europe for hosting the 1969 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest held in Madrid.[2][3] In 1970, she co-hosted, also with Prat, the second Festival de la Canción Española that was used as the Spanish national selection for Eurovision that year.[4]
Valenzuela starred in many films from the early 1950s up through the late 1960s. In 1971, when she married film director José Luis Dibildos, she retired from public life and had her daughter, presenter Lara Dibildos. She returned to television in 1990 to host Tele 5 ¿dígame? on Telecinco.[5] She also hosted for that channel the broadcast of the New Year's clock bell strikes live from Puerta del Sol in Madrid to welcome 1991 and 1992.[6] Later on, in 1996, she returned to TVE with the show Mañanas de primera.[2]
Valenzuela retired again in the 2000s when she was treated for breast cancer.[7][8] She recovered but remained retired, apart from occasional collaborations and appearances, such as on 7 December 2006, when she hosted the special show Gala 50 años de TVE, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of TVE, alongside Anne Igartiburu and Paula Vázquez.[9]
Valenzuela died from complications of Alzheimer's disease at La Princesa Hospital in Madrid, on 17 March 2023. She was 92.[2]
Selected filmography
editFilm
edit- High Fashion (1954)[10]
- The Fisher of Songs (1954)[3]
- It Happened in Seville (1955)[11]
- The Tenant (1957)[12]
- The Violet Seller (1958)[13]
- Los tramposos (1959)[14]
- Three Ladies (1960)[15]
- Madame (1961)[16]
- Eva 63 (1963)[17]
- The Daughters of Helena (1963)[18]
- Cyrano and d'Artagnan (1964)[19]
- The Black Tulip (1964)[3]
- Hagan juego, señoras (1964)[20]
- Las noches de Monsieur Max (1966)[21]
- Z7 Operation Rembrandt (1966)[22]
- Amor a la española (1966)[23]
- Demasiadas mujeres para Layton (1967)[24]
- Las que tienen que servir (1967)[25]
- Los subdesarrollados (1968)[26]
- La dinamita está servida (1968)[27]
- De profesión, sus labores (1969)[28]
- Growing Leg, Diminishing Skirt (1970)[28]
- Spaniards in Paris (1971)[3]
Television
edit- Galas del sábado (1968–1970) – TVE – Host with Joaquín Prat.[3]
- Contamos contigo (1968) – TVE – Host with Joaquín Prat.[3]
- Eurovision Song Contest 1969 – TVE and EBU – Host.[2]
- Festival de la Canción Española 1970 – TVE – Host with Joaquín Prat.[4]
- Tele 5 ¿dígame? (1990–1992) – Telecinco – Host with Javier Basilio, Paloma Lago and Nati Abascal.[2]
- Gala 50 años de TVE (2006) – TVE – Host with Anne Igartiburu and Paula Vázquez.[9]
Accolades
edit| Edition | Awards | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Antena de Oro | Television presenter | Won | [29] | |
| 1971 | CEC Awards | Best Actress | Spaniards in Paris | Won | [30][31] |
| 2005 | TP de Oro | Honorary | Won | [32] | |
| 2012 | Iris Awards | Honorary | Won | [33] | |
Legacy
editOn 30 September 2024, Correos, the Spanish postal service, issued a sheet of stamps in tribute to her as part of its Spanish cinema series.[34]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Laura Valenzuela". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Muere Laura Valenzuela, primera presentadora de televisión en España, a los 92 años". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Muere Laura Valenzuela a los 92 años". El Mundo (in Spanish). 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Segundo Festival de la Canción Española". RTVE (in Spanish). 14 February 1970.
- ^ "Laura Valenzuela vuelve a TV con ≪Tele 5, ¿dígame?≫". abc.es (in Spanish). 6 October 1990. p. 124. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
- ^ Granda, Gerardo (17 March 2023). "Laura Valenzuela: the first television presenter in Spain". La Razón (in Spanish).
