Part of doing Film Actress Friday to me is celebrating and showcasing actresses that aren't as widely recognized as others. I believe this happens alot with foreign actresses because of many of us are so interested in American Cinema that we never discover the icons of other countries cinema. With that being said this week I am featuring Maria Felix.
-She was born in 1914 in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico
-Her given name was Maria de los Angeles Felix Guerena
-She is an icon 0f the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema
-She was discovered in Mexico City by a business man who introduced her to filmmaker Miguel Zacarias who cast her in El Penon de las Animas
-In 1943 she starred in directors Fernando de Fuentes's 'Dona Barbara', she also worked with him in 1944 and again in 1946's 'La Devoradora' which made her a vamp of mexican cinema
-She refused to accept small roles from Hollywood and lost a role in 1945's 'Duel in the Sun' because of work commitments, because of this she never received the same popularity in the US
-In 1946 she started working with director Emilio Fernandez who helped launch her career through Europe
-In the late 40s to the early 60s she worked in films in Spain, France and Italy
-In 1959 she starred in 'La Cucaracha' with Dolores del Rio
-She was an inspiration to many designers and was dressed by Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Balenciaga
-Hermes designed creations especially for her
-She collected antiques and jewelry
-She owned the 41.37 carat D-flawless "Ashoka" diamond
-In 1968 she commissioned Cartier for a serpent diamond necklace which included 178.21 carats of diamonds
-In 1975 she asked them to design for her again, a necklace in the shape of 2 crocodiles. It included 524.9 grams of gold, 1,023 yellow diamonds and 1,060 emeralds
-Since her 2002 death in Mexico City, the jewelry pieces have been displayed as part of The Art of Cartier Collection
-In 2006 as a tribute to her Cartier debuted it's La Dona de Cartier collection
