Cabrera, Susana [Susana Cabrera Iglesias] (1924-1996): Rotund, acerbic comic actress. Born in Colombia (some sources say Mexico City)--where her actor parents were on tour at the time--Cabrera made her stage debut at the age of 3 (some sources say 11!). After a career as a dancer and comedienne in the variety theatre, she first appeared in films in 1956 (No me platiques más--with her cousin, "Pompín" Iglesias) and became a familiar figure--sarcastic and feisty--in the fichera (bargirl) genre of the 1970s. One of her best-known roles was in Autopsia de un fantasma (1966), in which she appeared with Basil Rathbone, John Carradine, and Cameron Mitchell. Due to a stroke, which paralyzed her facial muscles, Cabrera had been off-screen for some time prior to her death of cardiac arrest, in June 1996.
Calvo, Armando (1919-1996) [Armando Pascual Calvo Gaspier] : Spanish actor (although reportedly born in Puerto Rico) who relocated to Mexico in 1946 and became a popular leading man opposite stars like María Félix, María Antonieta Pons, and Gloria Marín. Calvo, the son of well-known Spanish actor Juan Calvo, began working on the stage at the age of 5. His Spanish film debut came in 1934, and in late 1945 he was hired by Mexico producer Gregorio Walerstein to appear with María Félix in La mujer de todos (1946). During the 1960s, Calvo returned to work in the Spanish film industry, but came back to Mexico in the 1970s, where he was a TV and stage regular and made occasional film appearances. During the last few years of his life, Calvo was something of a recluse, living in straitened circumstances in a Mexico City hotel and spending his time writing and painting. He suffered from emphysema and kidney trouble, and died of heart failure in July 1996.
Camacho, Alejandro: rather austere-looking telenovela leading man who has made a number of film appearances in the 1980s and 1990s. Married to actress Rebeca Jones, with whom he now produces telenovelas.
Camacho, Cecilia: eternally youthful-looking actress nominated as Best Supporting Actress for La jaula de oro (1987); also won a special "diploma" for Presagio (1974). Can be seen recently doing TV commercials.
Camacho, Marina (1934?--): brunette actress (real name: Margarita Camacho Estavilla) who made her film debut in 1955, appeared frequently in lower-case films in the latter half of the decade and the early '60s, but virtually vanished from the screen after 1962. The highstrung Camacho was notorious for her multiple suicide attempts (at least six times prior to 1961). She married actor Ramón Bugarini in 1961.
Camarillo, Dolores "Fraustita" (1910-1988): extremely prolific character actress and makeup artist from the 1930s into the 1980s. Camarillo, who was married to actor Antonio R. Frausto, most often appeared in supporting roles as servants, but occasionally had more substantial parts. She played the girlfriend of Cantinflas in his first solo feature, Ahí está el detalle (1940).
Campbell, Elizabeth: attractive U.S. actress who had a substantial career in Mexican films of the 1960s, including a recurring role as "Golden Rubí" in the "Luchadoras" (Wrestling Women) series. In the late '60s she reportedly left Mexico for NY to do TV work, but seems to have dropped out of sight.
Campo, César del (1923--): Cuban performer who made his Mexican screen debut in small musical roles in late '40s films (he had previously appeared in Como tú ninguna, a 1946 film shot in Cuba with a multi-national cast). Del Campo began to receive dramatic parts in the 1950s, and worked steadily in supporting roles--mostly in action films--over the next two decades.
Campos, Arsenio (1946--): boyish-looking actor who got his start in the late '60s, but still looks pretty young (except for his curly hair, which is now gray). Mostly a supporting actor, playing boyfriends, brothers, etc. Also on TV.
Campos, Marco Antonio "Viruta" (1919-1996): Viruta, born in Tepito, a barrio of Mexico City, is chiefly remembered as half of one of Mexico's most popular comedy teams of the 1950s and 1960s, but he actually spent most of his career as a musician. His first professional work came in 1938, as a member of the quartet "El Poker de la Harmonía"; he was a member of the Trío Latino from 1940-42, and one of the Trío Romanceros from 1943 until 1949. In 1952, he formed a team with Gaspar Henaine "Capulina," and found success on the Chiclets Adams radio show, then on television shows such as "Cómicos y Canciones." The team first appeared on film in 1957 and broke up in 1967, apparently with considerable bad feelings. Viruta made a fair number of film appearances after the breakup, almost all in dramatic supporting roles. On television, he returned to his roots, working on shows like "Advininanza Musical," and "TV Musical Ossart." In 1976, he suffered his first heart attack, and retired from active performing. He was undergoing an operation to receive an artificial heart valve when he died.
Cañedo, Roberto [Robert Cañedo Ramírez--some sources list Martínez] (1918-1998): Distinguished-looking actor who rose from extra to leading man, then prolonged his career by switching to character roles. Cañedo, born in Guadalajara in 1918, made his film debut in 1938, but labored as an extra and bit player until the mid-1940s when he began to receive larger roles. He amassed literally hundreds of film and TV credits, despite health problems which disrupted his career several times (a heart attack in 1967, a broken knee in 1994). Cañedo won the Best Actor Ariel for Pueblerina (1948), and was also nominated for his work in Crimen y castigo (1950). He received the lifetime "Ariel de Oro" in 1997. He and his wife had six children, two of whom are actors. Cañedo died on 16 June 1998 of respiratory problems and heart failure.
