Rosita Moreno (born Gabriela Victoria Viñolas; March 18, 1907 – April 25, 1993) was a Spanish film actress who worked in cinema in Hollywood, Argentina, Mexico, and in her native Spain.

Biography

Born in

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Moreno was the daughter of Spanish character actor Francisco Moreno, who also developed a Hollywood career. As a child she devoted herself to acting in

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

and

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

genres. Moreno appeared in more than 30 films in a career that spanned more than 20 years, often travelling through several countries in quick succession. She made her screen debut alongside her father in the 1930 film ''Amor audaz'', co-starring

Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies. He appeared in such films as Charlie Chaplin's ''A Woman of Paris'', where he played the lead role; Stanley K ...

. The same year she appeared in the Spanish-language version of ''

Paramount on Parade ''Paramount on Parade'' is a 1930 all-star American pre-Code revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Lothar Mendes, O ...

'', released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. In 1931, she co-starred in ''

Stamboul The city of Istanbul has been known by a number of different names. The most notable names besides the modern Turkish name are Byzantium, Constantinople, and Stamboul. Different names are associated with different phases of its history, with diff ...

'', released by Paramount British. In 1935, Moreno paired with

Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential int ...

in two significant films, '' El día que me quieras'' and ''

Tango Bar ''Tango Bar'' is a 1987 Argentine-Puerto Rican musical drama film directed by Marcos Zurinaga and starring Raul Julia, Rubén Juárez and Valeria Lynch. It was written by Zurinaga with Juan Carlos Codazzi and José Pablo Feinmann. It was select ...

''. The same year, she was selected for the main role in ''Piernas de seda''. She also worked with

Richard Arlen Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television. Biography Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Arlen attended the University of Pennsylvania. He served in Canada as a ...

('' The Santa Fe Trail'', 1930),

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to " talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

(''

Her Wedding Night ''Her Wedding Night'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and written by Avery Hopwood and Henry Myers. The film stars Clara Bow, Ralph Forbes, Charlie Ruggles, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Geneva Mitchell and Ros ...

'', 1930),

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

(''

Ladies Should Listen ''Ladies Should Listen'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Cary Grant, Edward Everett Horton, Frances Drake, and Nydia Westman. Plot The switchboard operator Anna Mirelle (Frances Drake) in an apartment buil ...

'', 1934), and

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

('' The Scoundrel'', 1935), among others. She made her last appearance in 1949 in an episode of ''The Clock'', a suspense/anthology

TV-series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

based on an

ABC Radio Network Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which ...

series which ran from 1946 through 1948. In this episode she shared leading roles with

George Reeves George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958). His death at age 45 from a g ...

. Little is known about her after that point. Rosita Moreno died in 1993 in

Hollywood, Los Angeles Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Picture ...

, at the age of 86 from undisclosed causes.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1930) * ''

El rey de los gitanos ''El rey de los gitanos'', was a 1933 American Spanish language comedy-drama film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars José Mojica, Rosita Moreno, and Julio Villarreal. The screenplay was written by Paul Perez, Llewellyn Hughes, and José L� ...

'' (1933) * ''

Walls of Gold ''Walls of Gold'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Kenneth MacKenna and starring Sally Eilers, Norman Foster, and Ralph Morgan.Goble p.1009 Plot Cast * Sally Eilers as Jeanie Satterlee Ritchie * Norman Foster as Barnes Rit ...

'' (1933) * ''

Las fronteras del amor ''Las fronteras del amor'' is a 1934 American Spanish language romance film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars José Mojica, Rosita Moreno, and Rafael Corio. The screenplay was written by Winifred Dunn and Miguel de Zárraga, from a screenpl ...

'' (1934) *'' The House of a Thousand Candles'' (1936) * ''

Tengo fe en ti ''Tengo fe en ti'' (English: I Believe in You) is a 1940 American Spanish language drama film. It was released on July 7, 1940. It was the only production of Victoria Films, which was run by Melville Shauer, who also co-produced the film and was t ...

'' (1940) * ''

A Medal for Benny ''A Medal for Benny'' is a 1945 American film directed by Irving Pichel. The story was conceived by writer Jack Wagner, who enlisted his long-time friend John Steinbeck to help him put it into script form. The film was released by Paramount Pictu ...

'' (1945)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno, Rosita 1907 births 1993 deaths Actresses from Madrid Spanish film actresses Expatriate actresses in the United States Spanish expatriates in the United States Expatriate actresses in Mexico Spanish expatriates in Mexico 20th-century Spanish actresses 20th-century Spanish singers 20th-century Spanish women singers Spanish expatriates in Argentina