María Félix

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Image:Maraibella2.jpg
María Félix

María Félix (8 April 1914 - 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress, one of the leading figures of the golden era of the Cinema of Mexico. She was commonly known, particularly in her later years, by the honorific La Doña.

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[edit] Biography

Born María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico. Most reference works state that she was born on April 8, 1914. She died on April 8, 2002 in Mexico City of congestive heart failure. It was her 88th birthday.

Her father, Bernard Félix, was a descendant of Yaqui Indians and her mother, Josefina Güereña, was of Spanish Basque blood, who was educated in a convent at Pico Heights, California.

Félix on the poster of her most defining film.
Félix on the poster of her most defining film.

[edit] Career

Félix's legendary career started in 1940, when she was discovered by Fernando Palacios, who cast her in his 1943 film La China Poblana. She accepted despite the fact that she personally believed she was not prepared for the role.

Her first movie was El Peñón de las Animas in 1942, which placed her alongside Jorge Negrete, the number-one actor in Mexico at the time, catapulted her to fame. Throughout her long career she acted in 47 movies.

Her beauty and flamboyant personality propelled her to international stardom and icon status, in movies like Woman Without a Soul and La Generala, and especially Doña Bárbara.

She refused to work in Hollywood unless she made her grand entrance from the "big door" and not the small roles offered by Cecil B. de Mille. Félix replied "I was not born to carry a basket".

Although she worked in French and Italian films as well as in the Mexican cinema, her poor command of the English language prevented her from working in Hollywood. She therefore lost to Jennifer Jones the leading role of Pearl Chavez in the 1945 film Duel in the Sun, which was written with Maria in mind; as a result, she never achieved the fame in the USA that she achieved in Latin America and Europe.

María Félix
María Félix

[edit] Relationships

María Félix's first husband was Enrique Alvarez, with whom she had a son, Enrique Alvarez Félix. She accused Alvarez of kidnapping their son following their divorce. She regained custody through help from her second husband,the composer Agustín Lara, whom she also divorced. She married actor Negrete and was shortly after widowed. She was critized by the press for wearing slacks when accepting Negrete's remains which were flown to her.

Her final husband was the French banker Alex Berger. According to Félix, Berger helped finance the Mexico City subway system to appease her. When he died she inherited his thoroughbred horse racing stable which she successfully operated for sometime, winning prizes for the sport in France.

Image:Mariabella2.JPG
María Félix

[edit] In Music, Art and Fashion

Agustin Lara wrote the famous song María Bonita for her. It has been recorded by many singers including Placido Domingo. Another song dedicated to her is María de Todas las Marías by Juan Gabriel.

In 1949 Diego Rivera painted a portrait of her titled Muy Malo. It was originally intended to premiere in a gallery but the painting was never shown on her request. It hangs in Gabriel's Los Angeles residence.

In the late 1960s Félix commissioned a necklace from Cartier SA to be designed with her pet crocodile as a model. She had previously commissioned a bracelet with a snake as a model. Since her death the necklace and bracelet have been displayed as part of museum exihibits in the United States. In Félix's honor in 2006 Cartier debuted La Doña, a watch with a wristband resembling the contours of crocodile scales. Later the jeweller and watchmaker expanded it into a collection named La Doña de Cartier that included jewellery and leather handbags.

[edit] Notable Quotes

María Félix had a quick wit. The following are statements made famous by her.


  • "Diva is something made up, but I was not fabricated, life made me and it possibly made me very well."
  • "In life I consider success inferior to celebrity. Success can be attained by many people, celebrity touches you and supports you through life."
  • "Money is important in life. It does not give you happiness, we all know, but it sure calms the nerves."
  • "My enemies are many and are bad; my friends are few and good."
  • "Women will never be like men, although sometimes there are men with the heart of a woman. From the beginning of time, men have taken the largest piece of the pie. I have the heart of a man and that's why things have been good for me."
  • "Don't give me advice, I can make mistakes alone."
  • "The stars of today have no star-power and the actresses of today are disposable. They are models that can't even speak."
  • "Some friends have told me that pearls make people cry. The only pearls that have made me cry were the fake ones."
  • "A man has never made my life difficult, because I have never bet all my chips on only one man."

Reply given to jewelers attempting to confiscate the wedding ring given to her by Jorge Negrete who died before fully paying it off:

  • "What's given is given."

Statement given to upset fans and the press in Bogotá, Colombia, after an early exit from a musical performance:

  • "Others have seen less and paid more."

Response to Argentine reporters' reaction on her being two hours late to a press conference:

  • "Oh that's OK boys, to have waited for me."

Her reaction to Juan Gabriel's song, María de Todas las Marías:

  • "If they compare you to La Virgen María, you always come out losing."

On beauty:

  • "My job has been to be attractive."
  • "In life it is not enough to be beautiful, but know how to be beautiful."

To reporters questioning her age:

  • "I don't count the years, I only limit myself to living them"
  • "Look, young lady, I have been very busy living my life and I've not had time to count it."
  • "No, I don't fear getting old, but something more dangerous: the downfall of a woman. I don't fear gray hairs nor wrinkles, but the disinterest in living life".

Exchanges with reporters:

  • "María, do you think you are a Queen Bee?"
Félix responds, "No, young lady, I AM".
  • "María, are you the most beautiful women in Mexico?"
Félix responds, "You know I am NOT humble."

[edit] Filmography

[edit] 1940 – 1945

  • El Peñón de las Ánimas
  • María Eugenia
  • Doña Bárbara
  • La China Poblana
  • La Mujer sin Alma
  • La Monja Alférez
  • Amok
  • El Monje Blanco
  • Vértigo

[edit] 1946 – 1949

  • La Devoradora
  • La Mujer de Todos
  • Enamorada
  • La Diosa Arrodillada
  • Río Escondido
  • Que Dios Me Perdone
  • Maclovia
  • Doña Diabla
  • Mare Nostrum
  • Una Mujer Cualquiera

[edit] 1950 – 1954

  • La Noche del Sábado
  • La Corona Negra
  • Incantesimo Tragico - Hechizo Tragico
  • Messalina
  • Reportaje
  • Camelia
  • El Rapto
  • French Can-Can
  • La Pasión Desnuda

[edit] 1955 – 1959

  • La Belle Otero
  • Les Héros Sont Fatigués - Los Heroes Estan Fatigados
  • La Escondida
  • Canasta de Cuentos Mexicanos
  • Tizoc: Amor Indio
  • Flor de Mayo
  • Faustina
  • Miércoles de Ceniza
  • Café Colón
  • La Estrella Vacía
  • La Cucaracha
  • Sonatas
  • La Fievre Monte A El Pao - Los Ambiciosos

[edit] 1960 –

  • Juana Gallo
  • La Bandida
  • Si Yo Fuera Millonario
  • Amor y sexo
  • La Valentina
  • La Generala

[edit] Date of birth

There is an ongoing dispute regarding Ms. Félix's date of birth. There is a large (but not unanimous) opinion (shared by IMDb) that she was born on April 8, 1914, which means that she died on her 88th birthday. However, her obituary in the New York Times states that she was born on May 4, 1914, which would have made her 87 at the time of her death.

[edit] External links

María Félix
María Félix
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