Flor Silvestre

Flor Silvestre
as Catalina in Ánimas Trujano
Background information
Birth name	Guillermina Jiménez Chabolla
Also known as	"La Sentimental"
Born	(1930-08-16) 16 August 1930 Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico
Origin	Mexico City, Mexico
Genres	Ranchera, mariachi, corrido, bolero, norteño, banda
Occupations	Singer, actress
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1943–present
Labels	RCA Víctor, Musart, Green Dream
Associated acts	Luis Aguilar, Antonio Aguilar, José Alfredo Jiménez, Francisco Avitia, Miguel Aceves Mejía, Rosa de Castilla

Guillermina Jiménez Chabolla (born 16 August 1930),^[1] commonly known by her stage name Flor Silvestre, is a Mexican recording artist and actress whose career spans seven decades in music, film, comic books, television, and the stage.^[2][3]

Often remarked for her beauty and the sentiment of her music,^[3] Silvestre has recorded more than 100 albums. She was one of Musart Records' best-selling artists in 1967^[4] and 1969, when they awarded her The Golden Clover accolade.^[5]

Included in Cine Confidencial magazine's edition of folkloric leading ladies of Mexican cinema,^[6] Silvestre is one of the few ranchera singers to successfully venture in film. Her versatility in acting led her to play a wide variety of roles including soldaderas, femme fatales, and ingenues. Her most prominent roles are featured in the films Primero soy mexicano, El bolero de Raquel, La cucaracha, and Ánimas Trujano, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.^[7]

During the apogee of her career she married co-star Antonio Aguilar. Their sons, Antonio Aguilar Jr. and Pepe Aguilar, also ventured into the film and music industries. Besides being internationally recognized in music and cinema, Silvestre also became the likeness of La Llanera Vengadora, a comic book heroine.^[8] She is the elder sister of singer and actress Enriqueta Jiménez.

Early life

Flor Silvestre was born Guillermina Jiménez Chabolla in Salamanca, Guanajuato^[9] on 16 August 1930,^[1][9] to Jesús Jiménez Cervantes and María de Jesús Chabolla Peña.^[9] She is the third of seven children: Francisco, Raquel, (herself), José Luis, Enriqueta, María de la Luz, and Arturo.^[9][10]

Career

Singing

At the age of 13, Silvestre along with her family moved to central Mexico City,^[9] where she began her first steps in her musical career singing such ranchera songs as "La canción mexicana", "Yo también soy mexicana" and "El herradero".^[9] She became one of the leading artists in the XFO radio station being heard by the audience singing the song "La soldadera", by José de Jesús Morales. After her work in the XFO, Flor won a fan contest in the XEW radio station. She sang in the Teatro Colonial, which was the start for her tour across Central and South America and prior to that chose the stage name of "Flor Silvestre" (wild flower), when the Dolores del Río-starred film Flor silvestre was released in theaters in 1943.^[9]

Acting

Flor Silvestre immersed herself into the Mexican cinema during its Golden era. Her film debut was in Te besaré en la boca in 1950 and at the age of 21. She was discovered by producer Gregorio Walerstein, who after hearing her sing in "El Patio", cast her in her first starring role alongside Joaquín Pardave and Luis Aguilar in the 1950 comedy-drama film Primero soy mexicano.^[9] Like many rising singers, Silvestre made a prolific intervention in cinema, which also boosted her musical career. She also appeared again with Luis Aguilar and Francisco Avitia in the masked-hero film, El tigre enmascarado, the following year.

Silvestre quickly became one of Cinematográfica Jalisco's leading actresses starring with Dagoberto Rodríguez in the masked-hero western film trilogy "El lobo solitario", in the films El lobo solitario, La justicia del lobo, and Vuelve el lobo all released in 1952. Her talent, poise, and beauty maintained her in the film industry sharing credits with many of Mexico's most famous actors.

