Blanca de Castejón (May 13, 1906 – December 26, 1969) was a Puerto Rican actress who is best remembered for her work in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, especially her award-winning supporting role in ''Escuela de vagabundos''. She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and died in Mexico City.

Life and career

Blanca de Castejón Otero was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Rafael Castejón Arnáiz, a telegraph operator, and Josefa Otero Rivera, a housewife. Had a younger sister named Margarita, a dancer. She made her film debut in ''El impostor'' (1931), one of three films she made for Fox's Spanish-language unit. After stops in Mexico City and Havana, where she worked in the theater, Castejón went to Buenos Aires, where she made two feature films: ''Crimen a las tres'' (1935, a box-office flop) and ''Por buen camino'' (1935). By the late 1930s she returned to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and starred in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

-language films, notably ''Mis dos amores'' (1938), starring the popular Mexican star

Tito Guizar Tito may refer to: People Mononyms *Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman *Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journal ...

, and ''Los hijos mandan'' (Gabriel Soria, 1939), with

Fernando Soler Fernando Soler (born Fernando Díaz Pavia; 24 May 1896 – 25 October 1979) was a Mexican actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He was considered one of the most important figures of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In his career spanning ...

and

Arturo de Córdova Arturo García Rodríguez (8 May 1908 – 3 November 1973), known professionally as Arturo de Córdova, was a Mexican actor who appeared in over a hundred films. Biography Career Arturo García Rodríguez was born in Mérida, Yucatán on 8 May 1 ...

. Castejón co-wrote the screenplay of ''Los hijos mandan'' and both films were produced by Puerto Rican Rafael Ramos Cobián. The actress was married to Mexican actor

Rafael Banquells Rafael Banquells (born Rafael Banquells Garafulla; 25 June 1917 – 27 October 1990) was a Cuban-born Mexican actor, director and TV producer known in Mexico as Rafael Banquells (I). Biography Banquells was born on 25 June 1917 in La Habana, ...

when she relocated to Mexico City and joined the national film industry, where she made about thirty movies, taking part in what is known as the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Though she initially starred in melodramas like ''La razón de la culpa'' (Juan José Ortega, 1943), with Pedro Infante and

María Elena Marqués María Elena Marqués Rangel (14 December 1926 – 11 November 2008) was a Mexican actress and singer who was a star during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography She was born on December 14, 1926 in Mexico City. She wa ...

, and ''Divorciadas'' (Alejandro Galindo, 1943), with

René Cardona René Cardona (October 8, 1905 in Havana, Cuba – April 25, 1988, in Mexico City) was a director, actor, producer, screenwriter, and film editor in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Biography René Cardona was born in Havana, Cuba, on Oct ...

and

Delia Magaña Delia Magaña (February 2, 1903 – March 31, 1996) was a Mexican film and television actress, singer, and dancer. Life Although she started as a silent film actress, Magaña became best known for her comic supporting roles in her later years. ...

, Blanca de Castejón became best known for her supporting roles in comedies with popular comedians like Luis Sandrini and Fernando Soler. She won the 1954

Ariel award The Ariel Award ( es, Premio Ariel) is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excel ...

(Mexico's version of the

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

) for her supporting role as a ditzy socialite in ''Escuela de vagabundos (School for Tramps)'', a very popular remake of the 1938 screwball comedy ''

Merrily We Live ''Merrily We Live'' is a 1938 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and written by Eddie Moran and Jack Jevne. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, ...

'', which reunited her with

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera music singer and actor, whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. His popularity spread across Latin America. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa ...

. Blanca de Castejón died in Mexico City, in 1969.

Selected filmography

*''El impostor'' (1931) *''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...

'' (1931) *''Eran trece /

There Were Thirteen ''There Were Thirteen'' (Spanish: ''Eran trece'') is a 1931 American Pre-Code mystery film directed by David Howard and starring Juan Torena, Ana María Custodio, and Rafael Calvo, with Manuel Arbó as Charlie Chan.Jarvinen pp. 123-24 It is ...

'' (1931) - Peggy Minchin (credited as Blanca Castejón) * ''

Mis dos amores ''Mis dos amores'' is a 1938 American Spanish-language drama film. Directed by Nick Grinde, the film stars Tito Guízar, Blanca de Castejón, and Emilia Leovalli. It was previewed in New York City on August 11, 1938, and opened in San Juan, Puert ...

'' (1938) *''Los hijos mandan'' (1939) *''La razón de la culpa'' (1943) - María de la Paz *''

Ave sin nido ''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...

'' (1943) - Anita de Medina *''Divorciadas'' (1943) - Cristina *''¡Ya tengo a mi hijo!'' (1946) *''Los maridos engañan de 7 a 9'' (1946) *''Cuide a su marido'' (1950) *''Nosotras las taquígrafas'' (1950) - Blanquita *''Todos son mis hijos'' (1951) *''Mamá nos quita los novios'' (1952) *''Prefiero a tu papá'' (1952) *''Escuela para vagabundos /

School for Tramps ''School for Tramps'' (Spanish: ''Escuela de vagabundos'') is a 1955 Mexico, Mexican comedy film. It was produced by Fernando de Fuentes. It's considered one of the finest comedies of Mexican cinema, and is adapted from the screenplay for the Metr ...

'' (1955) *''

Escuela para suegras ''Escuela para suegras'' ("School for Stepmothers") is a 1958 Mexican film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares. It was produced by Fernando de Fuentes and adapted from the play by Sixto Pondal Ríos. Cast * Germán Valdés - (as Tin Tan Germa ...

/ School for Mothers-In-Law'' (1958) *''Mientras el cuerpo aguante'' (1958)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castejon, Blanca De 1906 births 1969 deaths Actresses from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican film actresses Puerto Rican stage actresses Puerto Rican television actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses

Life and career

Selected filmography

See also

References

External links