Cano, Fanny (1944?-1983): Statuesque blonde actress of the 1960s and 1970s. Cano, born in the state of Michoacán, came to the attention of film producers while a college student in Mexico City. She began appearing in supporting roles in the 1962, and by the end of the decade was starring in telenovelas and film melodramas such as Flor de durazno (1969) and La amante perfecta (1969). In the 1970s Cano married businessman Sergio Luis Cano; she retired from the screen after 1978, devoting herself to her marriage and to her interests in Eastern religions, meditation, vegetarianism, and other spiritual pursuits. In December 1983, Cano was one of over 100 people who lost their lives when two airliners collided in the fog on the runway of Barajas airport in Madrid.
Cantinflas [Mario Moreno Reyes] (1911-1993): It is impossible to deal with the career of Cantinflas in such a brief space. Mario Moreno, born in Mexico City in 1911, briefly tried various careers (including the army and professional boxing) before entering the entertainment world, first as a dancer and then as a comedian, in the early '30s. He came to fame in the "carpas," but really made his mark in the Follies Bergere theatre in 1935. For the rest of the decade, although he appeared in a number of feature films, Cantinflas was a far bigger stage star than film performer, but with Ahí está el detalle (1940), his movie career rapidly overshadowed all else. Cantinflas became an international sensation in Spanish-speaking nations (his two excursions in English were Around the World in 80 Days, a success, and Pepe, a failure), although his films after 1950 were increasingly critical failures. In his early years a labor activist--he served as president of ANDA (the actors' union), and first secretary general of the filmworkers' union STPC--Moreno turned to other interests in later life, investing his fortune in real estate, fighting bulls, and other ventures. Through it all, Cantinflas remained a favorite of the masses, and his films are still popular on video and television.
Capetillo, Manuel (1926-2009): famous Mexican bullfighter, born in Jalisco, one of the "Three Musketeers," a trio of young toreros who made their debuts in 1948. Beginning in 1955 with Las zapatillas verdes, Capetillo also worked as a film actor and occasional singer as well. After his retirement from the bullring, Capetillo concentrated on acting, and continued to take occasional movie roles into the 1990s. His sons Manuel Jr. and Guillermo are also bullfighters/actors; another son, Eduardo, is a popular TV actor and is married to actress Bibi Gaytán.
Capetillo, Manuel hijo: the bullfighter/actor son of Manuel Capetillo Sr. has appeared in a number of action films since the late 1980s (such as Relámpago, 1987), and is also a popular TV performer.
Capulina [Gaspar Henaine] (1924, '27 or 1930?-2011): Gaspar Henaine "Capulina" was born in the state of Puebla of Lebanese ancestry. Like his future partner Marco Antonio Campos "Viruta," Capulina's early career was spent primarily as a musician in various groups that flourished in the variety theatre of the 1930s and 1940s. In the early '50s, Henaine and Campos were teamed up for a radio program sponsored by the Adams chewing gum company. Their combination of comedy and music became extremely popular, and in 1957 they made their screen debut in Se los chupó la bruja (Capulina had appeared in at least one film prior to this, while a member of the Trío Lation). Capulina and Viruta were successful in films, and on TV and the stage, but their partnership broke up in 1967. Capulina didn't break stride, appearing in a long string of screen comedies until the early 1980s (his last film to date is Mi compadre Capulina, 1989). He also worked steadily on television, and toured with his own circus, despite several life-threatening illnesses. His son Antonio made several films with his father, and also starred in a dramatic biography of singer Guty Cárdenas. Capulina returned to TV in 1998 with a dramatic role in a telenovela, "Gotita de amor."
Cardán, Carlos: crafty-looking actor who began making films in 1966, with a leading role in Servando González's El escapulario but has generally essayed supporting (frequently villainous) parts since then. In some of his early pictures, he was billed as Carlos López Figueroa (probably his real name).
Cárdenas, Elsa (1938? or 1935?--): Petite brunette actress who began working in films in the 1950s. Because she speaks fluent English, Cárdenas has appeared in a significant number of Hollywood films, mostly those shot in Mexico (including 1963's Fun in Acapulco with Elvis Presley and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, 1968), although she may also be seen with James Dean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor in Giant (1956). Cárdenas, who was married to Hollywood director Oscar "Budd" Boetticher in the 1960s, played first or second female leads in mostly routine pictures into the early 1970s, and continues to work--now in character roles--in television.
Cardinal, María: buxom actress, usually in decorative supporting roles, in the '70s and '80s, often in "sexy-comedies."
