Delia Amadora García Gerboles better known as Delia Garcés (; 13 October 1919 – 7 November 2001) was an
Argentine film actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
of the
Golden Age of Argentine Cinema
Cinema of Argentina refers to the film industry based in Argentina. The Argentine cinema comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of Argentina or by Argentine filmmakers abroad.
The Argentine film industry has histor ...
(1940–1960). She made almost 30 appearances in film between 1937 and 1959 and acted on stage from 1936 to 1966. She won the
Premios Sur Best Actress award three times from the
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences, as well as the
Argentine Film Critics Association's
Silver Condor Award for Best Actress, the Premios Leopold Torre Nilsson, Premio Pablo Podestá, and the inaugural
ACE
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...
Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo.
Biography
Delia Amadora García
Gerboles was born 13 October 1919 to Gabriel García and Amadora Gerboles in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She was a student of the Labardén Children's Theatre and trained at the
Conservatorio Nacional de Música y Arte Escénico (National Conservatory of Music and Performing Arts) and the
Comedia Nacional at the
Teatro Nacional Cervantes. Claiming she had always been a "theater rat",
and performed her first role at age 8,
she trained with students like
Zully Moreno
Zulema Esther González Borbón, better known as Zully Moreno (October 17, 1920 in Villa Ballester, Buenos Aires – December 25, 1999 in Buenos Aires), was an Argentine film actress of the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema (1940–1960). She ...
,
Nury Montsé,
Fanny Navarro
Fanny Navarro (1 June 1920 - 18 March 1971) was an Argentine actress. She starred in films such ''Melodías porteñas'' (1937), '' Doce mujeres'' (1939), '' Ambición'' (1939), '' El hijo del barrio'' (1940), '' Hogar, dulce hogar'' (1941), '' ...
, and
Malisa Zini.
Students received a small monthly stipend and participated in plays to hone their skills many taking pseudonyms. Between the performances of ''Mandinga en la sierra'' and ''
Cyrano de Bergerac
Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.
A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...
'', María Luisa Zambrini became
Malisa Sambrini and Delia Gerbolés became Delia Garcés.
One of her teachers,
Cunil Cabanillas, gave her her first professional role in a small part of the 1936 production of ''Locos de verano'', a play written by
Gregorio de Laferrère.
![Delia Garcés](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Delia_Garc%C3%A9s.jpeg)
Her debut in film occurred in the 1937 in ''
¡Segundos afuera!'' directed by
Chas de Cruz and
Alberto Echebehere.
Later that same year, she was in the film ''
Viento Norte'' directed by
Mario Soffici
Mario Soffici (14 May 1900 – 10 May 1977) was an Argentine film director, actor and screenwriter of the classic era.
Biography
A native of Florence, Soffici moved to Argentina in the 1920s and began acting in 1931 and directing in 1935 on the ...
, which caught the interest of critics
as it was widely seen as the best film of the year.
She followed those with ''
Maestro Levita
''Maestro Levita'' is a 1938 Argentine film directed by Luis César Amadori. The film premiered in Buenos Aires.
Cast
* Pepe Arias as ''Simón Galván''
* Mecha Ortiz as ''Elena Acevedo de Lerena''
* Juan Carlos Thorry as ''Roberto Casaval ...
'' (1938), ''
Kilómetro 111
''Kilómetro 111'' is a 1938 Argentine musical film drama directed by Mario Soffici. The film premiered in Buenos Aires.
The film is one of several films directed by Soffici which address the social evils of historical Argentina. The film is base ...
'' (1938),
''
Doce mujeres'' (1939), and ''
La vida de Carlos Gardel'' (1939),
with
Hugo del Carril
Pierre Bruno Hugo Fontana, otherwise known as Hugo del Carril (30 November 1912 – 13 August 1989 in Buenos Aires), was an Argentine film actor, film director and tango singer of the classic era.
Early life
Born in Buenos Aires, del Carril ...
and
Elsa O'Connor[ ] under the direction of
Alberto de Zavalía, who she would soon marry.
Almost from the beginning, her acting persona was of a naïve heroine, an elfin beauty, who appeared fragile, but had a touch of impishness that portrayed strength and daring.
