Katy Jurado

Who was Katy Jurado?

Katy Jurado, was a Mexican actress who had a successful film career both in Mexico and in Hollywood.

Jurado had already established herself as an actress in Mexico in the 1940s when she came to Hollywood, becoming a regular in Western films of the 1950s and 1960s. She worked with many Hollywood legends, including Gary Cooper in High Noon, Spencer Tracy in Broken Lance, and Marlon Brando in One-Eyed Jacks, and such respected directors as Fred Zinnemann, Sam Peckinpah and John Huston.

Jurado made seventy-one films during her career. She became the first Latin American actress nominated for an Academy Award, as Best Supporting Actress for her work in 1954's Broken Lance, and was the first to win a Golden Globe Award. Like many Latin actors, she was typecast to play ethnic roles in American films. By contrast, she had a greater variety of roles in Mexican films; sometimes she also sang and danced.

Jurado was one of several Mexican actresses to succeed in Hollywood. Others are Dolores del Río, Lupe Vélez, and Salma Hayek.