Estelita Rodriguez (July 2, 1928 – March 12, 1966) was a Cuban actress best known for her roles in many Westerns with

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

for Republic Pictures, as well as her role in Howard Hawks' '' Rio Bravo''.

Early life and career

Rodriguez's career began in 1942 when she won a contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

at the age of 14. She continued to go to MGM school in preparation to make a movie. However, MGM dropped her at the last minute, and Rodriguez went back to New York until 1945, when she signed a five-picture deal with Republic Pictures. The studio that same year cast her in her first film, '' Mexicana'' starring

Tito Guízar Federico Arturo Guízar Tolentino (; April 8, 1908 – December 24, 1999), known professionally as Tito Guízar, was a Mexican singer and actor. Along with Dolores del Río, Ramón Novarro and Lupe Vélez, as well as José Mojica, Guízar was ...

Constance Moore Constance Moore (January 18, 1920 or January 18, 1921Additional on April 23, 2017. – September 16, 2005) was an American singer and actress. Her most noted work was in wartime musicals such as ''Show Business'' and ''Atlantic City'' and the ...

, and

Leo Carrillo Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (; August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961), known professionally as Leo Carrillo, was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist. He was best known for playing Pancho in the television ...

."Estelita Rodriguez"
filmography and respective release dates, American Film Institute (AFI), Los Angeles, California. Retrieved August 15, 2018. Although that acting opportunity made her career take a better turn, Rodriguez did not enjoy making the movie, reportedly complaining, "Everyone treats me like a kid. I am a mother." She was subsequently cast in 1945 in '' Along the Navajo Trail'', her first Roy Rogers film, and then two years later with Rogers again in ''

On the Old Spanish Trail ''On the Old Spanish Trail'' is a 1947 American Trucolor Western film starring Roy Rogers and directed by William Witney. Plot Cast *Roy Rogers as Roy Rogers *Trigger as Trigger, the Smartest Horse in the West *Tito Guízar as Rico / Th ...

''. Before concluding her career with Republic in 1952, she appeared in a total of nine Roy Rogers productions, as well as in other projects for the studio. Later, Rodriguez worked in a few additional films for

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

, MGM, and Embassy Pictures, including '' Rio Bravo'' in 1959 and ''

Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter ''Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter'' is a low-budget Western horror film released in 1966, in which a fictionalized version of the real-life western outlaw Jesse James encounters the fictional ''grand''daughter (the film's title notw ...

''—her final Hollywood film—in 1966.

Personal life and death

During the days of her early career, Rodriguez married Mexican singer Chu-Chu Martinez; the date of their marriage is unknown. They had one child together, Nina (born 1946) and divorced in 1947. In January 1953, Rodriguez married actor

Grant Withers Granville Gustavus Withers (January 17, 1905 – March 27, 1959) was an American film actor who acted under the screen name Grant Withers. With early beginnings in the silent era, Withers moved into sound films, establishing himself with a lis ...

; they divorced in 1955. Her third marriage was to Ismael Alfonso Halfss in 1956; they divorced in 1960. Her fourth and final marriage was to Dr. Ricardo A. Pego in 1961. They remained married until her death. On March 12, 1966, Estelita Pego was found dead on the kitchen floor of her home near North Hollywood/

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

at age 37. No autopsy was performed and her cause of death remains unknown. She is interred at

San Fernando Mission Cemetery The San Fernando Mission Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery located in the Mission Hills community of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. The property adjoins the San Fernando Mission and Bishop Alemany Catholic High School. ThSan Fernando Mi ...

, Mission Hills, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Estelita Cuban film actresses 1928 births 1966 deaths Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery Western (genre) film actresses 20th-century Cuban actresses Cuban emigrants to the United States