Elvira Catalina Quintana Molina (7 November 1935 – 8 August 1968) was a Spanish actress and singer.

Early life and career

Born in

Montijo, Spain Montijo () is a town and municipality in the province of Badajoz, in Extremadura, Spain. It has a population of 16,236 inhabitants (in 2010). It is located between Badajoz and Mérida, near Guadiana The Guadiana River ( , , , ) is an inter ...

, Quintana and her family migrated to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

when she was 5 years old. She began her career working in theatre and later participated in films as an

extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

. Her first important role was as Carmen Ochoa in "Una solución inesperada", a segment of the drama film ''Canasta de cuentos mexicanos'' (1956). She then enrolled in the

National Association of Actors The National Association of Actors (, ANDA) is the Mexican actors guild. It is a member of the Bloque Latinoamericano de Actores (BLADA, the Latin American Actors' Block) that includes all of the actors' unions in Latin America. The ANDA is head ...

' theatre and film institute (Instituto Teatral y Cinematográfico). She was given her first starring role in ''El buen ladrón'' (1957) before her breakthrough in ''Bolero inmortal'' (1958), in which she debuted as a singer; the film's soundtrack album, for which she recorded songs, was a commercial success throughout

Hispanic America Hispanic America ( or ), historically known as Spanish America () or Castile (historical region), Castilian America (), is the Spanish-speaking countries and territories of the Americas. In all of these countries, Spanish language, Spanish is th ...

. She starred opposite

Pedro Armendáriz Pedro Gregorio Armendáriz Hastings (May 9, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was a Mexican-American film actor who made films in both Mexico and the United States. With Dolores del Río and María Félix, he was one of the best-known Latin American mo ...

, her favorite actor, in ''Dos hijos desobedientes'' (1960). Greatly admired by audiences for her beauty and talent, she became one of the most popular Mexican performers of the 1960s. Her last appearances were in the

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

s ''El dolor de amar'' (1966), in which she played a villain for the first time, and ''Felipa Sánchez, la soldadera'' (1967), in which the press declared she created "an unforgettable character" as the title role.

Death and legacy

Quintana, who never married, suffered from pancreatic problems and

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

during her last months. She died of a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

on 8 August 1968, in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

; she was survived by her mother, Alejandra Molina, and her two siblings, Juana Quintana Molina and José Díaz Molina. She was interred at the

Panteón Jardín Panteón Jardín ("Garden Cemetery") is a cemetery in Mexico City in which several notable people are interred. It is located in the southwest of the city, between the San Ángel and Olivar de los Padres boroughs. It is a garden cemetery, buil ...

on 9 August. A street in Montijo, her hometown, is named after her.

Filmography

* ''

The Mystery of the Express Car ''The Mystery of the Express Car'' (Spanish: ''El misterio del carro express'') is a 1953 Mexican mystery film directed by Zacarías Gómez Urquiza Zacarías Gómez Urquiza (1905-1982) was a Mexican film director and screenwriter. Selected film ...

'' (1953) * ''

Look What Happened to Samson ''Look What Happened to Samson'' (Spanish:''Lo que le pasó a Sansón'') is a 1955 Mexican comedy film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and starring Germán Valdés, Ana Bertha Lepe and Yolanda Varela.Monsiváis & Kraniauskas p.117 Main ca ...

'' (1955) *''

El vendedor de muñecas ''El Vendedor de muñecas'' ("The Seller of Dolls") is a 1955 Mexican film directed by Chano Urueta. Plot Roberto (Pedro López Lagar) is dedicated to recruiting young beautiful women for using them in a financial scam. He asks them to pretend t ...

'' (1955) *'' Furias desatadas'' (1957) * '' Every Child a Cross to Bear'' (1957) *'' Dangers of Youth'' (1960) * '' Invincible Guns'' (1960) * '' Revolver en Guardia'' (1960) * ''

The Curse of the Doll People ''The Curse of the Doll People'' ( "Infernal Dolls"), or ''The Devil Doll Men'', is a 1961 Mexican horror film directed by Benito Alazraki. It was produced by Cinematográfica Calderón S.A. The screenplay by Alfredo Salazar is an uncredited adapt ...

'' (1961) *'' Tres muchachas de Jalisco'' (1964) *''

Me Llaman El Cantaclaro Me most often refers to: * Me (pronoun), the first-person singular pronoun, referring to the speaker Me, M.E. or ME may also refer to: Language * Me (cuneiform), a sign in cuneiform writing * Me (kana), a letter in Japanese script * Middle Eng ...

''(1964) *'' Tintanson Cruzoe'' (1965) *'' Las Tapatias nunca pierden'' (1965) *'' Lástima de Ropa'' (1971)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Bolero inmortal'' (1958) * ''Diferente'' (1963) * ''Toda una vida'' (1965) * ''Acércate más'' (1966)

Compilation albums

* ''La inolvidable Elvira Quintana'' (1968)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quintana, Elvira 1935 births 1968 deaths Bolero singers People from Badajoz Ranchera singers Spanish emigrants to Mexico Spanish film actresses Spanish stage actresses Spanish television actresses Spanish women poets 20th-century Spanish actresses 20th-century Spanish poets 20th-century Spanish women singers 20th-century Spanish women writers