Lamarque, Libertad

(1908? or 1909?-2000)

   legendary Argentine singer and actress, on-screen there from the 1930s. Came to Mexico in 1945 after Juan Perón became president of Argentina; Lamarque had incurred the wrath of actress Eva Duarte, who later became Eva Perón (yes, the "Evita"). Lamarque specialized in melodramas (with time out to sing, of course), particularly those in which she could portray long-suffering wives and mothers. She didn't make another film in Argentina until the 1970s. She continued to work as both singer and actress until her death in December 2000. Lamarque received Best Actress Ariel nominations for Otra primavera, La loca, and Cuando me vaya in the 1950s, but couldn't break through the near-monopoly exercised by Marga López and Dolores del Río in this era. Lamarque was married to Alfredo Malverde for 50 years, until his death in the '90s. She had a daughter by a previous marriage.