Dolores del Río

Who was Dolores del Río?

Dolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a Mexican actress in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s, and was one of the most important womanly figures of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. She was considered a mythical figure in Latin America and quintessential representation of the feminine face of Mexico in the world.

During the 1920s and 1930s in Hollywood, Dolores was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time, a sort of female version of Rudolph Valentino, the "Latin lover" in the silent films. Her career flourished until the end of the silent era, with success in films such as Resurrection, Ramona and Evangeline. She was one of the few superstars of the silent era to adapt to the talkies in Hollywood. She filmed successful films like Bird of Paradise, Flying Down to Rio, Madame Du Barry, Wonder Bar and Journey into Fear.

She had a four-year relationship with Orson Welles. She was with him during the filming of Citizen Kane. Welles considered her the great love of his life.

When del Río returned to Mexico, under the guidance of the director Emilio Fernández, she became the most important star of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. The 1943 film María Candelaria is considered her masterpiece from this time. She was the first Latin American female star to be recognized internationally.