Cardona, René [Sr.]: see DIRECTORS
Cardona, René Jr.: see DIRECTORS
Cardona, René III: see Coster, Al
Carl-Hillos [Carlos Bravo y Fernández]: (1916-1997) (also billed sometimes as "Carlillos") A familiar face in bit parts (allegedly in over 400 films!) from the 1930s through the 1990s, Carlos Bravo y Fernández was actually a long-time film journalist who frequently played reporters, lawyers, clerks, etc. He occasionally had slightly larger roles.
Carmina, Rosa [Rosa Carmina Riverón Jiménez] (1929?--): In 1946, director Juan Orol, recently divorced from María Antonieta Pons, traveled to Cuba to find another rumbera to star in his spy melodrama, Una mujer de Oriente. He met the exotically beautiful Rosa Carmina, who would star in most of his films for the next 9 years. Carmina continued to appear regularly in Mexican films for other directors into the early 1960s, making occasional pictures in later years, including a reunion with Orol in México de noche ('74).
Caro, Alicia (1930--): Colombian actress whose period of greatest popularity came in the late '40s-early '50s; she had the female lead in Luis Buñuel's La hija del engaño (1951), for instance. Only sporadically on film in the 1960s; she retired from performing in the early '70s (her final appearance may have been in the Colombian-shot María, 1971). Married to actor Jorge Martínez de Hoyos (with whom she appeared in Cien gritos de terror in 1965) from the mid-1960s until his death in 1997.
Caro, José Luis: (also occasionally billed as José Luis Carol): Spanish-born supporting actor, on-screen from the 1960s. Mostly played minor roles as doctors, lawyers, and so on, occasionally with a villainous tinge. Now more distinguished looking (the gray hair does it), although he sometimes appears in sexy-comedies as slightly-crazed doctors, cuckolded husbands, etc.
Carr, Clifford (1903-1947): the stereotypical gringo of 1930s and 1940s Mexican cinema, the blonde, stocky, Carr (born in Connecticut) made his first appearance in El Rayo de Sinaloa (1935), but is perhaps best known for Los tres García and Vuelven los García (1946). His roles varied in size and importance, but Carr was generally a sympathetic--if comic--caricature of a gringo, speaking accented Spanish and smoking a big cigar. His last recorded screen appearance came in 1947.
Carradine, John (1906-88): Hollywood actor in hundreds of films--from the biggest to the cheapest--from the 1930s through the 1990s. Brought to Mexico in '66 by Ismael Rodríguez for Autopsia de un fantasma; returned to shoot scenes for 4 Vergara productions in 1967, then came back again for Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary in 1974, and The Bees in 1978.
Carrasco, Ada (1912-1993): character actress, usually in acidulous roles, onscreen since the mid-1950s. Nominated for an Ariel for one of her last films, Un año perdido (1993). Sister of Enriqueta Carrasco and mother of actress Malena Doria.
Carrasco, Enriqueta "Queta" (1913-1996): character actress who followed her sister Ada into Mexican cinema, making her screen debut when she was already in her late forties (she had done television work in the 1950s, however). One of her first substantial roles was in Alejandro Galindo's La mente y el crimen (1961). After the death of Sara García, the long-time "grandmother of Mexico," Queta Carrasco stepped into this slot, playing sweet (and sometimes not so sweet) grannies in over 100 films and in telenovelas and other TV shows, up until a few months before her death.
Carreño, Meche (Mercedes) (1947 or 49?--): slim, dark dancer/actress who made her screen debut in 1964 and was soon promoted to leading roles in films such as Damiana y los hombres (1966) and No hay cruces en el mar (1967), where she invariably played innocent young women whose sexual attractiveness caused men (often older men) to go wild. In the early 1970s she began to receive more serious roles, winning the Best Supporting Actress Ariel for La choca (1973); she was also nominated for Los perros de Dios (1973). Carreño married director Juan Manuel Torres (she had previously been married to producer José Lorenzo Zakany Aldama), who directed her in La otra virginidad (1974), La vida cambia (1975), El mar (1976) and La mujer perfecta (1977). Torres died in an automobile accident in 1980 and Carreño made few screen appearances afterward (El día de las sirvientas, 1988, is her last to date), and moved to Paris for a number of years.
Carril, Hugo del (1912-1989) [real name: Hugo Piero Fontana]: Argentine actor/singer (and later, director) who briefly emigrated to Mexico in 1945-46 (where he starred in El socio and two other pictures) but soon returned to his home country and became a powerful figure in the film industry during the Perón era.
Carriles, Lupe (?--1964): scrawny character actress in many films from the the 1940s to the '60s, often playing servants, witches, etc.
Carrión, Ricardo "Guero" (1938--): supporting actor from the '60s into the '90s. Carrión, despite being a blonde (hence his nickname), fairly handsome man, seems to have gravitated to villainous roles for some reason, although not exclusively. Ricardo Carrión was also one of the "Hermanos Carrión," a 1960s singing group.
Casado, Kippy (1939-2011): comic actress who made her name on TV in the late '50s and early '60s, and appeared in a fair number of films around this time. Only occasionally on screen since then, but still active on television. In 1997, she received the actors' union award for 50 years in show business.
