Pedro Armendáriz
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Pedro Gregorio Armendáriz Hastings (May 9, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was a Mexican film actor who made films in both Mexico and the United States. With
Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...
and
María Félix María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña (; 8 April 1914 – 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress and singer. Along with Pedro Armendáriz and Dolores del Río, she was one of the most successful figures of Latin American cinema in the 1940s an ...
, he was one of the best-known Latin American movie stars of the 1940s and 1950s.


Early life

Armendáriz was born in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, to Pedro Armendáriz García Conde ( Mexican) and Adela Hastings (
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
). He was also the cousin of actress
Gloria Marín Gloria Méndez Ramos (19 April 1919 – 13 April 1983), better known as Gloria Marín, was a Mexican actress. She was considered a celebrated female star of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. During her career, Marín appeared in about 100 film ...
. Armendáriz and his younger brother Francisco lived with their uncle Henry Hastings Senior in Laredo, Texas, after their mother died. He later studied in California, attending the
California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (California Polytechnic State University, Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, California or California State Polytechnic Univ ...
from September 1928 to May 1932. At Cal Poly, he studied mechanics and in May 1931 graduated from the academic course of the school. He remained an additional year as a freshman in the Junior College division, but in 1932 returned to Mexico after the end of the school year. While at Cal Poly, Armendáriz was active in student activities, including editing the student newspaper and the student yearbook and acting in several student dramatic productions.


Career

When Armendáriz finished his studies, he moved to Mexico, where he worked for the railroad, as a tour guide, and as a journalist for the bilingual magazine '' México Real''. He was discovered by film director
Miguel Zacarías Miguel Zacarías Nogaim (19 March 1905 – 20 April 2006) was a Mexican film director, producer, and writer. Career Zacarías began directing for film in 1933. Even from his early career he developed a reputation for recognizing new acting ...
when Armendáriz recited a soliloquy from ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' to an American tourist. His meeting with the director
Emilio Fernández Emilio "El Indio" Fernández Romo (; 26 March 1904 – 6 October 1986) was a Mexican film director, actor and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific film directors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best kn ...
was providential, whereupon the actor and director began working in numerous films: ''Soy puro mexicano'' (1942), ''
Flor silvestre Guillermina Jiménez Chabolla (16 August 1930 – 25 November 2020), known professionally as Flor Silvestre, was a Mexican singer and actress. She was one of the most prominent and successful performers of Mexican and Latin American music, and wa ...
'' (1942) and specially ''
María Candelaria ''María Candelaria'' is a 1943 Mexican romantic film directed by Emilio Fernández and starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz. It was the first Mexican film to be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival where it won the Grand ...
'' (1943) were the first films of intense common path. Under the guidance of Emilio Fernández, Pedro Armendáriz developed the film personality traits of strong nationalist; often, he played tough and manly men, indigenous, peasants and revolutionaries. Amendáriz repeatedly portrayed
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''Collins English Dictionary''.
; ;
and played opposite actresses such as
Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...
and
María Félix María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña (; 8 April 1914 – 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress and singer. Along with Pedro Armendáriz and Dolores del Río, she was one of the most successful figures of Latin American cinema in the 1940s an ...
. With Katy Jurado, Dolores del Río, Amendáriz formed one of the most legendary couples of the Mexican cinema. ''María Candelaria'' provided Armendáriz with international visibility. The film was awarded the
Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
at the 1946
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
. Other prominent titles where Armendáriz appeared with Dolores del Río were ''
Las Abandonadas ''The Abandoned'' (Spanish:''Las Abandonadas'') is a 1945 Mexican film, directed by Emilio Fernández, starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz. Plot Margarita (Dolores del Río) is a young woman abandoned by her fiancé. She is forced to p ...
'' (1944), ''
Bugambilia ''Bugambilia'' (''Bougainvillea'') is a 1945 Mexican film directed by Emilio Fernández and starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz. Plot In the Mexican city of Guanajuato, in the 1800s, the young and beautiful Amalia de los Robles (Dol ...
'' (1944) and ''
La Malquerida ''La malquerida'' (The Unloved Woman) is a Mexican telenovela created for Televisa by Ximena Suárez and produced by José Alberto Castro, based on the 1913 Spanish play titled '' The Unloved Woman'' by Jacinto Benavente. The series originally ...
'' (1949). Maria Felix was his other partner in such films as '' Enamorada'' (1946) or ''
Maclovia ''Maclovia'' (''Belleza Maldita'' in some countries) is a 1948 in film, 1948 Cinema of Mexico, Mexican romantic drama film directed by Emilio Fernández and starring María Félix and Pedro Armendáriz. Plot summary On the beautiful Janitzio Isla ...
'' (1948). In the late 40s, he made the jump to
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
by the hand of
John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
. Armendáriz was a favorite of Ford, appearing in three of his films: '' The Fugitive'' (1947), '' Fort Apache'' and ''
3 Godfathers ''3 Godfathers'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by John Ford and filmed (although not set) primarily in Death Valley, California. The screenplay, written by Frank S. Nugent and Laurence Stallings, is based on the 1913 novelette '' Th ...
'' (both 1948). Besides his career in the Mexican cinema, Armendáriz made a remarkable career in Hollywood and Europe. His other prominent films in Hollywood were: ''
We Were Strangers ''We Were Strangers'' is a 1949 American adventure drama film directed by John Huston and starring Jennifer Jones and John Garfield. Set in 1933, the film concerns a group of revolutionaries attempting to overthrow the Cuban government of Gerardo ...
'' (1949, directed by
John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...
), '' The Torch'' (1950), ''
Border River ''Border River'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Joel McCrea, Yvonne De Carlo and Pedro Armendáriz. Plot During the US Civil War, Clete Mattson arrives in Zona Libre, a small territory across the river ...
'' (1954), '' The Conqueror'' (1956) and '' Diane'' (1956), among others. In Europe, highlighted his participation in the film ''
Lucrèce Borgia ''Lucrèce Borgia'' (also known as ''Lucretia Borgia'' or ''Sins of the Borgias'') is a 1953 French drama film starring Martine Carol and Pedro Armendáriz. The film was directed by Christian-Jaque, who co-wrote screenplay with Cécil Saint-Laur ...
'' (1953), filmed in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. In Mexico, his participation highlighted such notable films such as ''
El Bruto ''The Brute'' ( es, El Bruto) is a 1953 Mexican drama film directed by Luis Buñuel and starring Pedro Armendáriz and Katy Jurado. Plot Impoverished tenants are being evicted from their block of flats by their elderly landlord, Cabrera, who w ...
'' (1953, directed by
Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and m ...
), ''
La Cucaracha La Cucaracha ("The Cockroach") is a popular Mexican folk song about a cockroach who cannot walk. The song's origins are unclear, but it dates back at least to the 1910s during the Mexican Revolution. The song belongs to the Mexican genre. The s ...
'' (1959) and ''La Bandida'' (1962). Armendáriz's last appearance was in the second
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film, '' From Russia with Love'' (
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
), as Bond's ally, Kerim Bey. Armendáriz was terminally ill with cancer during the filming of ''From Russia with Love'', and towards the end of shooting he was too ill to perform his part; his final scenes were performed by his double, director
Terence Young Terence or Terry Young may refer to: *Terence Young (director) (1915–1994), British film director * Terence Young (politician) (born 1952), Canadian Conservative Party politician * Terence Young (writer), Canadian writer * Terry Young (American p ...
. Armendáriz died four months before the release of the film.


