Río, Dolores del

(Dolores Asúnsolo López Negrete)

(1902?, 1904? or 1906?-1983)

   Dolores del Río is remembered as one of Mexico's most famous and elegant actresses, although she first achieved stardom in Hollywood. She was born in Durango into a well-to-do family, and grew up in Mexico City. After meeting visiting Hollywood director Edwin Carewe, Dolores was invited to the United States and made her Hollywood debut in 1925. Within a few years she was a leading lady in films such as What Price Glory? and Bird of Paradise. She was divorced from her first husband - Jaime Martínez del Río - in 1928 (he committed suicide the following year). In 1930 Dolores married the head of MGM's art department, Cedric Gibbons (they divorced in 1941). Del Río's first Mexican film was Flor Silvestre (1943), followed by María Candelaria, both directed by Emilio Fernández. Over the next several decades del Río worked primarily in Mexico, for top directors such as Fernando de Fuentes, Roberto Gavaldón, and Alejandro Galindo. Most of her films were period pictures or melodramas. Her final Mexican movie was Casa de mujeres (1966), although her last picture (The Children of Sánchez, 1977) was shot in Mexico with a largely Mexican cast. Del Río also appeared in a few additional Hollywood films after 1942 (such as Flaming Star with Elvis Presley), and several movies shot in Argentina and Spain. She also worked on the stage a number of times. Her last husband was producer Lew Riley. Dolores del Río won the Best Actress Ariel three times (for Las abandonadas, Doña Perfecta, and El niño y la niebla) and was nominated for La otra and La casa chica.