Casal, Gregorio [Jesús Casillas] (1935--) [occasionally billed as "Casals"]: slightly sinister-looking second lead, occasional leading man, and sometimes villain, who made his film debut in the late 1960s. In the early 1970s he played series hero "Chanoc" in several films (although he was second-billed to comedian Tin-Tan). He also directed several films in the 1980s. One of the Jalisco-born Casal's brothers is film director Jaime Casillas, for whom Casal worked in Chicano (1975), another is actor Mario Casillas, who can be seen with Gregorio in Las noches de paloma.
Casanova, Delia (1948--): actress who began working in films in the mid-1970s. Between 1984 and 1995, Casanova was nominated four times for Arieles, winning the Best Actress prize in 1989 for Mentiras Piadosas (Merciful Lies). She has worked with some of the outstanding directors of the past two decades--Arturo Ripstein, Felipe Cazals, Gabriel Retes.
Casanova, Fernando [Fernando Gutiérrez López] (1925-2012): husky leading man, chiefly in Westerns and rancheras. Casanova appeared as an extra as early as 1946, but began receiving leading roles in the early 1950s, notably in a series of pictures as "El Aguila Negra" (The Black Eagle), a Zorro/Lone Ranger clone. Continued to work into the 2000s, still in action films but now playing character roles.
Castejón, Blanca de (1914-1969): Blonde actress (one source says she was born in New York City, another says Puerto Rico) who appeared in Argentine cinema as early as 1935, then moved to Hollywood where she had roles in several Spanish-language features, including Mis dos amores (My Two Loves, 1938), with Tito Guízar. Her first Mexican film was La razón de la culpa (The Reason for the Blame, 1942). In Mexico, she specialized in playing slightly dizzy, attractive but somewhat older women; for just such a role in Escuela de vagabundos (School for Bums, 1954), she won the Best Female Co-Star Ariel. At one time married to Rafael Banquells.
Castelló, Florencio (1905 or' 10?-1986): balding, amiable Spanish comic actor who specialized in playing heavily-accented, stereotyped Spaniards in Mexican films, often as a bullfighter's sidekick. Active in Mexico from 1941 (Ni sangre ni arena--Neither Blood Nor Sand) through at least 1984 (El sinaloense). He was occasionally billed as " Florencio Castellot."
Castilla, Rosa de (1932--) [sometimes filed under "R" as "Rosa de Castilla," i.e., Castilla is not her actual last name. Her real name is Victoria Ledesma]: attractive ranchera singer/actress whose primary period of screen activity was the 1950s-1960s. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Ariel for Tal para cual (Two of a Kind, 1952). Still active, she was in fact scheduled to appear in a film as recently as November 1997.
Castillo, Braulio: Puerto Rican leading man in a few '60s and '70s films, including El cielo y tú (Heaven and You, 1970). His son Braulio Jr. is a popular telenovela actor of the '90s.
Castillo, Eric del [Eduardo Castillo Negrete Galván] (1930, '34 or 35?--): after years playing slick villains (usually in Westerns), Eric del Castillo (he is occasionally billed as "Erik" and "Erick") eventually achieved a sort of elder-statesman status and was allowed to play leads in pictures like Las grandes aguas (The Great Waters, 1978) and Vagabunda (Vagabond, 1992). Del Castillo made his screen debut in the late 1950s, and was one of the busiest actors of the following decade, appearing in at least 70 films between 1960 and 1969! Beginning in the 1980s, he has also occasionally scripted and directed films, but continues to be a sought-after actor in films and telenovelas. His brother Federico del Castillo [aka Federico Falcón] had supporting roles in a fair number of 1960s and 1970s features, and his daughter Kate is a popular telenovela actress with a few film credits as well. Del Castillo was nominated for Ariel awards for Los marcados (The Marked Ones, 1970), Las grandes aguas and Perro callejero (Street Dog, 1979).
Castro, Arturo "Bigotón" (1918-1975): beefy, moustachioed character actor (a carpa veteran), on-screen from the 1940s through the '60s, often as a police inspector or similar functionary. His nephews performed as the singing group Hermanos Castro, aka "Los Panchitos" (and Daniela Castro, daughter of one of these brothers, is currently a TV actress).
Castro, Lupita and Castro, Mercedes: attractive brunette sisters who appeared together and singly in some '80s films like La cárcel de Laredo, La contrabandista, and Maldita miseria. Also singers. Mercedes was married at one time to singer Cornelio Reyna. Lupita, born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, made her professional debut in 1974 (Mercedes was a little earlier).
Castro, Verónica (1952--): queen of Mexican soap operas (telenovelas) and TV talk shows, the diminutive Castro appeared in a fair number of films--such as El arte de engañar (The Art of Deception, 1970, in which she had a nude scene that proved to be a major selling point for the video release, nearly 20 years later) in the early 1970s (before she hit it big on TV) and has made sporadic appearances on the screen since. She remains extremely popular and has also had a very successful career as a singer. Mother of '90s pop singing star Cristian Castro (whose father is comedian Manuel "Loco" Valdés).
