María Félix
Maria Felix | |
|---|---|
| File:María Félix.jpg | |
| Born | María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña |
| Other names | La Doña |
| Years active | 1940 - 1971 |
| Spouse(s) | Enrique Álvarez (1931-1938) Agustín Lara (1943-1947) Jorge Negrete (1952-1953) Alex Berger (1956-1974) |
| Children | Enrique Álvarez Félix (1934-1996) |
María Félix (April 8, 1914 - April 8, 2002) was a Mexican actress, one of the icons of the golden era of the Cinema of Mexico. She was commonly known, particularly in her later years, by the honorific La Doña.
Biography
She was born María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico. There is some dispute regarding Miss Félix's date of birth. There is a large (but not unanimous) opinion (shared by IMDb) that she was born on April 8, 1910, which means that she died on her 92th birthday (April 8, 2002). 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 [citation needed].
Her father, Bernardo Félix, was of Yaqui descent. Her mother, Josefina Güereña, was of Spanish origin and was educated in a convent at Pico Heights, California.
Career
Félix's legendary career started in 1940, when she was approached on the street in Mexico City, where she was vacationing, by Fernando Palacios, who cast her in his 1943 film La China Poblana. She accepted despite the fact that she wasn't an actress and personally believed the story line was absurd. Although she had never acted before, she accepted the challenge because Palacios convinced her that she had the "right look" for the part. The last copy of this film was lost during a fire and another copy has never been found.
Her first movie was El Peñón de las Ánimas in 1942, which placed her alongside Jorge Negrete, the number-one actor in Mexico at the time, catapulted her to fame. Throughout her long career she acted in 47 movies.
Her beauty and flamboyant personality propelled her to international stardom and icon status, in movies like Woman Without a Soul and La Generala, and especially Doña Bárbara. She refused to work in Hollywood unless she made her grand entrance from the "big door" and not the small roles offered by Cecil B. de Mille Félix stated "I was not born to carry a basket".
She worked in France, with greats such as Jean Renoir and Luis Buñuel, and played in Italian films, as well as in the Mexican cinema.In 1959, starred the movie La Cucaracha, along Dolores del Rio, the most famous Mexican figure in the world. Contrary to what many people were thinking, she was a close friend of Dolores.
She lost the leading 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.
Relationships
María Félix's first husband was Enrique Alvarez from 1931 to 1938, with whom she had a son, Enrique Álvarez Félix. She accused Alvarez of kidnapping their son following their divorce. She regained custody through help from her second husband (1943), the composer Agustín Lara, whom she also divorced in 1947. She married actor Jorge Negrete in October 18, 1952 and was shortly after widowed, in 1953.
Her final husband was the French banker Alex Berger, in 1956. Berger, through his company Monclova, helped finance the Mexico City subway system. Félix and her husband raced thoroughbred horses, achieving notable success with the colt Nonoalco who won four Group One races including the 1974 British Classic, the 2,000 Guineas. When her husband died in 1974 she inherited his multi-million dollar thoroughbred horse racing stable which she successfully operated on her own for some time.
According to historian John A. Crow in The Epic of Latin America, there was a supposed intimate relationship with married Mexican president Miguel Alemán Valdés, which created somewhat of a scandal. She was active in the women's auxiliary of the PRI.
In music, art and fashion
Agustín Lara 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.[1] In 1949, Diego Rivera painted a portrait of her titled Tehuana, which Maria 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 later sold many years after to singer Juan Gabriel.
In fashion, she was dressed by designers like Christian Dior and Balenciaga. The House of Hermès (Couture Department) designed extravagant creations just for her.
She was also 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 Maria Felix'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 Dona de Cartier collection. The La Dona de Cartier watch with reptilian links was created to impress by its wild look. The case of the La Dona 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 gold scales. The La Dona de Cartier Collection also includes jewellery, accessories, and leather handbags.[2]
Filmography
1940 – 1945
- El Peñón de las Ánimas
- María Eugenia
- Doña Bárbara
- La China Poblana
- La Mujer Virgen
- La Monja Alférez
- Amok
- El Monje Blanco
- Vértigo
1946 – 1949
- La Devoradora
- La Mujer de Todos
- Enamorada
- La Diosa Arrodillada
- Río Escondido
- Que Dios Me Perdone
- Maclovia
- Doña Diabla
- Mare Nostrum
- Una Mujer Cualquiera
1950 – 1954
- La Noche del Sábado
- La Corona Negra
- Incantesimo Tragico - Hechizo Tragico
- Messalina
- Reportaje
- Camelia
- El Rapto
- La Pasión Desnuda
1955 – 1959
- French Cancan
- La Belle Otero
- Les Héros Sont Fatigués - Los Heroes Estan Fatigados
- La Escondida
- Canasta de Cuentos Mexicanos
- Tizoc: Amor Indio
- Flor de Mayo
- Faustina
- Miércoles de Ceniza
- Café Colón
- La Estrella Vacía
- La Cucaracha
- Sonatas
- La Fievre Monte A El Pao - Los Ambiciosos
1960 – 1971
- Juana Gallo
- La Bandida
- Si Yo Fuera Millonario
- Amor y sexo
- La Valentina
- La Generala
References
External links
- MARIA FELIX: LA DOÑA
- María Félix at IMDb
- María Félix at the TCM Movie Database
- María Félix official website
- Casa María Félix
- Template:Sp icon María Félix por siempre
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