María Félix
Encyclopedia
María Félix was a Mexican film actress and one of the icons of the golden era of the Cinema of Mexico and also one of the myths of the Spanish language Cinema for her life style and personality . She was more commonly known, particularly in her later years, by the honorific La Doña.
, Mexico
. There is some dispute regarding Miss Félix's date of birth. There is a large (but not unanimous) opinion that she was born on April 8, 1914, which means that she died on her 88th birthday. However, her obituary in The New York Times
states that she was born on May 4, 1914, which would have made her 87 at the time of her death on April 8, 2002. Some claim her birth certificate supports the April 8, 1914 birthdate, although no actual evidence (such as a copy of either the birth or the death certificate) has been presented as concrete evidence .
.
María Félix had one child, Enrique Álvarez Félix
, by her first husband, Enrique Álvarez. Enrique Álvarez Félix was a Mexican telenovela
actor. He predeceased his mother, dying in 1996.
. Palacios presented with the filmmaker Miguel Zacarías, who would give him the opportunity of starring El Peñon de las Animas
alongside Jorge Negrete
.
In 1943 she starred Doña Bárbara
, directed by Fernando de Fuentes and inspired in the novel of the Venezuelan writer Romulo Gallegos
. De Fuentes increased her popularity with such films as La Mujer sin Alma
(1944) and La Devoradora
(1946); the latter making the actress the vamp of Mexican cinema in the 1940s. Although she was a close friend of famous producer-director Cecil B. DeMille
, María Félix never accepted to work on films in Hollywood because she stated that Americans would offer her Native-American roles.
She reportedly lost the only lead role of "Pearl Chavez" in the 1945 film Duel in the Sun, although it was written with her in mind, to Jennifer Jones, reportedly due to work commitments in Europe. As a result, she never achieved the fame in the USA that she achieved in Latin America and Europe. In 1946, she came under the influence of director Emilio Fernández
, with whom she made the films Enamorada
(1946), Río Escondido (1947) and Maclovia
(1948), launched her career throughout Europe.
She worked in Spain in Mare Nostrum
in 1948 and Sonatas directed by Juan Antonio Bardem. In France, with greats such as Jean Renoir
(French Cancan
,1954) and Luis Buñuel
(La fièvre monte à El Pao
, 1960), and played in Italian films like Mesalina
(1951),alternating with stars like Rossano Brazzi
, Vittorio Gassman
, Jean Gabin
, Françoise Arnoul
, Yves Montand
, Jack Palance
, Fernando Rey
, Francisco Rabal
and others. In 1959, she starred the movie La Cucaracha
, with Dolores del Río
. In 1966, María Félix was given the lead role in La Valentina
(1966), an adventure drama centering on the Mexican Revolution
, where she sang the song "El güero aventao" with co-star Eulalio González
.
In later years, her films were inspired by the Mexican Revolution
as La Escondida (1955), La Cucaracha
(1959),
Juana Gallo (1961), La Valentina
(1966), and La Generala (1970), her last film.
who won four Group One
races including the 1974 British Classic, the 2,000 Guineas. When Berger died in 1974, Félix inherited his multi-million dollar thoroughbred horse racing stable.
wrote many songs for her, among them the famous María Bonita. It has been recorded by many singers including Plácido Domingo
. Other song writers also composed songs for her, like María de Todas las Marías by Juan Gabriel
.
Félix was painted by many artists, including Diego Rivera
, Leonor Fini
, Leonora Carrington
, Stanislao Lepri, Bridget Tichenor
and Antoine Tzapoff.
In 1949, Diego Rivera
painted a portrait of her, which Félix classified as "muy malo" ("really bad"). This portrait; was originally intended to premiere in a retrospective on Rivera's work but Félix did not allow the painting to be displayed, as she never liked it. She did keep it for many years though, until she sold it to Mexican singer Juan Gabriel.
