María del Pilar Margarita Casajuana Martínez (28 December 1905 – 26 October 1999), known professionally as Maria Alba, was a Spanish-American film actress.

Biography

Signed by the Fox Film Corporation after winning Fox Film contest in Spain, Maria Casajuana came to the United States in 1927 a second cabin class passenger on the S/S ''Suffern'', which sailed from the Port of Le Havre, France, on 16 April, and arrived at the Port of New York, 26 April 1927. Originally billed as Maria Casajuana, she appeared in 25 feature films, starting with ''Road House'' in 1928 and ending with ''La morena de mi copla'' in 1946. Her most notable appearances (as Maria Alba) were probably as "Saturday" in the 1932

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...

film ''

Mr. Robinson Crusoe ''Mr. Robinson Crusoe'' is a 1932 Pre-Code American film. It is one of the few "talkie" films starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., in his penultimate film role; Fairbanks also produced the film and provided the story during the Great Depression. Th ...

'', and as the exotic "Princess Nadji" in the

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

serial ''

The Return of Chandu ''The Return of Chandu'' is a 1934 American 12-episode fantasy film serial based on the radio series '' Chandu the Magician''. It was produced by Sol Lesser and directed by Ray Taylor, and starred Béla Lugosi as Frank Chandler (aka Chandu the M ...

''. Other Latin actresses working in films, like

Lupe Vélez María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez (July 18, 1908 – December 13, 1944), known professionally as Lupe Vélez, was a Mexican actress, singer and dancer during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican ...

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

, became fluent in English, but Maria Alba spoke English with a thick accent, which limited her casting opportunities. Publicity materials for ''The Return of Chandu'', published in 1934, disclosed that Maria Alba's married name was Mrs. David Todd. On July 9, 1950, she married Richard J. Burk; the couple had three children.

Partial filmography

*''Her Blue, Black Eyes'' (1927, Short) *'' A Girl in Every Port'' (1928) - Maria Buenjolla / Chiquita - Girl in Rio de Janeiro *'' Road House'' (1928) - Spanish Marla *''

Blindfold A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the human eye, eyes to disable the wearer's visual perception, sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a ...

'' (1928) - Pepita *''

Joy Street ''Joy Street'' is a 1929 American film directed by Raymond Cannon and starring Lois Moran, Nick Stuart and Rex Bell.Kohner p.347 It was made by the Fox Film Corporation using the studio's Movietone system to record music and sound effects. C ...

'' (1929) - Agnes *'' Hell's Heroes'' (1929) - Carmelita *'' Charros, gauchos y manolas'' (1930) - Spanish artist *''El cuerpo del delito'' (1930) - Señorita Delroy *''La fuerza del querer'' (1930) - Shirley *''Olimpia'' (1930) - Princess Olimpia *''Los que danzan'' (1930) - Norma Brady *''El código penal'' (1931) - Mary Brady *'' Road of Hell'' (1931) - Angela *''Su última noche'' (1931) - Elena Desano *'' Just a Gigolo'' (1931) - A French Wife *''

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in th ...

'' (1931) - Dolores *''La ley del harem'' (1931) - Fatima *'' Almost Married'' (1932) - Mariette (uncredited) *''

'' (1932) - Saturday *''

Hypnotized Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...

'' (1932) - Princess Mitzi *''

Kiss of Araby ''Kiss of Araby'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code adventure film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Maria Alba, Walter Byron and Claire Windsor.Pitts p.158 It is an action melodrama set in the Middle East. Plot A British Army officer is forced t ...

'' (1933) - Dolores Mendez *''

'' (1934) - Nadji - Princess of Egypt *''

Flirting with Danger ''Flirting with Danger'' is a 1934 American comedy adventure film directed by Vin Moore and starring Robert Armstrong, Edgar Kennedy and William Cagney ( James Cagney's lookalike brother). The picture was released by Monogram Pictures and has a ...

'' (1934) - Rosita *'' West of the Pecos'' (1934) - Dolores *''

Great God Gold ''Great God Gold'' is a 1935 film. It was Arthur Lubin's second film as director. Plot In the late 1920s, "Lucky" John Hart has a reputation as a stock market speculator. He does an interview with reported Phil "Stu" Stuart, which predicts the Wa ...

'' (1935) - Elena Nitto *'' El Hijo de Nadie'' (1946, Mexico) *'' La Morena de Mi Colpa'' (1946, Mexico) - Pepa (final film role)

References

External links

*
Maria Alba
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Alba, Maria Actresses from Barcelona American silent film actresses Spanish emigrants to the United States Deaths from Alzheimer's disease 1905 births 1999 deaths American film actresses American people of Catalan descent Spanish film actresses Spanish silent film actresses Actresses from San Diego Deaths from dementia in California 20th-century American actresses