Gloria Castillo (March 3, 1933 – October 24, 1978) was an American stage and motion picture actress of the 1950s and a businesswoman.

Early years

Castillo was born in

Belen, New Mexico Belén (; es, Belén) is the second most populous city in Valencia County, New Mexico, Valencia County, New Mexico, United States, after its county seat, Los Lunas. The population was 7,360 at the 2020 Census. Belén is Spanish language, Spanish ...

. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Castillo, and she graduated from Belen High School. Her first acting experience came in a production of ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...

'' in high school. She graduated from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

in June 1954, majoring in music, drama, and education. She appeared in a production of the play ''Late Love'' in July 1954 at the Little Theater in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

and later at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

Television

Castillo was signed by

MGM 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 a ...

production manager

Harry Joe Brown Harry Joe Brown (September 22, 1890 – April 28, 1972) was an American film producer, and earlier a theatre and film director. Biography Harry Joe Brown was born in 1890 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a producer, he had a partnership with ...

in 1954. She first appeared on television on the ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'' (1954) and in an episode of ''

I'm A Fool I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (p ...

'' (1954). Later she was in episodes of ''

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

'' (1959), '' The Millionaire'' (1959), ''

Zorro Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...

'' (1959), and ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'' (1960).

Film

Castillo's first movie roles were in 1955 in '' The Night of the Hunter'' and ''

The Vanishing American ''The Vanishing American'' is a 1925 American silent Western film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by George B. Seitz and starred Richard Dix and Lois Wilson, recently paire ...

''. Most frequently Castillo can be seen in

sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...

and

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

films made in the late 1950s. Some of the titles in which she appears are ''

Invasion of the Saucer Men ''Invasion of the Saucer Men'' (U.K. title: ''Invasion of the Hell Creatures''; working title: ''Spacemen Saturday Night''), is a 1957 black-and-white comic science fiction/horror film produced by James H. Nicholson for release by American Int ...

'' (1957), ''

Reform School Girl ''Reform School Girl'' is a 1957 film starring Gloria Castillo as a teenage girl who is sent to a reformatory. The film was directed by Edward Bernds and was produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff. ''Reform School Girl'' was one of many sexploitation f ...

'' (1957) and ''

Teenage Monster ''Teenage Monster'' is a 1958 independently made science fiction- horror Western film. It was produced and directed by Jacques R. Marquette, and stars Anne Gwynne and Stuart Wade. The film had a first screening on December 25, 1957, in Los Ang ...

'' (1958).

Clothing business

In the 1960s, Castillo and her husband began Chessa Davis, a women's clothing company. Skirts designed by her were featured in fashion magazines and sold in department stores.

Personal life

Castillo married

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

writer, producer, and director Ellis Kadison. Her brother is actor Leo Castillo, who achieved fame under the name of Leo Carrillo. Her second child is singer-songwriter

Joshua Kadison Joshua Kadison (born February 8, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and writer, who was born in Los Angeles, California. He is perhaps best known for the top 40 hits " Jessie" and " Beautiful in My Eyes" from his debut album '' Pai ...

Death

Castillo died on October 24, 1978, at the age of 45, from

oropharyngeal cancer Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), also known as oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and tonsil cancer, is a disease in which abnormal cells with the potential to both grow locally and spread to other parts of the body are found in the oral ca ...

."Gloria Castillo: Hometown Girl and Movie Star"

's song "Mama's Arms," which appears on his debut album '' Painted Desert Serenade'', was inspired by his late mother.

Films

* '' The Night of the Hunter'' (1955) - Ruby * ''

'' (1955) - Yashi * '' Runaway Daughters'' (1956) - Angela Forrest * ''

'' (1957) - Joan Hayden * ''

'' (1957) - Donna Price * ''

'' (1958) - Kathy North * ''

The Light in the Forest ''The Light in the Forest'' is a novel first published in 1953 by U.S. author Conrad Richter. Though it is a work of fiction and primarily features fictional characters, the novel incorporates historic figures and is based in historical fact rel ...

'' (1958) - Regina (uncredited) * ''

You've Got to Be Smart ''You've Got to Be Smart'' (alternatively titled: ''The Smart Ones'') is a 1967 low-budgeted drama film directed by Ellis Kadison and starring Tom Stern, Roger Perry, Gloria Castillo, and Mamie Van Doren. The film was released in few theaters in 1 ...

'' (1967) - Connie Jackson (final film role)

References

*''

Albuquerque Tribune ''The Albuquerque Tribune'' was an afternoon newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 1922 by Carlton Cole Magee as ''Magee's Independent''. It was published in the afternoon and evening Monday through Saturday. Scott Ware served as ed ...

'', "Gloria Castillo Lauded For Pasadena Play Role", July 23, 1954, page 1. *''Albuquerque Tribune'', "Castillos Arrive For Yule Holiday", December 24, 1958, page 11.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Gloria 1935 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers Actresses from Albuquerque, New Mexico Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from New Mexico American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Belen High School alumni People from Belen, New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni Deaths from cancer in California