In fashion, Félix was dressed by designers like Christian Dior
, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Balenciaga
. The House of Hermès
(Couture Department) designed extravagant creations just for her. She was a noted collector of fine antiques. She favored important pieces like her famous collection of Second Empire
furniture. She was also a jewellery connoisseur and had an extensive jewelry collection, including the 41.37 carat (8.274 g), D-flawless "Ashoka" diamond. In 1968, Félix commissioned a serpent diamond necklace from Cartier Paris
. The result was an impressive, completely articulated serpent made out of platinum and white gold and encrusted with 178.21 carats (35.642 g) of diamonds. In 1975, she again asked Cartier to create a necklace for her, this time in the shape of two crocodiles. The two crocodile bodies were made of 524.9 grams of gold, one covered with 1,023 fancy yellow diamonds, while the other was adorned with 1,060 circular cut emeralds.
Since Félix's death, these jewellery pieces have been displayed as part of The Art of Cartier Collection in several museums around the world. To pay tribute to the actress, in 2006 Cartier debuted its La Doña de Cartier collection. The La Doña de Cartier watch with reptilian links was created to impress by its wild look. The case of the La Doña de Cartier features a trapezoid shape with asymmetrical profile reminding a crocodile's head. The wristband of the watch resembles the contours of a crocodile in large, bold and gold scales. The La Doña de Cartier Collection also includes jewellery, accessories, and leather handbags.
Biography
She was born María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña in Álamos, SonoraSonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. There is some dispute regarding Miss Félix's date of birth. There is a large (but not unanimous) opinion that she was born on April 8, 1914, which means that she died on her 88th birthday. However, her obituary in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
states that she was born on May 4, 1914, which would have made her 87 at the time of her death on April 8, 2002. Some claim her birth certificate supports the April 8, 1914 birthdate, although no actual evidence (such as a copy of either the birth or the death certificate) has been presented as concrete evidence .
Family
Félix was one of twelve children born to Bernardo Félix, of partial Yaqui descent, and Josefina Güereña, who was of Spanish descentSpanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
.
María Félix had one child, Enrique Álvarez Félix
Enrique Álvarez Félix
Enrique Álvarez Félix was a Mexican actor, he died of a heart attack on 24 May 1996. He was the son of legendary Mexican actress, María Félix, and her first husband, Enrique Álvarez.-Telenovelas:* Corazón salvaje...
, by her first husband, Enrique Álvarez. Enrique Álvarez Félix was a Mexican telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
actor. He predeceased his mother, dying in 1996.
Career
María Félix was discovered by businessman Fernando Palacios in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Palacios presented with the filmmaker Miguel Zacarías, who would give him the opportunity of starring El Peñon de las Animas
El Peñon de las Animas
El Peñón de las Ánimas is a Mexican movie of 1942, directed by Miguel Zacarías and starring by Jorge Negrete and María Félix...
alongside Jorge Negrete
Jorge Negrete
Jorge Alberto Negrete Moreno is considered one of the most popular Mexican singers and actors of all time....
.
In 1943 she starred Doña Bárbara
Doña Bárbara (1943 film)
Doña Bárbara is a 1943 Mexican romantic drama film directed by Fernando de Fuentes and starring María Félix and Julián Soler. The film is based on the novel Doña Bárbara by Venezuelan author Rómulo Gallegos, who also co-wrote the screenplay.-Plot:...
, directed by Fernando de Fuentes and inspired in the novel of the Venezuelan writer Romulo Gallegos
Rómulo Gallegos
Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of some nine months during 1948, he was the first cleanly elected president in his country's history....
. De Fuentes increased her popularity with such films as La Mujer sin Alma
La Mujer sin Alma
La Mujer sin Alma is a Mexican movie of 1944, directed by Fernando de Fuentes and starring by María Félix.- Plot :The movie is a cinematographic version of a novel of Alphonse Daudet...
(1944) and La Devoradora
La devoradora
La devoradora is a 1946 Mexican film. It was directed byFernando de Fuentes....
(1946); the latter making the actress the vamp of Mexican cinema in the 1940s. Although she was a close friend of famous producer-director Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
, María Félix never accepted to work on films in Hollywood because she stated that Americans would offer her Native-American roles.
She reportedly lost the only lead role of "Pearl Chavez" in the 1945 film Duel in the Sun, although it was written with her in mind, to Jennifer Jones, reportedly due to work commitments in Europe. As a result, she never achieved the fame in the USA that she achieved in Latin America and Europe. In 1946, she came under the influence of director Emilio Fernández
Emilio Fernández
Emilio "El Indio" Fernández was an actor, screenwriter and director of the cinema of Mexico. He is best known for his work as director of the film Maria Candelaria which won the Grand Prix at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Early life:Fernández was born in Mineral del Hondo, Coahuila...