De Zavalía made eleven films with Garcés
showcasing her in ''Dama de compañía'' (1941); ''
Veinte años y una noche'' (1941),
her first of several films with Spanish actor
Pedro López Lagar;
Malambo (1942); and others.
In 1941 she won a ''
Premios Sur'' for Best Actress from the
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences for ''Veinte años y una noche''
and repeated the award in 1942 for ''Malambo'',
which was presented by
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
.
![Delia Garcés and Orson Welles](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Delia_Garc%C3%A9s_and_Orson_Welles.JPG)
Garcés starred in "La maestrita de los obreros"
in 1942 directed by her husband with
Oscar Valicelli,
Felisa Mary,
Orestes Caviglia, among others.
In 1943, she made ''
Casa de muñecas''
and was highly praised for her portrayal of "Nora" in the film which was directed by
Ernesto Arancibia.
Filming began in 1944 for ''
La Dama Duende'' in which Garcés starred, directed by
Luis Saslavsky
Luis Saslavsky (April 21, 1903 – March 20, 1995) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer, and one of the influential directors in the Cinema of Argentina of the classic era.
Personal life
Saskavsky was born in Rosar ...
, in an elaborate film based on a seventeenth-century Spanish play by
Pedro Calderón de La Barca
Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (, ; ; 17 January 160025 May 1681) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, writer and knight of the Order of Santiago. He is known as one of the most distinguished Baroque ...
. With the exception of Saslavsky and Garcés, all the other facets of the play were done by the Spanish émigré community.
Garcés won her third
Premios Sur Best Actress award from the Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences in 1945.
That same year, Garcés formed her own theatrical company and in March premiered the first play of
Homero Manzi
Homero Nicolás Manzione Prestera, better known as Homero Manzi (November 1, 1907 – May 3, 1951) was an Argentine tango lyricist, author of various famous tangos.
He was born on November 1 of 1907 in Añatuya (province of Santiago del Ester ...
and
Ulises Petit de Murat
Ulyses Petit de Murat (28 January 1907 – 19 August 1983) was an Argentine poet and screenwriter.
He wrote the script for ''The Gaucho War'' (1942) with Homero Manzi based on the 1905 novel by Leopoldo Lugones. At the 1943 Argentine Film Cr ...
, ''La novia de arena'', at the Odeón Theater. In her troupe, besides herself were:
Alba Castellanos,
Orestes Caviglia,
Margarita Corona,
Enrique Alvarez Diosdado,
Alita Román
Alita Blanca Barchigia (24 August 1912 – 15 April 1989), better known as Alita Román, was an Argentine film actress of the Golden Age of Argentine Cinema (1940–1960).
She appeared in nearly 50 films between 1934 and 1982 and was a sought-a ...
,
Domingo Sapelli
Domingo Sapelli (1895–1961) was a Uruguayan stage actor, stage and film actor.Finkielman p.200 After emigrating to Argentina he appeared in around fifty films during his career.
Selected filmography
* ''The Soul of the Accordion'' (1935)
* ' ...
, and
Milagros de la Vega.
Having completed a run of the play, her company continued at the Odeón and performed her "farewell" theatrical production in Argentina, ''Claudia'' by
Rose Franken
Rose Franken (December 28, 1895 – June 22, 1988), was an American writer and playwright best known for her '' Claudia'' stories, plus the books, films, and plays based on them.
Early years
Born Rose Dorothy Lewin in Gainesville, Texas, Franken ...
. After the performance, due to the political situation with
Juan Peron's government, she and her husband planned to leave Argentina.
But, they stayed and in 1946, she performed ''La eterna ninfa'' at the Odeón
and filmed ''Rosa de América'' directed by her husband with
Orestes Caviglia,
Antonia Herrero,
Elsa O'Connor, among others.
She earned praise for her roles in ''El gran amor de Bécquer'' (1946) and ''
El hombre que amé'' (1947)
and in 1948, she performed in the play ''El otro yo de Marcela'' which was so successful that it led to a film by the ''
same name'' two years later,
in which she sang and danced.
![Delia Garcés por Annemarie Heinrich, 1942](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Delia_Garc%C3%A9s_por_Annemarie_Heinrich%2C_1942.jpg)
In 1951, Garcés and de Zavalía went to Mexico and she made one of her most memorable films there in 1951
-1952. In ''
Él'' directed by
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...
