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. For her 60 years in the film industry, as well as for contributing to the American cinema, Magaña's name and handprint are preserved in the sidewalk outside

Mann's Chinese Theater Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese T ...

in Hollywood, California.

Films

She made 14 films in the United States and around 240 in her native Mexico. Magaña's first movies were

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

. She later appeared with such film stars as

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 ...

and

Mario Moreno Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas (), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely-accomplished Mexican comedian and is ce ...

, who went by the screen name of Cantinfias.

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

producer Robert J. Flaherty spotted Magana at the age of twenty. He was in Mexico City working on a motion picture. Among her numerous movies are ''El Hombre malo'' (1930), ''Cascarrabias'' (1930), ''Besame mucho'' (1945), ''Immaculada'' (1950), ''La Nina Popoff'' (1952), ''

Los chiflados del rock and roll ''Los chiflados del rock and roll'' ( en, italic=yes, The Stooges of Rock and Roll) is a 1957 Mexican musical comedy film, directed by José Díaz Morales, starring Luis Aguilar, Agustín Lara, and Pedro Vargas. The supporting cast includes Eulal ...

'' (1957), ''

Satánico pandemonium '' Satánico pandemonium'' ( en, Satanic Pandemonium, italic=yes) is a 1975 Mexican nunsploitation horror film directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares and written by Jorge Barragán, Adolfo Martínez Solares and Gilberto Martínez Solares. It star ...

'' (1975), ''Esa mi Raza'' (1977), and ''Lagunilla 2'' (1983). Her last appearance in films was ''¿Y tú... quién eres?'' (1990). Miss Magaña was once a guest of honor of a fiesta and dance presented by the United Spanish Speaking Societies. It was held in the Leamington Hotel, San Francisco, on October 27, 1946.

Death

Delia Magaña died of pneumonia in Mexico City on March 31, 1996. She had been admitted sixteen days earlier. She was cremated. Survivors included a niece, Concepción de Teja Magaña.

Selected filmography

* ''

Thus is Life ''Thus is Life'' (Spanish: ''Así es la vida'') is a 1930 American Spanish language romantic comedy film directed by George Crone and starring José Bohr, Delia Magana and Lolita Vendrell. It was produced as the Spanish version of the English ...

'' (1930) * ''

The Lieutenant Nun ''The Lieutenant Nun'' (Spanish: ''La monja alférez'') is a 1944 Mexican historical adventure film directed by Emilio Gómez Muriel and starring María Félix, Ángel Garasa and José Cibrián. It is based on the life of Catalina de Erauso.Klo ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Disobedient Son ''The Disobedient Son'' (Spanish:''El hijo desobediente'') is a 1945 Mexican comedy film directed by Humberto Gómez Landero and starring Germán Valdés, Marcelo Chávez and Delia Magaña.Herrera-Sobek p.1080 Cast * Germán Valdés as Germán Ric ...

'' (1945) * '' The Tiger of Jalisco'' (1947) * ''

Corner Stop ''Corner Stop'' (Spanish:''Esquina, bajan...!'') is a 1948 Mexican romantic comedy film directed by Alejandro Galindo and starring David Silva, Fernando Soto and Olga Jiménez. The film's sets were designed by the art director Gunther Gerszo. ...

'' (1948) * ''

Immaculate The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

'' (1950) * ''

The Price of Living ''The Price of Living'' (Spanish: ''El valor de vivir'') is a 1954 Mexican drama film directed by Tito Davison and starring Arturo de Córdova, Rosita Quintana and María Douglas. It was the first Mexican film to be shot in 3D.Baugh p.116 The fi ...

'' (1954)

References

Daily Northwestern ''The Daily Northwestern'' is the student newspaper at Northwestern University which is published in print on Mondays and Thursdays and online daily during the academic year. Founded in 1881, and printed in Evanston, Illinois, it is staffed primar ...

, ''Hails From Mexico'', Friday Evening, March 8, 1929, Page 23. *Intelligencer Record, '' Delia Magana, Mexican Actress'', Monday, April 1, 1996, Page A-5. *

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

, ''Wave Of Popularity Sweeping Mexican Stars To Top Goes Marching On'', January 27, 1929, Page C11. *

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

, ''Spanish Groups in Fiesta Sunday'', Thursday, October 24, 1946, Page 21. *Syracuse Record, Tuesday Evening, November 6, 1928, Page 9.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magana Delia 1903 births 1996 deaths Mexican stage actresses Mexican female dancers Mexican film actresses Mexican silent film actresses Mexican vedettes Golden Age of Mexican cinema 20th-century Mexican women singers Deaths from pneumonia in Mexico