Armendáriz, Pedro

(1912-1963)

   one of the major figures of the "Golden Age" of Mexican cinema. Armendáriz won the Best Actor Ariel twice, for La perla ('45) and El rebozo de Soledad ('52), and was nominated four more times: Las abandonadas ('44), Enamorada ('46), Rosauro Castro ('50), La rebelión de los colgados ('54). Armendáriz was born in Mexico City, but spent much of his youth studying in the United States; his mastery of English would stand him in good stead in his acting career later, allowing him to work in Hollywood and all over the world, for directors such as John Ford, and with performers like Errol Flynn, Yves Montand, and Sean Connery. Armendáriz returned to Mexico in 1935, and soon became a popular leading man, particularly in "rural" roles. However, he was also capable of playing contemporary workers and even gangsters, military men, and so on. Upon learning that he had cancer, Armendáriz committed suicide in June 1963.