Castro, Víctor Manuel "Guero": see DIRECTORS
"Catita": see Marshall, Niní
Cavazos, Lumi: born in Monterrey, Cavazos is a young actress who gained international fame with her role (for which she received an Ariel nomination) in Como agua para chocolate [Like Water for Chocolate, 1991]. She began acting on the stage at the age of 15; Cavazos has made a few other films and also appears on television.
Cervantes, Martha Elena: actress who made numerous appearances as the second lead (and a few female leads) in lower-rank pictures, from the mid-'50s through the 1960s. She is still active in films, in supporting roles. Married to director Vicente Oroná Jr., who died in 1961(?).
"Chabelo": see López, Javier.
Chabot, Amedée: former Miss California (1964) who appeared in a few Hollywood films (such as Three on a Couch with Jerry Lewis) before relocating to Mexico and making 24 films in just three years (1966-68). She then dropped out of sight, making an aborted comeback attempt in 1971-72. Although her dialogue was almost always dubbed into Spanish, the beautiful Chabot was one of the most popular screen actresses of this period, usually playing a stereotyped "sexy American blonde." Her picture include Narda o el verano (Narda or the Summertime, 1968) and Agente 00 Sexy (1967). Amedee Chabot is now a real-estate agent in California.
"Chachita": see Muñoz, Evita
"Chaflán" : see López, Carlos
Chagoyán, Rosa Gloria: after years of roles in generally forgettable films, the statuesque Chagoyán hit the big time with Lola la trailera [Lola the Truckdriver, 1983] and its sequels, action films about evil narcotics smugglers persecuting a beautiful woman trucker. She followed these pictures with bigger budget efforts such as La rielera (The Lady Railroader, 1987) and Juana la cubana (Juana the Cuban, 1992). Most of her later films co-star her husband, Rolando Fernández.
Chaín, Angélica: extremely beautiful blonde actress of the 1970s and early 1980s. Frequently cast in "sexy comedies" but she also made a number of serious films, including the Western Matar por matar (Kill For Killing's Sake, 1978) and Cuando tejen las arañas (When the Spiders Spin, 1977), a contemporary drama in which she plays a lesbian. Rumor has it that she married a rich businessman which explains her retirement from the screen.
Chávez, Marcelo (1911-1970): rotund, balding straight man to Germán Valdés "Tin Tan" from the 1940s throught the 1960s (he actually made his screen debut in 1942, before teaming with Tin Tan and appearing in Hotel de verano--Summer Hotel, 1943). Talented musician, ventriloquist, and comic who played a variety of roles--ranging from typical sidekick parts to villains--in the majority of Tin Tan's pictures.
Chávez, Oscar (1935--): singer/actor who made his debut in the well-received Los caifanes (1966). Later became involved with in an actors' union dispute and has apparently been banned from acting in Mexico, although he is able to appear as a singer/songwriter, at which he is apparently quite successful, having released more than 80 records. One of his most recent films is the U.S.-made Rompe el alba (Break of Dawn, 1988), a biography of a Chicano radio personality.
Chávez, Roxana: rather slim, fey blonde actress and occasional singer who appeared in a fair number of films of the '80s and '90s, and on TV. She was the subject of a pictorial in the June '89 Mexican edition of "Playboy."
Chávez Trowe, José (1916-1993): veteran character actor who earned hundreds of film credits from the 1940s through the 1980s. The son of a theatrical impresario, Chávez Trowe began working professionally at the age of 5. He was one of the founding members of ANDA, the actors' union, and continued to be interested in labor issues. Chávez Trowe's round face, moustache, burly physique and outspoken manner were suitable for both dramas and comedies; he was often cast as dim-witted villainous henchmen, honest campesinos, and even played Mexican Revolution hero Pancho Villa.
"Chelelo": see García, Eleazar
"El Chicote": see Soto la Marina, Armando
"Chóforo": see Padilla, Raúl
Ciangherotti, Alejandro (1903-1975) [last name sometimes spelled "Chiangherotti"]: Argentine character actor, active in Mexico in the 1940s and 1950s, often in unsympathetic roles. Nominated for a Supporting Actor Ariel for his work in Canaima (1945). He married actress Mercedes Soler (sister of the 4 famous Soler brothers); their sons Alejandro Jr. (1940-2004) and Fernando (Luján) worked steadily as actors from childhood onwards, and another generation of Chiangherottis (TV actor and singer Fernando Ciangherotti, son of Fernando Luján) is currently active as well.
Ciangherotti, Alejandro Jr. (1940-2004): son of actor Alejandro Ciangherotti (the spelling of their last name varied from film to film) and brother of actor Fernando Luján. Nominated for a Supporting Actor Ariel for his role in La pachanga (The Wild Party, 1981). He had previously won the Best Child Performer Ariel in 1953 for El niño y la niebla (The Boy and the Fog).
Ciani, Yolanda: interesting actress, born in Chihuahua, who began working in films in the 1950s but made her most notable appearances in 1970s pictures such as La trenza (The Braid, 1973) and San Simón de las magueyes (Saint Simon of the Magueyes, 1972), both of which she also helped produce. Still active on TV.
