Paco Jamandreu

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Paco Jamandreu (October 17, 1925 – March 9, 1995) was a well known Argentine fashion designer and actor. He was a personal friend of Eva Perón and participated as costume designer in multiple Argentine films.

Jamandreu began his friendship with Perón before she married Juan Perón. At first, their relationship was a business one; as time went by, he became her confidant, and viceversa. His friendship with Eva Peron was perpetuated in the big screen when an Argentine film about Ms. Perón was released. According to the film, Jamandreu admitted to Ms. Perón that he was homosexual, telling her that "being homosexual in Argentina is just like being poor".

[edit] Career

In 1942, Jamandreu made his debut as movie costume designer, in a movie named Historia de Crímenes ("Crime Story"). He followed that by designing the clothes for El Muerto Falta a la Cita ("The Dead One Missed the Appointment"), released in 1944, and in 1947's El Misterioso Tío Silas ("The Mysterious Uncle Silas"). Jamandreu designed clothes for only two movies during the 1950s.

Jamandreu became more active as film fashion designer during the 1960s, when he worked in six films. Between 1969 and 1995, he retired from designing clothes for film, but he debuted as an actor in 1980, participating in a movie named Una Viuda Descocada ("A Crazy Widow"). In 1986, he acted in Soy Paciente ("I'm Patient"), but that film was never released because the producers could not finish recording it.

In 1996, Jamandreu's last work as a film fashion designer was displayed in Argentine theaters, when Amor de Otoño was released. Jamandreu had been working in the Amor de Otoño production when he died from a heart attack, March 9, 1995.