Pinal, Silvia (1931–)

One of the most important actors of Mexican cinema, Silvia Pinal was born on September 12, 1931, in Guaymas, Sonora. Pinal made her first screen appearance in 1948. By the early 1950s she was considered one of Mexico's favorite stars, winning an Ariel for best supporting actress in Un rincón cerca del cielo (A Place Near Heaven, 1952) and two more for best actress in Locura pasional (Passional Madness, 1955) and La dulce enemiga (The Sweet Enemy, 1957). Pinal is known internationally for her work in three films by the Spanish director Luis Buñuel, Viridiana (1961), El ángel exterminador (The Exterminating Angel, 1962), and Simón del desierto (Simon of the Desert, 1965). By the mid-1970s, Pinal had moved away from cinema and dedicated herself to theater and television. The actress is also well-known for her four marriages, to director Rafael Banquelis, producer Gustavo Alatriste, popular singer Enrique Guzman, and Mexican governor Tulio Hernandez. Since the mid-1990s she has worked in television production; she was also elected to public office while married to Hernandez. Pinal returned to the screen in the film Ya no los hacen como antes (They Don't Make Them Like They Used To, 2003).

See alsoCinema: From the Silent Film to 1990 .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

García Riera, Emilio. El cine de Silvia Pinal. Guadalajara: Universidad de Guadalajara; Mexico: Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía, 1996.

                              Sophia Koutsoyannis