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Silvia Pinal, one of the great actresses and considered the last diva of the golden age of Mexican cinema, died this Thursday at the age of 93 after a week in the hospital due to medical complications.
Actress, businesswoman, producer, television presenter and even politician, Pinal, born in 1931 in Guaymas, in the northern state of Sonora, leaves behind a legacy of more than 60 years.
Pinal was a tireless artist who worked in film, theater, television, and cabaret and palenque shows throughout her life.
His path to glory went through films in which he shared the bill with other giants of the golden age of cinema such as Mario Moreno ‘Cantinflas’ in ‘Puerta Joven’ (1949), and Germán Valdés ‘Tin Tan’ in ‘El Rey del Barrio’ (1950) and ‘Me Traes de un Ala’ (1952).
While with Pedro Infante, the “idol of Mexico”, she shared the screen in ‘El inocente’ (1956).
She achieved international fame when she became the muse of the Spanish director Luis Buñuel, who immortalized her in ‘Viridiana’ (1961).
With the Spanish filmmaker he also starred in other classics such as ‘The Exterminating Angel’ (1962) and ‘Simon of the Desert’ (1964).
The artist consolidated her career with ‘Los cuervos están de luto’ (1965), ‘La soldadera’ (1967), ‘Los cañónes de San Sebastián’ (1968), where she shared the bill with Anthony Quinn, ‘Shark’ (1969), with Burt Reynolds, and in ‘Veinticuatro horas de placer’ (1969), alongside Mauricio Garcés.
Pinal became a familiar figure to a whole new generation of Mexicans when she produced and presented the anthology series ‘Mujer, casos de la vida real’ (1986-2007) on open television.
The program, like a soap opera, presented each day the story of a woman who was handed over to the producers to be played by actors.
The content used to focus on cases of violence, marginalization or discrimination.
‘Mujer, casos de la vida real’, and Pinal as its presenter, gave rise to a phrase that to this day is part of Mexican irony: “Join me to see this sad story,” said the actress in her role as presenter.
Personal problems Her personal life was not easy, she was married to the Cuban actor Rafael Banquells (1947-1952), to the businessman Gustavo Alatriste (1961-1967), to the Mexican-Venezuelan singer Enrique Guzmán (1967-1976) and to the politician Tulio Hernández Gómez (1982-1995).
From these marriages were born the actress Silvia Pasquel, the singer Alejandra Guzmán and her brother Luis Enrique, and Viridiana Alatriste, who died in a car accident at a young age.
Last April, model Frida Sofía, daughter of Alejandra, publicly accused her grandfather Enrique Guzmán of sexually abusing her when she was only five years old and also of beating Pinal.
After being accused by Guzmán of having psychiatric problems, Pinal came to her granddaughter’s defense with a letter.
“I am not indifferent to what happens within my family. Frida, your grandmother loves you intensely. We need each other,” the actress wrote.
Guzmán’s violence is portrayed in the bioseries ‘Silvia Pinal, frente a ti’ (2018), based on her autobiographical book ‘This is me: Silvia Pinal’, where the rock singer is played under the name Felipe Román.
Personal problems
Her personal life was not easy. She was married to the Cuban actor Rafael Banquells (1947-1952), to the businessman Gustavo Alatriste (1961-1967), to the Mexican-Venezuelan singer Enrique Guzmán (1967-1976) and to the politician Tulio Hernández Gómez (1982-1995).
From these marriages were born the actress Silvia Pasquel, the singer Alejandra Guzmán and her brother Luis Enrique, and Viridiana Alatriste, who died in a car accident at a young age.
Last April, model Frida Sofía, daughter of Alejandra, publicly accused her grandfather Enrique Guzmán of sexually abusing her when she was only five years old and also of beating Pinal.
After being accused by Guzmán of having psychiatric problems, Pinal came to her granddaughter’s defense with a letter.
“I am not indifferent to what happens within my family. Frida, your grandmother loves you intensely. We need each other,” the actress wrote.
Guzmán’s violence is portrayed in the bioseries “Silvia Pinal, frente a ti” (2018), based on her autobiographical book “This is me: Silvia Pinal”, where the rock singer is portrayed under the name Felipe Román.
I went into politics
It was thanks to her last marriage that Pinal made the leap into Mexican politics.
Tulio Hernández Gómez was governor of the state of Tlaxcala between 1981 and 1987 for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which at that time dominated Mexican politics alone.
During this period, the actress demonstrated the qualities of a public servant who would go beyond her duties as First Lady.
In addition to serving as president of the DIF (a public agency for child care) during that period, Pinal influenced cultural projects in the state, such as the restoration of theaters and the archaeological zone of Cacaxtla.
She later joined the PRI to serve as a deputy (1991-1994), representative of the defunct Federal District Assembly (1994-1998) and senator (1998-2000).
Between 1988 and 1995, she directed the National Association of Interpreters (ANDI) of Mexico and between 2010 and 2014 she was general secretary of the National Association of Actors (ANDA) of Mexico.
The final goodbye
This was not the first time that Silvia Pinal’s health was in danger. During the Covid-19 pandemic, her life was in serious danger, although the actress finally came out ahead.
However, on November 21, she was hospitalized again after a new medical complication, and as her family reported the news, the fatal outcome became clearer.
Until a week later, at the age of 93, one of the great personalities in the history of Mexican culture and cinema passed away definitively, leaving behind an eternal legacy. EFE
