María Elena Velasco
| María Elena Velasco | |
|---|---|
| Pseudonym | La India María |
| Birth name | María Elena Velasco Fragoso |
| Born |
December 17, 1940 Puebla, Puebla, Mexico |
| Medium | Film, television, music |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Genres | Rural Mexican comedy |
| Spouse | Julián de Meriche (m. ?–1974) |
María Elena Velasco Fragoso (born December 17, 1940) is a Mexican actress, comedian, singer-songwriter, dancer, screenwriter, film producer, and one of Mexico's few major female film directors.[1][2] Best known for her successful "La India María" comic character, Velasco is the widow of Russian actor and choreographer Julián de Meriche.
Early life
María Elena Velasco Fragoso was born on December 17, 1940 to Tomas Velasco and María Elena Fragoso. She began to dance in theaters and to act in radio comedies. She was spotted by a film producer, who gave her minor roles. As she developed the India María, at first she named her "Elena María" and began to portray the character in the "Teatro Blanquita".
Rural Representation
Just as the popular rural-based American comedies of Ma and Pa Kettle and The Beverly Hillbillies, Velasco has made a highly popular comedic representation of rural Mexico as a typical Mexican indigenous woman named "Maria" who is often confused by urban life. The character she portrays is dressed in traditional garb consisting of traditionally braided and ribboned hair, colorful native-type blouses and skirts. In her films, she often goes out of her way to speak at least a few lines in native languages, such as Chichimeca and Nahuatl. Although she may be ignorant about some things, Maria is wise about peoples' ways and ideas.
Velasco has said publicly that she wants India María to represent Mexico's poor social classes, and she has tried to carry out social messages in most of the movies she has made. Velasco invented the India María character in 1972 for Mexican TV network Telesistema Mexicano (now Televisa) for a comic segment of the weekly program Siempre en domingo. It quickly became a hit and in the same year, Velasco began starring in an enormously successful series of low-budget comedies that became a mainstay in Mexican movie theaters through the mid-1980s.
Filmography
Velasco has starred in approximately 23 films in Mexico, and 3 television series. She received an Ariel Award in 2004 for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film Huapango (a film not of the India María series).
La India María series
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Tonta, tonta, pero no tanto | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1973 | ¡Pobre, pero honrada! | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1974 | Algo es algo, dijo el diablo | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1974 | La madrecita | Sor María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1975 | La presidenta municipal | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1976 | El miedo no anda en burro | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1977 | Sor Tequila | María Nicolasa del Sagrado Corazón / Sor Tequila |
| 1978 | Duro pero seguro | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1978 | La comadrita | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1981 | Okey, Mister Pancho | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1982 | ¡El que no corre... vuela! | María Nicolasa Cruz |
| 1983 | El coyote emplumado | María |
| 1984 | Ni Chana, ni Juana | Juana Cruz / Emilia Falcón (Luciana) |
| 1988 | Ni de aqui, ni de alla | María |
| 1993 | Se equivocó la cigueña | María |
| 1996 | Las delicias del poder | María / Lorena Barriga |
| 2013 | La hija de Moctezuma | India María [3] |
Other films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Huapángo | Dance instructor |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Revista musical Nescafe | La India María | |
| 1998 | ¡Ay María qué puntería! | La India María | |
| 2003 | Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real | María | 1 episode – Amor Incondicionál |
| 2013 | Corazón indomable | Mama Esperanza de López / Maria Nicolasa |
References
- ↑ Biographical Dictionary of Mexican Film Performers: "U-Z". umd.edu
- ↑ Google books, Women filmmakers in Mexico: the country of which we dream, Elissa Rashkin, 2001, Page 76
- ↑ Graban película de “La India María” – Diario Eyipantla Milenio. Diarioeyipantla.com (2011-05-24). Retrieved on 2012-07-14.