, with whom she made the films Enamorada
Enamorada (1946 film)
Enamorada is a 1946 Mexican drama film directed by Emilio Fernández and starring María Félix and Pedro Armendáriz.-Plot summary:...
(1946), Río Escondido (1947) and Maclovia
Maclovia (1948 film)
Maclovia is a 1948 Mexican romantic drama film directed by Emilio Fernández and starring María Félix and Pedro Armendáriz.-Plot summary:...
(1948), launched her career throughout Europe.
She worked in Spain in Mare Nostrum
Mare Nostrum
Mare Nostrum may refer to:*Mare Nostrum, the Roman term for the Mediterranean Sea, adopted by Italian nationalists and fascists.*Mare Nostrum , a Spanish-language novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez...
in 1948 and Sonatas directed by Juan Antonio Bardem. In France, with greats such as Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
(French Cancan
French Cancan
French Cancan is a 1954 French musical film written and directed by Jean Renoir and starring Jean Gabin and María Félix.-Plot:Set in 1890s Paris, Henri Danglard is the owner of a cafe, which features his mistress, Lola, as a belly dancer...
,1954) and Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
(La fièvre monte à El Pao
La fièvre monte à El Pao
La fièvre monte à El Pao is a 1959 film by director Luis Buñuel....
, 1960), and played in Italian films like Mesalina
Mesalina
Mesalina is a genus of wall lizards of the family Lacertidae. It has fourteen described species.-Species:*Mesalina adramitana - *Mesalina ayunensis - Arnold, 1980*Mesalina bahaeldini - Segoli Cohen & Werner, 2002...
(1951),alternating with stars like Rossano Brazzi
Rossano Brazzi
-Biography:Brazzi was born in Bologna to Adelmo and Maria Brazzi. He attended San Marco University in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four...
, Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman
Vittorio Gassman Knight Grand Cross OMRI , popularly known as Il Mattatore, was an Italian theatre and film actor and director...
, Jean Gabin
Jean Gabin
-Biography:Born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, he grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise département, about 22 mi north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly...
, Françoise Arnoul
Françoise Arnoul
Françoise Arnoul is a French actress, who achieved popularity with her cute and sexy charm, especially during the 1950s.Born Françoise Annette Marie Mathilde Gautsch in Constantine, France , as the daughter of stage actress Janine Henry and artillery general Charles Gautsch, she has two brothers...
, Yves Montand
Yves Montand
-Early life:Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, the son of poor peasants Giuseppina and Giovanni Livi, a broommaker. Montand's mother was a devout Catholic, while his father held strong Communist beliefs. Because of the Fascist regime in Italy, Montand's family left for France in...
, Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
, Fernando Rey
Fernando Rey
Fernando Casado Arambillet , best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and TV actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States...
, Francisco Rabal
Francisco Rabal
Francisco Rabal , perhaps better known as Paco Rabal, was a Spanish actor born in Águilas, a small town in the province of Murcia, Spain....
and others. In 1959, she starred the movie La Cucaracha
La Cucaracha
"La Cucaracha" is a traditional Spanish folk corrido that became popular in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. It has additionally become a verse played on car horns.-Origins:...
, with Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood...
. In 1966, María Félix was given the lead role in La Valentina
La Valentina
La Valentina is a 1966 Mexican revolutionary comedy-drama film directed Rogelio A. González, and starring María Félix and Eulalio González with José Elías Moreno, José Venegas "El Bronco", and Raúl Meraz as the supporting cast...
(1966), an adventure drama centering on the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, where she sang the song "El güero aventao" with co-star Eulalio González
Eulalio Gonzalez
Eulalio González , also known as "Piporro", was a Mexican film actor, singer, screenwriter, and director. He became a famous leading man in films from the late 1950s through the 1960s usually portraying comical "norteño"-type characters from Nuevo León...
.
In later years, her films were inspired by the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
as La Escondida (1955), La Cucaracha
La Cucaracha
"La Cucaracha" is a traditional Spanish folk corrido that became popular in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. It has additionally become a verse played on car horns.-Origins:...
