Dolores del Rio: An Iconic Mexican Star

The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema that ran from 1933 - 1964 was a film industry that reached high levels of production, quality and were economically successful in all their films. Also, the films gained international recognition and became the center for commercial filming in Latin America.

The Golden Age brought to the screens many talented actors and actresses from Mexico and the world. These “stars” gained fame based on the characters they played, the movies, their looks and how fashionable they were.

Dolores del Rio in 1961 [Public Domain]

One of the most iconic figures of The Golden Age is Dolores del Rio (María de los Dolores Asúnsolo López-Negrete) was born on August 3, 1904 in Durango Mexico. Dolores was born into a wealthy family. Del Rio was niece to Mexican President Francisco I. Madero. She obtained her last name from her first husband Jaime del Río. She was an actress, singer and dancer.

Hence, Dolores was the first major female actress to do a crossover to Hollywood with a prominent career in American cinema in the 1920s through the 1930s. Her beauty captivated everyone and was considered as one of the most beautiful faces on screen. She did a lot of silent movies throughout this time. When her Hollywood career was declining, she returned to Mexico and joined the Film Industry which at that time was on the peak.

Dolores’s presence on Mexican film screens brought a change and many of the films she participated in were extremely successful. One of her most recognized films is Maria Candelaria (1943) which became the first Mexican film to be screened at The Cannes International Film Festival.

Del Rio remained active in the Mexican Cinema throughout the 1950s. Then in 1960 she decided to return to Hollywood and continued to participate in Mexican and American films. Similarly, she decided to venture herself in theater and American TV series in Mexico throughout the 1970s.

Likewise, Dolores' beauty and elegance were topics always talked about. Men and women were attracted to her style and beauty. One of the traits that made her beautiful was her naturalness. (www.voguemx.com) Her authenticity was the key to looking radiant. There were a lot of myths and rumors in regards to her excellent skin and extraordinarily physical condition. Some of the rumors at that time were that she slept 18 hours every day and just ate rose petals and gardenia leaves to maintain her youth; these rumors were denied by Dolores in an interview done in 1978. “Both things are a lie, obviously, because in reality I am a woman full of work and responsibilities. I am always doing 20 thousand things, trying to create new things and besides that I have my work on films and theater. That’s why I ask myself: if I sleep a lot and only eat gardenia leaves, how can I be alive”? (www.voguemx.com)

The advice that Dolores gave to women was that it was important to take care of inner beauty and spiritual beauty and that will reflect on the face. Thoughts and deeds reflect real beauty. She was awarded in 1952 with the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award and was named the best- dressed in America.

Dolores had a combination of both talent and beauty which made her have an extended career of more than 50 years.

In conclusion, Del Rio died in Newport Beach, California from liver failure on April 11, 1983 and she was 78 years old. She was buried and her ashes were transported to Mexico where they were buried at the Panteon de Dolores in Mexico City. Dolores is now considered a mythical figure in both Mexican and American cinema and a quintessential representation of the female face of Mexico in the world.