,
she played Gloria, the wife of the jealous and paranoid Francisco, played by
Arthur Cordova. The film, though released in Mexico in 1953
and presented at the 1953
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
,
was not released in Argentina until 1958.
Almost immediately, in March, 1953, she began work on ''
Lágrimas robadas'' in Mexico with
Andrea Palma
Andrea Palma (b. Trapani, 1644 or 1664 – d. 1730) was an 18th-century Italian architect, working in the Baroque style. He is credited with being one of the most notable architects of the Sicilian Baroque movement.
His works include the Cat ...
under the direction of
Julián Soler
Julián Soler (born Julián Díaz Pavia; 17 February 1907 – 5 May 1977) was a Mexican film director, actor, and screenwriter of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In his career spanning half a century, Soler received two Ariel Award nominations ...
.
Garcés then did a tour of Latin America which included Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico covering the plays ''Casa de muñecas'', ''Leocadia'', ''Nina'', ''Tesá'', ''La voz de la tórtola'', ''El balcón de Julieta'' all with her husband, and ''La llave en el desván'' by
Alejandro Casona
Alejandro Rodríguez Álvarez, known as Alejandro Casona (3 March 1903 – 17 September 1965) was a Spanish poet and playwright born in Besullo, Spain, a member of the Generation of '27. Casona received his bachelor's degree in Gijon and la ...
, before arriving in Spain.
She began filming ''
Rebeldía'' under the direction of
José Antonio Nieves Conde
José Antonio Nieves Conde (22 December 1911http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/45978/jose-antonio-nieves-conde José Antonio Nieves Conde. Diccionario biográfico español. Real Academia de la Historia. Access 15 february 2020. in Segovia, Castilla y Le ...
which was based on the play ''La luz de la víspera'' by
José María Pemán
José María Pemán y Pemartín (8 May 1897 in Cadiz – 19 July 1981, Ibid.) was a Spanish journalist, poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, and monarchist intellectual.
Biography
Originally a student of law, he entered the literary world with ...
.
In 1955, they were able to return to Argentina and Garcés starred in ''
Mi marido y mi novio'', directed by
Carlos Schlieper. The film was forward-thinking for the times, with Garcés poking fun at gender stereotypes and singing of women being as free as men.
She made her last film, ''
Alejandra
Alejandra is the Spanish form of the Greek female given name Alexandra. It is the female version of the male name Alejandro.''Behind the Name''"Given Name Alejandra" Retrieved on 10 January 2016. Alejandra means "defender of mankind", and notabl ...
'' in 1956 for which she won the
Argentine Film Critics Association's
Silver Condor Award for Best Actress.
In 1958, she and de Zavalía had a season at the
National Theater of Paris, performing as the Buenos Aires Theater Company in the production of ''La Carroza de San Sacramento'' by
Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...
and ''El Límite'' by de Zavalía.
That same year, she starred in a television series on Channel 9, ''
Lo mejor de nuestra vida, nuestros hijos'', directed by
Alberto Migré
Alberto Migré, pseudonym of "Felipe Alberto Milletari Miagro" (12 September 1931, Buenos Aires – 10 March 2006) was an Argentine TV screenwriter and producer, specialized on telenovelas.
Family background
Alberto was born in the barrio of ...
based on stories by
Julio César Barton.
She and her husband also performed at the
Teatro Nacional Cervantes in both 1958 and 1959, completing ''No es cordero... que es cordera'' and then doing several guest appearances the following year.
["Seibel (2010)", pp 77, 83] In 1961, Garcés starred in ''La doncella prodigiosa'', a play by her husband, de Zavalía at the Teatro Nacional Cervantes under the direction of
Fernando Labat.
["Seibel (2010)", p 85]
![Enrique Alvarez Diosdado - Delia Garcés - La dama duende (1944)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Enrique_Alvarez_Diosdado_-_Delia_Garc%C3%A9s_-_La_dama_duende_%281944%29.jpg)
From 1960 on, Garcés dedicated herself launching the Teatro San Martín.
She had memorable performances in
Ondine by
Jean Giraudoux
Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II.
His wo ...
; ''
Saint Joan'' by
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
; ''
The Living Room
The Living Room was a music venue on Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, which was originally established on Stanton Street of the Lower East Side in Manhattan, New York City in 1988. The Living Room was co-owned ...