After a brief disappearance in cinema for at least three years, Flor Silvestre's first color film appearance was alongside Elsa Aguirre in 1956 in La doncella de piedra. The same year, she starred with Antonio Aguilar, who would be her future husband, in the film La huella del chacal, an installment in the Mauricio Rosales film series. Silvestre also starred with Cantinflas and Manola Saavedra in El bolero de Raquel in 1957, a popular film and one of the first where she does not contribute to the soundtrack. In 1959, Flor starred alongside Demetrio González in the Mexiscope production Tan bueno el giro como el colorado, as the lead of an all-star cast in Pueblo en armas and its sequel ¡Viva la soldadera!, and with María Félix in Ismael Rodríguez's revolution-epic La cucaracha.

As the dawn of the 1960s came along, Silvestre also starred with popular comic pair Viruta y Capulina in Dos locos en escena in 1960. Silvestre was cast along with Toshiro Mifune and Columba Domínguez in the award-winning film Ánimas Trujano in 1962, another film directed by Ismael Rodríguez. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and is probably her best-known role among the American audience. By this decade, she would avert her roles from low-budget westerns and comedies to star in Mexican Revolution-drama films with her husband Antonio Aguilar, such as Caballo prieto azabache in 1968, Lauro Puñales in 1969, and El ojo de vidrio in 1969.

By the 1970s, Flor Silvestre had made a popular cinematic image of a folkloric woman-hero, therefore that became the subject of a comic magazine entitled La Llanera Vengadora,^[8] which translates as "the avenging plainswoman", using her likeness and name. The magazine featured a female hero who sought justice, and was dressed in brightly colored cowboy garb.^[8] In this decade, she had some musical guest roles in films, but still maintained her leading lady status in many of Mario Hernández's productions. In the later two decades the films Sabor a sangre and Persecución y muerte de Benjamin Argumedo both in 1980 are among her noted roles, and Triste recuerdo in 1991, which was her last screen appearance, is one of her most memorable roles. She was 62 years old when she decided to leave Mexican cinema, but has appeared frequently in interviews, award festivals, and talk-shows. Flor Silvestre never appeared in any Mexican television series, but her filmography counts up a total of 74 films.

Personal life

Silvestre gave birth to her first child, Dalia Inés, when she was 16 years old.^[11] Dalia Inés publicly omits the name of her biological father, who was a radio announcer, since she says that she considers Antonio Aguilar as her father figure.^[11] Silvestre later married television presenter Paco Malgesto.^[11] Their children are Marcela Rubiales Jiménez, a singer and actress, and Francisco Rubiales Jiménez, a voice-over actor.^[11]

In an interview with Don Francisco in Don Francisco presenta, Silvestre confirmed that during her first few films with Antonio Aguilar she had not been romantically involved with him.^[12] It wasn't until the film Heraclio Bernal when both decided to divorce their respective spouses (Aguilar being married to actress Otilia Larrañaga and Silvestre being married to television presenter Paco Malgesto) to marry each other.^[13] Aguilar and Silvestre finally married on 29 October 1959, shortly before the release of their most recent film La cucaracha. Their marriage produced two sons: Antonio Aguilar hijo and Pepe Aguilar.

On 28 February 2012, Silvestre underwent surgery to extirpate the cancer-stricken half of her right lung.^[14] She responded well to the surgery and has since been recuperating.^[15]

Accolades

• In 2001, the National Association of Actors, also known by its acronym as the ANDA, awarded Silvestre with the Eduardo Arozamena Medal in recognition of having contributed in Mexican cinema for over fifty years, her husband Antonio Aguilar also received one.^[16]
• In 2013, the association of Mexican cinema journalists awarded Silvestre with a Special Silver Goddess Award for her career.^[17]

Selected discography

• La sentimental (1964)
• 15 éxitos (1991)
• Soledad (2010)

Filmography

References

External links

• Flor Silvestre at the Internet Movie Database
• Flor Silvestre at the TCM Movie Database