- ^ Cortázar, Beatriz (18 January 2005). "Laura Valenzuela en Houston para operarse de un cancer". abc.es (in Spanish). Vocento. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ Lorente, Celia (25 February 2011). "TIEMPO CUENTA LA HISTORIA DE MUJERES FAMOSAS QUE VENCIERON EL CÁNCER" [Valenzuela breast cancer battle]. tiempodehoy.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ a b "La gala del 50º aniversario de TVE fue seguida por 4.800.000 espectadores, un 34% de la audiencia". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 9 December 2006. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
- ^ "Alta Costura". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Sucedió en Sevilla". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "El Inquilino". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "La Violetera". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Leblanc, Tony; Velasco, Concha; Ozores, Antonio; Valenzuela, Laura; Calvo, Juan; Riquelme, Antonio; López Vázquez, José Luis; Gómez Bur, Manolo; Muro, Venancio; Orjas, José; Bernal, Francisco; Briones, Félix; Puente, Jesús; Riquelme, Juan; Ávila, Enrique; Vega, Vicente; Pascual, Erasmo; Santiago, Emilio; Sánchez Polack, Fernando; Merino, Fernando; Torre de la Fuente, Eduardo; Lazaga, Pedro; Guillot, Fernando; Ampuero, Ángel; Merino, Manuel; Martín, Miguel; Santacana, Alfonso; García Abrl, Antón; Dibildos, José Luis. "Los tramposos (data sheet)". Filmoteca de Catalunya. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Trío de Damas". ICAA Catalogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "MADAME SANS-GENE (1961)". BFI. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Eva 63". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Las hijas de Helena". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Archer, Eugene (26 September 1964). "Cyrano et d Artagnan (1962): A Swashbuckler". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
- ^ "FEU À VOLONTÉ (1964)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Las noches de Monsieur Max". ICAS Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Z.7 Operación Rembrandt". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Amor a la española". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Demasiadas mujeres para Layton". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Velasco, Concha; Soler Leal, Amparo; Valenzuela, Laura; Gómez Bur, Manolo; Landa, Alfredo; Sazatornil "Saza", José; Cottens, Margot; Morgan, Lina; Isla, Sinesio; Cofiño, Adolfo; Forqué, José María; Paniagua, Cecilio; Dibildos, José Luis; Nieva, Petra de; García Abrl, Antón; Dibildos, José Luis. "Las que tienen que servir (data sheet)". Filmoteca de Catalunya. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Leblanc, Tony; Landa, Alfredo; Valenzuela, Laura; Morgan, Lina; Gómez Bur, Manolo; Silva, María; Soto, Luchy; Pascual, Erasmo; González, Marisol; Isla, Sinesio; Cofiño, Adolfo; Merino, Fernando; Montoya, Enrique; Rojas, Manuel; Dibildos, José Luis; Paso, Alfonso; Nieva, Petra de; García Abril, Antón; Dibildos, José Luis. "Los Subdesarrollados (data sheet)". Filmoteca de Catalunya. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "La dinamita está servida". ICAA Catálogo de Cine Español. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Laura Valenzuela". BFI. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Concesión de las "Antenas de Oro"". ABC (in Spanish) (Seville ed.). 5 July 1969. p. 66. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Entrega de Premios". ABC (in Spanish) (Madrid ed.). 21 April 1972. p. 96. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Premios del CEC a la producción española de 1971". CEC, Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "La serie 'Aída' de Tele 5 triunfa en los TP de Oro". El País (in Spanish). 7 March 2006. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Premios Iris 2012, de la Academia TV, en directo". FormulaTV (in Spanish). 4 July 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Spanish cinema: Laura Valenzuela". Correos (in Spanish). 30 September 2024.
External links
edit
- Laura Valenzuela at IMDb
- La vida de Laura Valenzuela, en fotos, Valenzuela photos at El País
- Laura Valenzuela, the first presenter in Spain
