- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMaría Antonia Abad Fernández
- Nickname
- Saritisima
- Height5′ 5¾″ (1.67 m)
- Sara Montiel was born in the village of Campo de Criptana, province of
Ciudad Real, in the region of Castille-La Mancha, Spain. Her parents
were Isidoro Abad, a peasant, and Maria Vicenta Fernández, a
door-to-door beautician. The future star was christened Maria Antonia
Alejandra Abad Fernández. Barely in her teens, she won a beauty and
talent contest held by Cifesa, the most influential Spanish film studio
of that era. She was promptly signed to a movie contract and in 1944
made her debut playing a teenager in
Te quiero para mí (1944),
credited in the cast as "Maria Alejandra". By the end of 1944 she was
given the starring role in
Empezó en boda (1944), which
introduced her with a more adult image and a new name: Sara Montiel.
In the next four years she appeared in 14 films, including her first
international success
Locura de amor (1948), which led
to a long term-contract in Mexico. She quickly established herself as
one of the most popular film actors of the decade. starring in over a
dozen films between 1950 and 1954. Hollywood came calling and she was
formally introduced to American moviegoers in
Vera Cruz (1954), playing
Gary Cooper's love interest. Later
she worked at Warner Bros. in
Serenade (1956) with
Mario Lanza, directed by
Anthony Mann, who became her first
husband. After starring in Samuel Fuller's
Run of the Arrow (1957) with
Rod Steiger, Sarita shot
El último cuplé (1957) ("The Last
Song") in Spain, a musical production that turned out to be the biggest
box-office success in Spain's film history. It played for over a year
in the same theaters in which it opened. A similar reaction followed in
Western Europe and Latin America. Sarita Montiel had become the most
popular actress-singer of 1957 and a national treasure for Spain.
The unprecedented success of "El Último Cuplé" threw a wrench into her
Hollywood career, as she was offered a multimillion-dollar contract to
star in four films in Europe. Her next vehicle,
La violetera (1958) ("The Violet
Peddler"), confirmed Sara's popularity and broke the box-office records
set by the previous movie. The theme song from "La Violetera" became
Montiel's signature song. The soundtrack albums from both films
reportedly outsold Elvis Presley and
Frank Sinatra in the world market. From
then on, Sarita would combine the making of films with the recording of
highly successful albums and live concerts in four continents. By 1962
she had become a legend to millions of fans worldwide, reaching markets
that had previously been uncharted territory for Spanish cinema. Among
her many blockbusters of the 1960s were
Mi último tango (1960),
Pecado de amor (1961),
La bella Lola (1962),
La reina del Chantecler (1962)
and Esa mujer (1969).
However, by the 1970s her interest in films diminished, due largely to
the almost pornographic turn of Spanish films in the
late-Francisco Franco era when
censorship was abolished and she retired from films in 1974. Her activities turned mainly to recording and
stage work, and she achieved uncontested successes with her stage shows
"Sara en Persona" (1970-73), "Saritísima" (1974-75), "Increible Sara"
(1977-78), "Super Sara Show"(1979-80), "Doña Sara de La Mancha"
(1981-82), "Taxi Vamos Al Victoria" (1983-84), "Nostalgia" (1985-86),
"Sara, Siempre Sara" (1987-88) and others.
In the 1990s Sara surprised everyone by branching out into television:
Sara y punto (1990), a
mini-series of seven one-hour episodes, included a serialized biography
of the star, many popular guests (including
Luciano Pavarotti and
Charles Aznavour, among others) and
Miss Montiel singing her greatest hits in addition to new songs written
especially for her. Next came
Ven al Paralelo (1992), taped
in a Barcelona theater where Montiel hosted,sang and acted in comedy
sketches in front of a live audience.