Cibrián, José (1916-2002): sensitive-looking Spanish stage actor who broke into Mexican films in the title role of Jesús de Nazareth (Jesus of Nazareth, 1942). For the next four years Cibrián was one of the more popular leading men of the period, both in dramas and comedies, but he made his last Mexican film in 1946. Cibrián relocated to Argentina where he appeared in numerous pictures during the 1950s and 1960s.
Cid, Mario: under his (presumably) real name, Mario Chávez, began to appear in minor screen roles in the late 1950s. From the 1960s onward, a reliable supporting actor; later directed at least one film and wrote scripts for others, into the '90s
Clavel, Aurora (1938--): on screen since the early '60s, the round-faced Clavel has frequently been cast as "indias" (and occasionally as Asians) because of her facial features. Since the 1970s, mostly cast in subsidiary roles as servants, etc. Has a good, if small, role in Vagabunda (Vagabond, 1992).
"Clavillazo" [Antonio Espino Mora] (1910-1993): One of the most popular screen comedians of the latter half of the 1950s, Antonio Espino had struggled for many years before achieving fame. Born in Puebla, as a teenager Espino decided he wanted to be an actor. He began appearing on the stage in Mexico City in the mid-1930s, using nicknames like "El Chumiate," "Clavos," and "Clavillo," before finally settling on "Clavillazo." By the 1940s, he was a popular stage comedian who even owned his own "carpa" theatre; his film career began in earnest in the early '50s. During the latter half of the decade, Clavillazo starred in a significant number of films, and was also the host of a hit TV show. In most of his pictures he wore his stage costume--a baggy coat and an odd, pointed cap--and was known for his exaggerated hand gestures and a number of catch phrases, including "No más," and "la cosa está calmada." His film career declined precipitously in the '60s; in the '80s he made several appearances in semi-dramatic roles in films like En las garras de la ciudad. He suffered a stroke in 1987, and in 1993 had a series of heart attacks, which culminated with his death in November of that year. Clavillazo was married to Noemí Barreiro from the mid-1940s until his death. Other Espinos who appeared in Mexican cinema and may have been relatives of Clavillazo include Edmundo Espino and Fidel Angel Espino.
Cobo, Alejandro (?--1950 or '51?): Spanish character actor, onscreen in Mexico from 1940. Usually played unsympathetic supporting roles in pictures like Las abandonadas (1944).
Cobo, Arturo "Cobitos" (1931 or '32?-1995): comic character actor, brother of Roberto Cobo, in films from the 1950s onward, including Chanoc y el Hijo del Santo contra los vampiros asesinos (1981).
Cobo, Roberto "Calambres" (1930-2002): thin, ageless character actor (the son of actor Alejandro Cobo) who started out in juvenile roles, worked as a dancer, and became an accomplished serious actor. Received the Best Juvenile Actor Ariel for Luis Buñuel's Los olvidados (The Forgotten Ones, 1950) and years later captured the Best Actor Ariel for El lugar sin limites (The Place Without Limits, 1977). Active right up until his death in August 2002.
Colchero, Ana: young actress who had supporting roles in a few films (cf, Rosa de dos aromas, 1989) prior to becoming a telenovela star in the most recent version of "Corazón salvaje." She later jumped from Televisa to rival TV Azteca to appear in their ground-breaking "Nada personal," but left in the middle of its run after a contract dispute. More recently, she has been working in Spain.
Collins, Olivia: actress who usually plays attractive and intelligent characters, in films from the 1980s on, like Rosa de dos aromas (1989). Also on TV.
"Colocho" [Mario Zebadua]: supporting comedian, on-screen from the 1950s through the '80s. Colocho appeared in small roles in films with comedians like Tin Tan and Clavillazo, and also had occasional roles in dramas like Luis Alcoriza's Tiburoneros (Sharkfishers, 1962).
Conde, Patricia (1945--): after making her debut in Los hermanos del Hierro (The Del Hierro Brothers, 1961), this youthful actress quickly appeared in 16 additional features before disappearing from the screen at the end of 1964.
"Condorito" (1937-1997): Guillermo de Alvarado "Condorito," scrawny comedian who appeared in many comedy films of the 1970s through the '90s. His real name was Noé Ladrón de Guevara Sánchez. "Condorito" got his start in show business as an emcee and nightclub singer, then moved onto the variety stage at the behest of "Guero" Castro; Xavier López "Chabelo" gave him a job on his long-running TV show, and dubbed him "Condorito" (possibly after a comic strip bird). Alberto "Caballo" Rojas introduced him to films in the '70s. The comedian died of a heart attack while standing outside the ANDA (actors' union) building.
Conesa, María (1892-1978): Spanish-born stage performer, nicknamed "La Gatita Blanca" after one of her biggest song hits, who worked in the Mexican musical theatre from the turn of the century well into the 1930s. She made her film debut in the silent era, but did not appear in a sound film until 1938's Refugiados en Madrid (Refugees in Madrid). Conesa made a few other pictures over the next decade and appeared on television well into the 1950s. However, her period of enormous popular success as a musical comedy star came well before the film era.