'' by
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
; ''
The Turn of the Screw
''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...
'' by
Henry James
Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
;
and the 1966 production of ''El jardín de los cerezos'' (''
The Cherry Orchard
''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...
'') by
Anton Chekhov which was her last performance before she retired
to care for her husband through his last long final illness.
She may also have been prevented from performing, as her name appeared on the list of banned artists during the 1979 dictatorship.
She appeared briefly in a tribute that
Mirtha Legrand did for Channel 9 on the death of
Daniel Tinayre
Daniel Tinayre (14 September 1910 – 24 October 1994) was a French-born Argentine film director, screenwriter and film producer.
Moving to Buenos Aires at a young age, Tinayre directed some 23 films between 1934 and 1974, directing films such ...
.
She joined the board of the National Endowment for the Arts and worked with them throughout her retirement.
In 1982, she received the Premios Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
In 1995, she received the Premio Pablo Podestá
and a room at the Tita Merello Complex on Suipacha Street was named in her honor by the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts to acknowledge her stature in Argentine film.
On 29 October 2001 she won the first
ACE Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award ever presented by the Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo (Association of reporters of Show Business)
Garcés died on 7 November 2001 in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
.
Awards
*1941 ''Premios Sur'' for Best Actress for ''
Veinte años y una noche''
*1942 ''Premios Sur'' for Best Actress for ''
Malambo''
*1945 ''Premios Sur'' for Best Actress for ''
La dama duende''
*1957 Silver Condor for Best Actress for ''
Alejandra
Alejandra is the Spanish form of the Greek female given name Alexandra. It is the female version of the male name Alejandro.''Behind the Name''"Given Name Alejandra" Retrieved on 10 January 2016. Alejandra means "defender of mankind", and notabl ...
''
*1959 Won the World Cinema Golden Figurine from Peru
*1982 Premios Leopold Torre Nilsson
*1995 Premio Pablo Podestá
*1996 Dedication of Delia Garcés room at the Tita Merello Complex
*2001 ACE Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award
Filmography
* ''
¡Segundos afuera!'' (1937)
* ''
Viento Norte'' (1937)
* ''
Melgarejo'' (1937)
* ''
Maestro Levita
''Maestro Levita'' is a 1938 Argentine film directed by Luis César Amadori. The film premiered in Buenos Aires.
Cast
* Pepe Arias as ''Simón Galván''
* Mecha Ortiz as ''Elena Acevedo de Lerena''
* Juan Carlos Thorry as ''Roberto Casaval ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Villa Discordia'' (1938)
* ''
Kilómetro 111
''Kilómetro 111'' is a 1938 Argentine musical film drama directed by Mario Soffici. The film premiered in Buenos Aires.
The film is one of several films directed by Soffici which address the social evils of historical Argentina. The film is base ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Doce mujeres'' (1939)
* ''
Alas de mi patria'' (1939)
* ''
La vida de Carlos Gardel'' (1939)
* ''
Gente bien'' (1939)
* ''
Muchachas que estudian'' (1939)
* ''Dama de compañía'' (1940)
* ''
Veinte años y una noche'' (1941)
* ''
La maestrita de los obreros'' (1942)
* ''
Concierto de almas'' (1942)
* ''
Malambo'' (1942)
* ''
Casa de muñecas'' (1943)
* ''
La dama duende'' (1944)
* ''Rosa de América'' (1946)
* ''El gran amor de Bécquer'' (1946)
* ''
El hombre que amé'' (1947)
* ''
De padre desconocido'' (1949)
* ''
El otro yo de Marcela'' (1950)
* ''
Él'' (1952) (in Mexico)
* ''
Lágrimas robadas'' (1953) (in Mexico)
* ''
Rebellion'' (1954) (in Spain)
* ''
Mi marido y mi novio'' (1955)
* ''
Alejandra
Alejandra is the Spanish form of the Greek female given name Alexandra. It is the female version of the male name Alejandro.''Behind the Name''"Given Name Alejandra" Retrieved on 10 January 2016. Alejandra means "defender of mankind", and notabl ...
'' (1956)
External links
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garces, Delia
1919 births
2001 deaths
Argentine film actresses
People from Buenos Aires
Argentine stage actresses