Happy Birthday Dolores Del Rio!

Dolores Del Rio was a Mexican film actress and the first Mexican actress to gain international success. She was referred to as the "female Rudolph Valentino" and Orson Welles said she "was the most exciting woman I've ever met". Del Rio and Welles had an affair lasting two years starting in 1940. The silent era brought success for her but when talkies came about studio heads didn't want audiences to hear her thick mexican accent. She experienced prejudice and a lack of roles other than the "exotic Latina beauty" in cheesy romance and adventure films.  


Dolores found success acting in Mexico during the 1940's and 50's with films like Flor Silvestre (1942), Maria Candelaria (1943), Bugambilia (1945) and a few more. She tried to return to the U.S. in 1954 to make a film for 20th Century Fox called Broken Lance but was denied entry because of suspicion that she was a communist sympathizer. She wasn't allowed to return until 1956 where she joined the theatrical production of Anastasia.  She only appeared in a few films throughout the 60's and 70's and retired in 1978. She was known for her work with orphaned children and foundations that protected Mexican heritage and culture. Her face was a symbol of the art deco movement and praised as one of the most beautiful faces in history. Dolores died of liver disease in 1983, she was 77 years old.


Dolores Del Rio 1905-1983