Contla, Ignacio "Nacho" (1910-1973) [José Ignacio Contla]: heavy-set comic actor, often teamed with other comedians such as Fernando Soto "Mantequilla" (in Luis Buñuel's La hija del engaño--The Daughter of Deceit, 1951) and Alfonso "Pompín" Iglesias (who was his partner on television for a number of years).
Cooper, Jeff: aspiring Hollywood actor who was brought to Mexico to portray comic book hero "Kalimán" in two films; had a couple of other roles but then disappeared from Mexico. The Internet Movie Database (which isn't always correct) says this is the same actor who was a regular on the "Dallas" TV show from 1979-81, and who appeared in Circle of Iron (1979).
Contreras Torres, Miguel: see DIRECTORS
Cora, Susana (1922-88): actress of the 1940s; not classically beautiful, she was often cast as the "other woman." After being off-screen for years, she had a cameo in El barón del terror (1961). Her daughter had a brief screen career in the early '70s under the name Susana Hill.
Cordero, Joaquín (1923, '25 or '26?-2013): multi-purpose leading man who started out as a male ingenue in the 1940s. By the 1950s he was playing significant roles in numerous pictures and starring in lower-case efforts. From the 1960s onward he has been a stalwart in films and on television (generally in character roles in his final decades of work). Received the Best Male Co-Star Ariel for Los dos huerfanitas (1950).
Córdova, Arturo de (1908?-1973): suave leading man from the 1930s through the 1950s, Arturo de Córdova was born Arturo García Rodríguez in Mérida, Yucatán, of a Spanish father and Mexican mother. De Córdova grew up and was educated in various locations, including New York, Cuba, and Argentina. As a young man he returned to Mérida and began to work as a radio announcer and emcee. His radio work eventually led to film roles, beginning with Celos (Jealousy, 1935). The handsome young actor soon became one of the most popular stars in Mexican cinema, and during the 1940s worked in Hollywood as well, appearing in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Frenchman's Creek (1944), and A Medal for Benny (1945), among other titles. He later worked in Argentine, Brazilian, and Spanish films as well. Between 1946 and 1958, de Córdova won the Best Actor Ariel three times--more than any other actor--for his roles in En la palma de tu mano (In the Palm of Your Hand, 1950), Las tres perfectas casadas (The Three Perfect Marriages, 1952) and Felizaño, amor mio (Happy New Year, My Love, 1955), and was nominated for the top prize four additional times. He worked for many of Mexico's best finest directors, including Luis Buñuel (El--Him, 1952), Juan Bustillo Oro (El hombre sin rostro--The Man Without a Face, 1950) and Roberto Gavaldón (En la palma de tu mano). However, the general downward trend in the industry and de Córdova's advancing age led to a series of lesser roles in the 1960s, and in the late 1960s he suffered a stroke which left his left arm and leg partially paralyzed. However, he gradually recovered and in 1970 appeared with his close friend and co-star Marga López in the Cantinflas vehicle, El Profe (The Professor). This guest star spot would prove to be the last film role for the great star, who died in 1973. His son, Alonso de Córdova, made a few film appearances in the early 1960s.
Córdova, Pancho (1916-1990): Chiapas-born character actor and screenwriter, best known for his comic roles but also capable of doing dramatic work when required. Began appearing in films in the 1950s but was most popular in the 1970s, playing eccentrics in popular hits like La presidenta municipal (The Lady Municipal President, 1974), with comic actress "La India María," and winning Ariel awards for "serious" acting (Tu, yo, nosotros--You, I, Us, 1970 ; Fe, esperanza y caridad--Faith, Hope and Charity, 1972) and writing (El águila descalza--The Barefoot Eagle, 1969). He also directed Los destrampados in Miami in 1971, but after the producer tampered with it (adding nude scenes, etc.), Córdova managed to prevent its release (at least in Mexico).
Cores, Carlos: Argentine leading man who worked fairly regularly in Mexican films and on TV during the 1950s and early 1960s, then returned to Argentina where he acted in numerous films (and directed at least one).
Corona, Isabela (1913-1993) [Refugio Corona Pérez Frías]: severe-looking character actress, originally on the stage, who in films was often cast as authoritative, domineering aunts, housekeepers, witches, and other sinister figures. Nominated for Ariel awards for El infierno que todos han temido (The Hell We Have All Feared, 1979) and Señoritas a disgusto (Irritated Women, 1986). Also a popular figure in telenovelas, including her last, "Yo compro esa mujer" (I Buy That Woman). Suffering from arteriosclerosis, Corona died in July 1993 of a heart attack.
Corona, Sergio (1928--): cherubic-looking comedian, born in Hidalgo, who started out as a dancer, appearing as a "chorus boy" in some early 1950s musicals. He formed a comedy/dance team with Alfonso Arau, working in films like Caras nuevas (New Faces,1955) and Viaje a la luna (Trip to the Moon, 1957). After seven years together, the team broke up and Arau eventually became a film director; Corona moved into television (one of his sitcoms, "Hogar Dulce Hogar" [Home Sweet Home], ran for 8 years) and stage work, although he would occasionally return to the screen, notably in José Estrada's Pum! (1980).