It is quite impossible to cover here all the awards Sara Montiel has
won in her long successful career but we must mention the "Premio del
Sindicato" (at that time Spain's equivalent of the Oscar) for best
actress, won two years in a row for her performances in "El Último
Cuplé" and "La Violetera". In 1972 she was proclaimed an honorary
citizen of Los Angeles by Mayor Sam Yorty and
was given the gold key to the city. Similarly she has been awarded the
gold keys of New York, Miami and Chicago. In 1981 she received Israel's
most prestigious honor, the Ben Guiron Award and in 1983 she was
awarded France's Legion of Honor medal, after a retrospective of her
career ran at the Autumn Film Festival in Paris. In 1986 "Nosotros", a
Hollywood-based Hispanic actors advocacy organization founded by
Ricardo Montalban, gave her its Golden
Eagle Award for life achievement. The trophy was presented to Sarita by
her "Vera Cruz" costar-producer
Burt Lancaster in an emotional reunion
that triggered a standing ovation from all their Hollywood peers
witnessing the event. In 1997 she was awarded the "Gold Medal", also a
life achievement recognition, given--rarely0--by Spain's Academy of
Arts and Sciences. The two-hour ceremony was beamed live by national
television. In 2008 Sara returned to her hometown to unveil a sculpture
with her image at the new Sara Montiel Park. A nearby avenue was also
named after her and there was at the same time a dedication ceremony of
her newly renovated museum, located inside a 16th-century windmill. In
addition, the government placed a commemorative plaque on the house
where she was born.
Sara Montiel's private life has also been a large part of her legend.
After divorcing Anthony Mann in 1963, she married three more times
(Vicente Ramirez Olalla 1964-1978; Jose Tous 1979-1992; Antonio
Hernandez 2002-2004). Before, during and after these marriages she had
countless affairs, among them Nobel prize-winning scientist
Severo Ochoa and Italian actor
Giancarlo Del Duca. Unable to have
children, she adopted two during her marriage to Jose Tous: Thais (born
in 1979) and Zeus (born 1983). In 2000 she published her autobiography,
which became a best seller. Undaunted by the passage of time and
ignoring critics who accused her of mishandling her legendary image,
Sara Montiel continued living and working at a hectic pace. She kept
touring with her one woman show and making guests appearances on
television. In 2009 she won a new generation of fans when she recorded
"Absolutamente," an outrageous duet with Fangoria's vocalist Alaska.
Both the record and the promotional video reached the top of the
popularity charts and remained there for weeks.
Next Sara recorded some love duets with baritone José Antonio Román
Marcos and traveled to the United States for a short tour sponsored by
New York's Cervantes Institute and the universities of Chicago and
Cincinnati. In every city she charmed the audiences with her
charismatic presence and sense of humor. Back in Spain she continued
her activities which now included supporting the singing career of her
son Zeus. She appeared in his 2011 "Sex Dance" video and caused quite a
stir.
In February 2013 Sara Montiel became the subject of a made-for-TV
documentary titled "Sara's Dream" which aired in Spain to high ratings
and great reviews. It was a fitting celebration of her fantastic life
and career which came at the right time. A couple of months later, the
star who had seemed eternal, passed away suddenly and quietly in her
Madrid penthouse. By her family's request, funeral services were
private but the funeral procession, organized by the city of Madrid,
was a very moving event attended by thousands who showed up at Plaza
Callao to bid farewell to their beloved Sara. She was buried in the San
Justo cemetery family plot.- IMDb Mini Biography By: raremar@aol.com (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)
- SpousesTony Hernández(October 17, 2002 - January 2005) (divorced)Pepe Tous(July 31, 1979 - August 25, 1992) (his death, 2 children)José Vicente Ramírez Olaya(1964 - 1978) (annulled)Anthony Mann(August 31, 1957 - 1961) (divorced)
- ParentsIsidoro AbadMaria Vicenta Fernández
- A bar in Barcelona named "La Concha" is dedicated to Sara Montiel and
has vintage photos of her on all the walls. - Smokes Havana cigars.
- A restored 16th-century windmill located close to her
birthplace in the La Mancha region of Spain has been officially turned
into a museum of the star, housing memorabilia, gowns and many other
items connected with her and her career. It is open to the
public. In 1947 she portrayed Antonia, the niece, in a noted Spanish film version of "Don Quixote de La Mancha". Don Quixote was famous for fighting windmills. - On July 11, 2014 Correos de España (Postal Service of Spain) released a Sara Montiel stamp in honor of the actress. Stamp value: 0.76 Euros.
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