(1959),
Juana Gallo (1961), La Valentina
La Valentina
La Valentina is a 1966 Mexican revolutionary comedy-drama film directed Rogelio A. González, and starring María Félix and Eulalio González with José Elías Moreno, José Venegas "El Bronco", and Raúl Meraz as the supporting cast...
(1966), and La Generala (1970), her last film.
Relationships
Her last husband was a French banker, Alex Berger, whom she married in 1956. Berger's company Monclova raced thoroughbred horses, achieving notable success with the colt NonoalcoNonoalco
Nonoalco was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who raced in France. He was out of the mare Seximee, a daughter of the 1954 Preakness Stakes winner Hasty Road...
who won four Group One
Group One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
races including the 1974 British Classic, the 2,000 Guineas. When Berger died in 1974, Félix inherited his multi-million dollar thoroughbred horse racing stable.
In music, art and fashion
Agustín LaraAgustín Lara
Agustín Lara was a Mexican singer and songwriter.-Biography:Lara was born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. Later, the Lara family had to move again to Mexico City, establishing their house in the borough of Coyoacán. After Lara's mother died, Agustín and his siblings lived in a hospice run by their...
wrote many songs for her, among them the famous María Bonita. It has been recorded by many singers including Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
. Other song writers also composed songs for her, like María de Todas las Marías by Juan Gabriel
Juan Gabriel
Alberto Aguilera Valadez , better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel , is a Mexican singer and songwriter who is one of the most famous living representatives of the Mexican ranchera, ballad, mariachi, and pop music....
.
Félix was painted by many artists, including Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
, Leonor Fini
Leonor Fini
Leonor Fini was an Argentine surrealist painter.-Life and work:Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she was raised in Trieste, Italy. She moved to Milan at the age of 17, and then to Paris, in either 1931 or 1932...
, Leonora Carrington
Leonora Carrington
Leonora Carrington OBE was a British-born Mexican artist, a surrealist painter and a novelist. She lived most of her life in Mexico City.-Early life:...
, Stanislao Lepri, Bridget Tichenor
Bridget Bate Tichenor
Bridget Bate Tichenor , also known as Bridget Tichenor or B.B.T., was a Mexican surrealist painter of fantastic art in the school of magic realism and a fashion editor...
and Antoine Tzapoff.
In 1949, Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
painted a portrait of her, which Félix classified as "muy malo" ("really bad"). This portrait; was originally intended to premiere in a retrospective on Rivera's work but Félix did not allow the painting to be displayed, as she never liked it. She did keep it for many years though, until she sold it to Mexican singer Juan Gabriel.
In fashion, Félix was dressed by designers like Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Balenciaga
Balenciaga
Balenciaga is a fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Basque designer, born in the Basque Country, Spain. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior. His bubble skirts and odd, feminine, yet ultra-modern...
. The House of Hermès
Hermès
Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès is a French high fashion house established in 1837, today specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear...
(Couture Department) designed extravagant creations just for her. She was a noted collector of fine antiques. She favored important pieces like her famous collection of Second Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
furniture. She was also a jewellery connoisseur and had an extensive jewelry collection, including the 41.37 carat (8.274 g), D-flawless "Ashoka" diamond. In 1968, Félix commissioned a serpent diamond necklace from Cartier Paris
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
. The result was an impressive, completely articulated serpent made out of platinum and white gold and encrusted with 178.21 carats (35.642 g) of diamonds. In 1975, she again asked Cartier to create a necklace for her, this time in the shape of two crocodiles. The two crocodile bodies were made of 524.9 grams of gold, one covered with 1,023 fancy yellow diamonds, while the other was adorned with 1,060 circular cut emeralds.
Since Félix's death, these jewellery pieces have been displayed as part of The Art of Cartier Collection in several museums around the world. To pay tribute to the actress, in 2006 Cartier debuted its La Doña de Cartier collection. The La Doña de Cartier watch with reptilian links was created to impress by its wild look. The case of the La Doña de Cartier features a trapezoid shape with asymmetrical profile reminding a crocodile's head. The wristband of the watch resembles the contours of a crocodile in large, bold and gold scales. The La Doña de Cartier Collection also includes jewellery, accessories, and leather handbags.