Emily Cranz (born 21 September 1942) is an

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-born

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actress, singer, and dancer.

Early life

She was born Emma Cranz Cantillano, in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, one of 6 children (3 boys and 3 girls) to a German-American father, Frank C., who was born in

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, CA and a Mexican mother, Evangelina (née Amillano) (1909-1964), who was born in

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. In 1953, as a 10-year-old girl, Cranz participated as a dancer and singer in community events in Tucson, Arizona. In February of that year, at the Mission View PTA meeting, which took place in the school auditorium, Cranz and a schoolmate were featured in a group of Mexican dances. Then, she participated in the September 16

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Celebration as a dancer and singer, who serenaded the

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. Her mother, Evangelina, was an organizer, and her sister, whose name was also Evangelina, was a dancer, as well. The program was broadcast over station KVOA. As a teenager, she sang at benefits and on a local radio station. At the age of 13, she appeared on television, which did not make a big impression, so her parents moved to

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to try to have her break in as a professional singer. Later, she joined the Chuck Rio Quintet in

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and performed with them for several seasons. She left the group to record with Orfeón in

Career

In 1961, Cranz began her career as a Mexican recording artist on the Peerless label, backed up by Los Boppers, singing "Ahora o Nunca" and on the flip-side "Papa Loves Mambo" on a 45 rpm single. Later, she recorded on the Maya, Orfeón, Dimsa, and RCA Victor labels various singles and albums in Spanish, and, most notably, an English album (backed by the Mariachi Guadalajara) called "Speak to Me." In 1962, she appeared on the Paco Malgesto program every Saturday night on KWEX-TV Ch.41 in San Antonio, Texas. From 1963 to 1970, Cranz appeared in Mexican movies, television variety shows, and telenovelas (soap operas), where, in addition to acting, she would frequently sing or dance. She considered herself to be a "vedette" (a showgirl), rather than a serious actress. One of her more popular appearances was in 1966, when she co-starred with

Gaspar Henaine Gaspar Henaine (6 January 1927 – 30 September 2011), more commonly known by his pseudonym Capulina, was a Mexican comedian, actor, singer, film producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for partnering with Marco Antonio Campos as the do ...

Capulina Gaspar Henaine (6 January 1927 – 30 September 2011), more commonly known by his pseudonym Capulina, was a Mexican comedian, actor, singer, film producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for partnering with Marco Antonio Campos as the dou ...

in ''

La cigüeña distraída ''La cigüeña distraída'' ( en, italic=yes, The Distracted Stork) is a 1966 Mexican comedy film directed by Emilio Gómez Muriel and starring the double act Viruta y Capulina, performed by Marco Antonio Campos and Gaspar Henaine. Plot Two di ...

'' (1966), a comedy film directed by

Emilio Gómez Muriel Emilio Gómez Muriel was a prolific Mexican film director, active between the 1930s and the 1970s. He is known for melodramas,, accessed via JSTOR (subscription required) but one of his first films was ''Redes'' (release: 1936), an attempt at s ...

. She also accompanied show troupes and performed in different cities. In 1962, she was a member of a

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troupe—complete with recording artists, dancers, and

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

s—that headlined the annual Fiesta de Mayo celebration in her home town of Tucson. In 1970, she appeared on U.S. television in the

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

Comedy Special, which was set in

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during the Mexico International Film Festival.

Retirement

She seemed to have retired from the entertainment scene in 1970, as reflected in no new projects on her list of credits on IMDB after 1970.

Charitable causes

The Emily Cranz foundation in

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honored legendary Mexican comedian Mario Moreno "

Cantinflas 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 cele ...

" with its 1992 Gracias Award for his work on behalf of children. The charity benefit raised money to aid children living in crisis environments.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1966)

Citations

External links

*
Emily Cranz songs at Freegal Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cranz, Emily 1942 births 20th-century Mexican actresses Actresses from Tucson, Arizona American emigrants to Mexico American people of German descent Chicano Living people Mexican American Mexican women singers Mexican female dancers Mexican people of German descent