Sara Montiel

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Sara Montiel (born March 10, 1928) is a Spanish actress. She is still a much-loved and internationally known name in the Spanish-speaking movie and music industries. She was born in Campo de Criptana in the region of Castile-La Mancha in 1928. After her unprecedented international hit in Juan de Orduña's El Último Cuplé in 1957, Miss Montiel achieved the status of mega-star in Europe and Latin America. She was the first woman to distill sex openly in Spanish cinema at a time when even a low cut dress was not acceptable. With the passage of time the title of "legend" has been awarded to her mythological cache. In legend she seems to thrive; growing stronger and even more famous. She is very much admired internationally today.

She was recently portrayed in the Pedro Almodóvar film Bad Education by Gael García Bernal as the character Zahara and a film clip from one of her movies was used as well. Montiel was the most commercially successful Spanish actress during the mid Twentieth century in much of the world. Miss Montiel's film "Varietes" was banned in Peking in 1973. Her films "El Último Cuple" and "La Violetera" netted the highest gross revenues ever recorded for films made in the Spanish speaking movie industry during the 50s and 60s.

1 Acting career
2 Filmography
3 Discography
4 Awards
5 Personal Information
6 External Links

[edit] Acting career

Montiel started in the movies at 16 in her native Spain and later conquered Hollywood filming with Gary Cooper the classic Vera Cruz in 1954. Sarita, as she became known in the United States, went on to film with Rod Steiger, Joan Fontaine, Mario Lanza and Burt Lancaster. In 1957 she returned to Spain to film a movie as a favor to famed new wave director Juan de Orduña. This film made her unexpectedly the number one actress of that year in Europe and Latin America. Declining after that to return to Hollywood to perhaps be typecast in ethnic roles, Montiel remained in Europe. Fifteen monumentally successful films followed her Cuple success (including La Violetera, La Bella Lola, and Pecado de Amor).

In 1973 Montiel retired from the movies to begin doing live performances.

[edit] Filmography

Te Quiero para Mi - 1944 (credited as "Maria Alejandra")
Empezó en Boda - 1944
Bambu" - 1945
Se Le Fue El novio - 1945
El Misterioso Viajero del Clipper -1946
Por El Gran premio - 1946
Vidas Confusas - 1947
Confidencia - 1947
Mariona Rebull - 1947
Alhucemas - 1948
Don Quijote de la Mancha(Don Quixote in the U.S.) - 1948
Locura de Amor (The Mad Queen in the U.S.) - 1949
La Mies es Mucha - 1949
Pequeneces - 1950
That Man from Tangier -1950 (released in the U.S. 1953)
Furia Roja - 1950 (English version: "Stronghold" with Veronica Lake in the Montiel part)
Carcel de Mujeres - 1951
Ahi Viene Martin Corona - 1951
El Enamorado - 1951
Ella Lucifer y Yo - 1952
Yo Soy Gallo Dondequiera - 1952
Piel Canela - 1953
Porque Ya No Me Quieres - 1953
Se Solicitan Modelos - 1954
Frente Al Pecado De Ayer - 1954
Yo No Creo en Los Hombres - 1954
Vera Cruz - 1954
Donde El Circulo Termina -1955 (Circle of Death in the U.S.)
Serenade - 1956
Run of the Arrow - 1957
El Último Cuple - 1957
La Violetera - 1958
Carmen la de Ronda (The Devil Made a Woman in the U.S. and UK.) - 1958
Mi Último Tango - 1960
Pecado de Amor - 1961
La Bella Lola - 1962
Noches De Casablanca - 1963
Samba - 1964
La Dama de Beirut - 1965
La Mujer Perdida - 1966
Tuset Street - 1967
Esa Mujer - 1969
Varietés - 1971
Cinco Almohadas para una Noche - 1973
Asaltar los Cielos(documental - 1996) As herself.
Sara Una Estrella (documental - 2001) As herself.
Machin, Toda Una Vida (documental -2002) As herself.
A Thousand Clouds of Peace - 2003 (Sara's recording of "Nena" used as theme song)
Bad Education -2004 (features a couple of Sara's songs and film clips)

[edit] Discography

Sara Montiel en Mexico
El Último Cuple
La Violetera
Baile con Sara Montiel
Carmen la de Ronda
Besos de Fuego
Mi Último Tango
El Tango
Pecado de Amor
La Bella Lola
Noches De Casablanca
Samba
La Dama de Beirut
Canta Sarita Montiel
Esa Mujer
Sara
Varietés
Sara... Hoy
Saritisima
Anoche con Sara
Purisimo Sara
Sara De Cine
Sara A Flor de Piel
Amados Mios
Todas Las Noches A Las Once
Sara Montiel La Diva
Sara Montiel La Leyenda

[edit] Awards

"Gold Medal", 2001, Spain's Academy of the Films and the Arts
The Legion of Honor
Ben Guiron Medal of Valor, 1981
Premio del Sindicato 1957 (Spain's Oscar equivalent) Best female performance for El Último Cuple
Premio del Sindicato 1958 (Spain's Oscar equivalent) Best female performance for La Violetera

[edit] Personal Information

Montiel was born Maria Antonia Abad Fernandez. She has been married four times: first to director Anthony Mann, next to industrialist Vicente Ramirez Olalla. Her third union took place in 1978 with newspaper man Jose Tous, which produced two adopted children, Thais (1979) and Zeus (1982). She became a widow in 1993 after Mr Tous died of cancer. Her fourth marriage in 2002 caused a scandal when she married a much younger man and then divorced him quickly afterwards.

Montiel wrote her memoirs in the year 2000 and this book became an instant bestseller with ten editions published to date. A sequel Sara and Sex followed in 2003.