Google Doodle continues to spotlight iconic and influential women, today with a tribute to Mexican actress Dolores del Río who was born on this day, August 3rd, in 1904. The description writes, “Considered the first major Latin American crossover Hollywood star, she would pave the way for generations of actors to follow.”
A famous figure from both the silent era to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema to theater and television, “Del Río’s first major success came in the 1926 comedy-drama war film What Price Glory? When she moved from silent films to “talkies” in the 1930s, she earned starring roles and appeared in films opposite stars like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, eventually returning to Mexico where she quickly became one of the top actresses in the Mexican film industry.”
del Río was greatly known for and praised for her incredible beauty, which inspired many artist and audiences to fall in love with her. However, she also a great humanitarian and Google highlights the actress’ influential work outside of acting, as she was an active “philanthropist and advocate for the arts.” del Río was the first woman to sit on the jury of the Cannes film festrival, co-founder of the Society for the Protection of the Artistic Treasures of Mexico, and in 1970, “she helped open a center to provide childcare for members of the Mexican Actor’s Guild.” The Estancia Infantil Dolores del Río, or The Dolores del Río Day Nursery is still active today.
As an actress who felt strongly about her heritage, she never relinquished her citizenship and spoke openly about her love of Mexico and desire for representation. (a sentiment that we may speculate lead to accusations around promoting communism) In 1930, she said:
“I’d love to appear in fine, emotional dramas … and am eager to play in stories concerning my native people, the Mexican race. It is my dearest wish to make fans realize their real beauty, their wonder, their greatness as a people. The vast majority seem to regard Mexicans as a race of bandits, or laborers, dirty, unkempt, and uneducated. My ambition is to show the best that’s in my nation”
del Río’s career was a groundbreaking one that changed the landscape of the entertainment industry, and while it’s tragic that there is still work that needs to be done, her works continue to ring true and inspire.
(image: Google)
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