Personal life

Armendáriz was married to actress Carmelita Bohr (née Pardo) by whom he had one son and daughter. Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. also became an actor and appeared in the James Bond film ''
Licence to Kill ''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond. It sees Bond suspended from MI6 as he pursues t ...
'' ( 1989); his daughter Carmen Armendáriz became a TV producer.


Illness and death

In 1956, Armendáriz had a role in '' The Conqueror'', produced by
Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...
. It was filmed in the state of
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
at the time when the
US government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...
was conducting
atmospheric nuclear testing Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...
in neighboring
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. Within 25 years, 91 of the 220 people involved in the production (41%) developed
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
, 46 of whom died of cancer or complications related to it. Armendáriz began to suffer pain in his hips; years later it was discovered that he had
neck cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...
. He learned his condition was terminal while at
UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as ''UCLA Medical Center'', "RRMC" or "Ronald Reagan") is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, and, reportedly, endured great pain to film '' From Russia with Love'' in order to assure his family financial resources. On June 18, 1963, Armendáriz committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a gun he had smuggled into the hospital. He was 51 years old. He is buried in the Panteón Jardín cemetery in Mexico City, Mexico.


Filmography


Hollywood


British cinema


Italian cinema


French cinema


Mexican cinema


Bibliography

* * Tierney, Dolores (2012)
"Latino Acting On Screen: Pedro Armendáriz Performs Mexicanness in Three John Ford Films"
''Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispanicos'', 37 (1). pp. 111–134. .


References


External links

* * *

at the
Cinema of Mexico Mexican cinema dates to the late nineteenth century during the rule of President Porfirio Díaz. Seeing a demonstration of short films in 1896, Díaz immediately saw the importance of documenting his presidency in order to present an ideal ...
site of the
ITESM Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) ( en, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education), also known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec, is a secular and coeducational private university based in ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armendariz, Pedro 1912 births 1963 deaths Male actors from Mexico City Mexican male film actors American male film actors Hispanic and Latino American male actors Golden Age of Mexican cinema Mexican people of American descent Best Actor Ariel Award winners Suicides by firearm in California California Polytechnic State University alumni Mexican emigrants to the United States 20th-century Mexican male actors 20th-century American male actors Male Western (genre) film actors Mexican expatriate actors in the United States 1963 suicides