María Magdalena Nile del Río (26 December 1906 – 22 August 2003) was an Argentine professional singer and movie actress, better known as Imperio Argentina; she became a citizen of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in 1999. María Magdalena Nile del Río was born to Antonio Nile (a guitar player, born in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

) and Rosario del Río (a native of

Monda Monda is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located near Sierra Blanca and Sierra de las Nieves in the comarca of Sierra de las Nieves. The municipality is s ...

in the

Province of Málaga The province of Málaga ( es, Provincia de Málaga ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to ...

). She performed onstage in her native Argentina, where she had a long and successful career. At that time, her stage name was ''Pettit Imperio''. But her most successful moments came after she moved to Spain. It was there that she changed her name to ''Imperio Argentina'', as a way to honor her "other country". While in Spain, del Río participated in many movies, and she participated frequently in television and radio. She obtained Spanish citizenship in 1999.

Death

In January 2003, she suffered an angina attack and was admitted to the University Hospital of Malaga. She died in

Benalmádena Benalmádena () is a town in Andalusia in southern Spain, 12 km west of Málaga, on the Costa del Sol between Torremolinos and Fuengirola. Benalmádena is rich in attractive beaches and interesting places like the Colomares Castle, the 33-met ...

in the Province of Málaga (her mother was born and raised in the same province) in August 2003, aged 97. She had two children. Her son, Florián Antonio Martínez Nile, by her marriage to

Florián Rey Antonio Martínez del Castillo known professionally as Florián Rey was a Spanish director, actor, and screenwriter. He directed '' The Cursed Village'', widely recognized as a seminal work in silent Spanish cinema, and helped launch the career o ...

, predeceased her, having committed suicide at age 24 in 1959. Her younger child was her daughter, Alejandra Goyanes Nile, by another marriage. She was married twice. As a divorcee, she could not, in

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

, legally marry Joaquín Goyanes, the father of her daughter.

Selected filmography

* '' Sister San Sulpicio'' (1927) * ''

Restless Hearts ''Restless Hearts'' (german: Herzen ohne Ziel, es, Corazones sin rumbo) is a 1928 Cinema of Germany, German-Cinema of Spain, Spanish silent film directed by Benito Perojo and Gustav Ucicky and starring Betty Bird, Hanna Ralph and Livio Pavanelli ...

'' (1928) * ''Los claveles de la virgen'' (1929) * ''El amor solfeando'' (1930) * ''Lo mejor es reír'' (1931) *''Cinópolis'' (1931) * ''Su noche de bodas'' (1931) * ''La casa es seria'' (1932) * '' When Do You Commit Suicide?'' (1932) * ''

Suburban Melody ''Suburban Melody'' (Spanish: ''Melodía de arrabal'') is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Imperio Argentina, Carlos Gardel and Vicente Padula. The film was made at the Joinville Studios in Pari ...

'' (1933) * ''El novio de mamá'' (1934) * '' Sister San Sulpicio'' (1934) * ''Nobleza baturra'' (1935) * ''Morena Clara'' (1936) * ''Carmen (la de Triana)'' (1938) * '' Nights in Andalusia'' (1938) * '' The Song of Aixa'' (1939) * ''The Story of Tosca'' (1941) * ''

Goyescas ''Goyescas'', Op. 11, subtitled ''Los majos enamorados'' (''The Gallants in Love''), is a piano suite written in 1911 by Spanish composer Enrique Granados. It was inspired by the work of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The piano pieces have no ...

'' (1942) * '' Bambú'' (1945) * ''

The Songstress ''The Songstress'' is the debut solo album by the American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker. It was originally released in 1983 by Beverly Glen Music, and was Baker's only album for that label prior to signing with Elektra Records with whom she had a ...

'' (1946) * ''

Song of Dolores ''Song of Dolores'' ( es, La copla de la Dolores) is a 1947 Spanish drama film directed by Benito Perojo, written by Francisco Madrid. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Alfredo Alaria * Imperio Argentina - Dolores * Lol ...

'' (1947) * ''La cigarra'' (1948) * '' With the East Wind'' (1966) * ''Andalucía, un siglo de fascinación'' (1997, TV miniseries)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Imperio Argentina 2003 deaths Naturalised citizens of Spain Age controversies Argentine emigrants to Spain Actresses from Buenos Aires Singers from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Gibraltarian descent Spanish film actresses Spanish silent film actresses Spanish stage actresses Argentine silent film actresses Argentine film actresses Honorary Goya Award winners Tango singers 20th-century Spanish singers 1906 births 20th-century Spanish women singers