Olga San Juan (March 16, 1927January 3, 2009) was an American actress. Born in Brooklyn, she began her brief film career with

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

after being scouted at Copacabana. She performed in several Hollywood

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

in the 1940s and on Broadway in ''Paint Your Wagon'' (1951).

Early years

Olga San Juan was born on March 16, 1927, in

Flatbush, Brooklyn Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, ...

, New York, to Puerto Rican parents. Her family went to Puerto Rico when she was three and then returned to New York City two years later, moving to

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, ...

. Her singing career reportedly began when she performed with a group of schoolchildren from New York at the White House for President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. She left high school in ninth grade after her father became ill, performing at venues including El Morocco and the

Hotel Astor Hotel Astor was a hotel on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built in 1905 and expanded in 1909–1910 for the Astor family, the hotel occupied a site bounded by Broadway, Shubert Alley, and 44th and 45th ...

Career

San Juan was contracted to

in 1943 after being scouted at Copacabana and performing at the Paramount Theatre. In ''Blue Skies'' (1946), San Juan performs a dance to "Heat Wave" with

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

. She was especially keen to be cast as Amber La Vonne in ''

Variety Girl ''Variety Girl'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Mary Hatcher, Olga San Juan, DeForest Kelley, Frank Ferguson, Glenn Tryon, Nella Walker, Torben Meyer, Jack Norton, and William Demarest. It was ...

'' (1947). In ''Variety Girl'', a film about the film world, Amber La Vonne is desperate to make it in Hollywood; critics Charles Higham and Joel Greenberg call the film's "funniest scene" one in which San Juan's character causes a commotion in a restaurant just to be seen by the glitterati. In the 1940s, San Juan mainly appeared in

as "a Latina entertainer or love interest". She was nicknamed the "Puerto Rican Pepper Pot", ostensibly "for her vivacious and spicy personality". Her last Hollywood film came out in 1949. According to critic

Boze Hadleigh Boze Hadleigh (born May 15, 1954), sometimes writing as George Hadley-Garcia, is an author. Several of his books cover LGBT culture, popular culture, and show business. His 22 books have been translated into 14 languages. Writings Several of his ...

(writing under the pseudonym George Hadley-Garcia), San Juan's departure from film was driven by a shift in the public's musical preferences and by the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, which caused the

Good Neighbor policy The Good Neighbor policy ( ) was the foreign policy of the administration of United States President Franklin Roosevelt towards Latin America. Although the policy was implemented by the Roosevelt administration, President Woodrow Wilson had prev ...

to wane. In 1951, San Juan starred on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in the

Lerner and Loewe Lerner and Loewe refers to the partnership between lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe.Kenny, Ellen, and James M. Salem. “A Guide to Critical Reviews, Part II: The Musical from Rodgers-and-Hart to Lerner-and-Loe ...

musical, '' Paint Your Wagon''. She played Jennifer Rumson, a woman who finds gold and gets rich during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California f ...

Personal life

San Juan was married to actor

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...

. They had met at a publicity luncheon for Fox studios, and married on September 26, 1948, in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning " Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West ...

. They had three children including television producer and actor Brendan O'Brien. O'Brien and San Juan divorced in 1976. San Juan's health began to fail after a stroke in the 1970s. She died of kidney failure on January 3, 2009, at

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center is a Catholic hospital in Burbank, California. The hospital has 446 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. Its address is 501 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California 91505. On the opp ...

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

. She was buried 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, Los Angeles Mission Hills is a suburban neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. It is near the northern junction of the Golden State Freeway ( I-5) and the San Diego Freeway ( I-405). The Ronald Reagan Freewa ...

Awards

* Donaldson Award for her work in '' Paint Your Wagon'' * Screen Actors Guild Latino Legacy Award

Filmography

Notes

Sources

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:San Juan, Olga 1927 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Actresses from New York City American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American people of Puerto Rican descent Burials at San Fernando Mission Cemetery Donaldson Award winners Deaths from kidney failure Musicians from Brooklyn