Correa, Arturo (?-1988): Puerto Rican actor who played second leads and supporting roles in Mexican films from the mid-1950s through the '60s, and later produced some Puerto Rican features.
Cortés, Fernando: see DIRECTORS
Cortés, Mapita (1930?-2005): Puerto Rican-born niece of Fernando and Mapy Cortés who had a brief career as an ingenue in the late 1950s in pictures like Misterios de ultratumba (Mysteries of the Afterlife, 1958), before marrying singer Lucho Gatica and retiring from the screen. Their son, Luis Gatica, is a pop singer and sometimes actor. Mapita Cortés (real name, María del Pilar Mercado Cordero) returned to TV work in the 1990s and 2000s, including telenovelas like "Mi pequeña Soledad."
Cortés, Mapy [María del Pilar Cordero](1919? or 1913? or 1910?-1998) : Cute and perky Puerto Rican musical comedy actress, married to director/comic actor Fernando Cortés. Mapy was on screen as early as 1933 (in the Spanish film Dos mujeres y un Don Juan--Two Women and One Don Juan). Over the next few years the couple made the rounds of the Spanish-speaking world, making films in Argentina and Cuba (separately and together), before arriving in Mexico in 1940, where Mapy made her debut in a supporting role in Papá se desenreda (Dad Gets Out of Trouble). Although very popular in the 1940s in musicals like La pícara Susana (The Mischievous Susana, 1944) and La corte del faraón (The Court of Pharaoh, 1943), Mapy was virtually retired from the screen by the early '50s, although she did appear in a few movies shot in Puerto Rico by her husband. They also appeared together in a Puerto Rican TV sitcom in the mid-1950s. Fernando Cortés died in 1982; Mapy Cortés died on 2 August 1998 of a heart attack at her home in Puerto Rico.
Cortés, Ricardo: actor who had some "hip" roles in a number of early '70s films--such as 1972's Crónica de un amor, where he plays a film student who falls in love with an actress--but never really made much of a splash. One of the rare scenes of full-frontal male nudity in Mexican commercial cinema features Cortés (Una rata en la oscuridad, 1978).
Cortez, Carlos (1939--) [real name, Carlos Cuttler]: clean-cut young actor of the '60s. He was born in Mexico but educated in the U.S., including studies with Lee Strasberg. As Carlos Cuttler, he had a small role in Splendor in the Grass and worked on TV in programs like "The Naked City," but came back to Mexico under contract to Gregorio Walerstein, in 1961. Cortez (sometimes billed as "Carlos Cortés") had leads in minor films--mostly Westerns like El robo del tren correo (The Mail Train Robbery, 1964) -- and supporting roles in others, into the '70s.
Cosme, Eusebia: black actress who took the role of "Mamá Dolores" in the 1966 remake of El derecho de nacer. She made a number of other films in Mexico over the next few years, generally playing sweet old ladies (housekeepers, nannies, etc.).
Costa, César (1945--): slim pop singer of the 1960s "new wave" who showed a flair for comedy and later became the star of a long-running TV sitcom ("Papá soltero"). Appeared in a number of 1960s films, occasionally with other young stars such as Alberto Vázquez, Enrique Guzmán, and Julissa. He is currently a popular TV host in Mexico.
Coster, Al [René Cardona Chávez]: as "René Cardona III," began appearing as a young boy in bit parts in the late 1960s, mostly in pictures directed by his father and grandfather. For a few years in the early '70s he was elevated to starring roles--as "Al Coster"--in juvenile adventures like El pequeño Robin Hood (Little Robin Hood, 1973), and continued to act from time to time well into the '80s (Terror en los barrios, for instance, 1983). Went to film school in the U.S. and is now a director himself.
Cranz, Emily (1939 or '44?--): U.S.-born, dark-haired dancer who made a number of acting appearances in 1960s films such as Caballos de acero (Horses of Steel, 1967).
Cristal, Linda (1936--): dark-haired Argentine actress (real name, Victoria Maya) who began appearing in Mexican films with 1952's La bestia magnífica (The Magnificent Beast). She was promoted to leading roles in a number of pictures produced by Raúl de Anda (such as Con el diablo en el cuerpo--With the Devil in the Flesh, 1954), but soon moved on to make Hollywood movies like Comanche (1956) and Cry Tough (1959), where she was almost always type-cast as a "fiery Latin." Also well-known for her TV series, "The High Chaparral."
Cudney, Roger: U.S. actor who, beginning in the 1970s, made a career of playing "bad gringos"--Texas Rangers, Border Patrolmen, smugglers, mercenaries, and so forth--in action films like El fiscal del hierro 2: La venganza de Ramona (The Iron Prosecutor 2: The Vengeance of Ramona, 1989). Cudney has also been in numerous Hollywood pictures shot in Mexico, including Total Recall (1990).
Curiel, Federico: see DIRECTORS
Last update 1 June 2014.