Cecilia Lucila Callejo Correa (October 31, 1907 – August 18, 2003), known as Cecilia Callejo, was an American actress and dancer, born in Puerto Rico. She appeared in films, including '' It's a Wonderful World'' (1939), '' Passport to Alcatraz'' (1940), and ''

The Cisco Kid Returns ''The Cisco Kid Returns'' is a 1945 American Western film. Released on April 3, 1945, it was the first of three Cisco Kid films made that year with Duncan Renaldo as Cisco and Martin Garralaga as Pancho. In this release, Cisco's real name is Jua ...

'' (1945).

Early life

Callejo was born in

Manatí, Puerto Rico Manatí () is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico on the northern coast, north of Morovis and Ciales; east of Florida and Barceloneta; and west of Vega Baja. Manatí is spread over 8 barrios and Manatí barrio-pueblo (the downtown area an ...

and raised in New York, one of the twelve children of composer and musicologist Fernando Callejo Ferrer and his wife Trinidad, a pianist. She studied dance with La Argentina. Musicians Olga Samaroff and

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appear ...

helped her make connections in Hollywood.

Career

Callejo appeared in films in the 1930s and 1940s, including ''

Outlaw Express ''Outlaw Express'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by George Waggner and written by Norton S. Parker. The film stars Bob Baker, Cecilia Callejo, Don Barclay, LeRoy Mason, Nina Campana and Martin Garralaga. The film was released on Ju ...

'' (1938), '' The Renegade Ranger'' (1938), '' Dramatic School'' (1938), ''

Verbena Tragica ''Verbena Trágica'' (''Tragic Festival'', also known as ''Block Party'') is a 1939 film directed by Charles Lamont. The film was made in 1938 in the Spanish language only, unusual for the time but most likely due to the film's themes of adultery ...

'' (''Block Party'', 1939), ''It's a Wonderful World'' (1939), ''Passport to Alcatraz'' (1940), ''

The Falcon in Mexico ''The Falcon in Mexico'' is a 1944 film directed by William Berke and stars Tom Conway in his recurring role as a suave amateur sleuth, supported by Mona Maris and Martha Vickers. Conway would play the Falcon seven more times before RKO retired t ...

'' (1944), ''

Marriage is a Private Affair ''Marriage is a Private Affair'' is a 1944 war-comedy film, directed by Robert Z. Leonard, based on novel ''Marriage Is a Private Affair'' (1941) by Judith Kelly. It stars Lana Turner, Frances Gifford and James Craig. Plot During World War II ...

'' (1944), and ''The Cisco Kid Returns'' (1945). In 1948, she coached

Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned over five decades, she was nominated ...

on her Cuban accent for ''

We Were Strangers ''We Were Strangers'' is a 1949 American adventure drama film directed by John Huston and starring Jennifer Jones and John Garfield. Set in 1933, the film concerns a group of revolutionaries attempting to overthrow the Cuban government of Gerardo ...

'' (1949). On stage, Callejo danced on a program with Ruth St. Denis and others in 1933, and at a benefit show in Los Angeles in 1937. She appeared in a 1939 Los Angeles production of ''Desert Song.'' She had one

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

credit, in the original cast of the mystery melodrama ''The Cat Screams'' (1942).

Personal life

Callejo married screenwriter Robert Presnell Sr. in 1939, as his third wife; he died in 1969. She died in Tujunga, California in 2003, aged 95 years.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Callejo, Cecilia 1907 births 2003 deaths People from Manatí, Puerto Rico 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses Puerto Rican dancers