Josefina Yolanda Pellicer López de Llergo (3 April 1934 – 4 December 1964), known professionally as Pina Pellicer, was a Mexican actress known in her country for portraying the female lead in '' Macario'' (1960), and in the United States as Louisa alongside Marlon Brando in the Brando-directed movie ''

One-Eyed Jacks ''One-Eyed Jacks'' is a 1961 American Western film directed by and starring Marlon Brando, his only directorial credit. Brando portrays the lead character Rio, and Karl Malden plays his partner, "Dad" Longworth. The supporting cast features Pin ...

'' (1961).

Childhood and family

Josefina Yolanda Pellicer López de Llergo was born on 3 April, 1934, in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, daughter of César Pellicer Sánchez, a lawyer, and Pilar López de Llergo. Her uncle Carlos Pellicer was a modernist poet. Of her seven siblings, her younger sister

Pilar Pellicer María del Pilar Pellicer López de Llergo (12 February 1938 – 16 May 2020) was a Mexican actress. At the 17th Ariel Awards, she won the Ariel Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''La Choca'' (1974). Biography Pilar was ...

also became an actress best known for her roles in numerous

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

s; another younger sister, Ana, is a sculptor and the co-author of Pina Pellicer's 2006 biography.

Career

Pina Pellicer and Marlon Brando publicity photo One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

Pellicer's first acting role, albeit only her second movie to be released, was the Paramount Pictures production ''

''. In the movie, Pellicer played Louisa, the stepdaughter of

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American actor. He was primarily a character actor, who according to Robert Berkvist, "for more than 60 years brought an intelligent intensity and a homespun aut ...

and the lover of Marlon Brando. Mexican actress

Katy Jurado María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García (16 January 1924 – 5 July 2002), known professionally as Katy Jurado, was a Mexican actress. Jurado began her acting career in Mexico during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In 1951, she was rec ...

also appeared as Louisa's mother. The production of the movie was much-delayed, and the original director Stanley Kubrick left along with screenwriter

Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received an Academy Award nomination and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Institut ...

, leaving Brando to finish the movie – the only time Brando was credited with directing a movie. So even though production started in 1958, the movie was not released until 1961. European response was positive, and in July 1961 the movie received the

Golden Shell The Golden Shell ( es, Concha de Oro; eu, Urrezko Maskorra) is the highest prize given to a competing film at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It was introduced in 1957. In 1953 and 1954, the highest prize had been called the Gran Premio. In 19 ...

(''Concha de Oro'') at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...

. In addition, Pellicer was awarded the prize for best female performer, with reviews comparing her to Audrey Hepburn. In the United States, the response was more mixed and the movie received only one

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination, for

Charles Lang Charles Bryant Lang Jr., A.S.C. (March 27, 1902, Bluff, Utah – April 3, 1998, Santa Monica, California The first movie with Pellicer to reach the theaters was the Mexican production '' Macario'', released in 1960. Pellicer played the wife of the title character opposite

Ignacio López Tarso Ignacio López López (born 15 January 1925), known professionally as Ignacio López Tarso, is a Mexican actor of stage, film and television. He has acted in about 50 films and appeared in documentaries and in one short feature. In 1973 he was g ...

. ''Macario'' was the first Mexican production to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but ultimately lost out to Ingmar Bergman's ''

The Virgin Spring ''The Virgin Spring'' ( sv, Jungfrukällan) is a 1960 Swedish rape and revenge film directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in medieval Sweden, it is a tale about a father's merciless response to the rape and murder of his young daughter. The story was a ...

''. After ''Macario'', Pellicer appeared in two more Mexican films, '' Días de Otoño'', released in 1963, and ''

Sinful In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

'', released after her death in 1965. During her appearance at the San Sebastián Film Festival, she met Spanish director

Rafael Gil Rafael Gil (22 May 1913 – 10 July 1986) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. His film ''La guerra de Dios'' (1953) won the Bronze Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1953 and also won best film and best director at the San Sebastián ...

, who cast the actress for the title role in the movie '' Rogelia'', filmed in

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

and released in 1962. In addition to her movie work, she also appeared in episodes for the television shows '' The Fugitive'' ("Smoke Screen", 1963) and ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...

'' ("The Life Work of Juan Diaz", 1964; written by

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...

), as well as on Mexican television.

Death

Pellicer died by suicide on 4 December 1964, aged 30, with an overdose of sleeping pills. Her remains were buried at

Panteón Francés The Panteón Francés de la Piedad ("French Cemetery of the Mercy") is a cemetery in Mexico City in which several notable people are interred. It is located in the southern section of the city, adjacent to the medical center, the Centro Medico Me ...

in Mexico City.

Filmography

Pina Pellicer and Larry Domasin in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964) (cropped)

Pina Pellicer and Marlon Brando publicity photo (1961)

References

Inline citations

General references

* Reynol Pérez Vázquez & Ana Pellicer: ''Pina Pellicer. Luz de tristeza (1934–1964)''; México, D.F.:

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

(2006). * Juan José Olivares: "Pina Pellicer, mujer adelantada a su época, pero invadida por la tristeza"; ''

La Jornada ''La Jornada'' (''The Working Day'') is one of Mexico City's leading daily newspapers. It was established in 1984 by Carlos Payán Velver. The current editor ''(directora general)'' is Carmen Lira Saade. ''La Jornada'' has presence in eight sta ...

'', 24 April 2007. * Reynol Pérez Vázquez: "Pina Pellicer: una vida frágil"; Pointcast Media "Los Tubos", 24 April 2007. * Luis José de Ávila: "Pina, la musa de Marlon Brando"; ''La Voz de Asturias'', 18 February 2006.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pellicer, Pina Actresses from Mexico City Barbiturates-related deaths Drug-related suicides in Mexico Female suicides Mexican film actresses Mexican television actresses People with mood disorders 1934 births 1964 suicides 20th-century Mexican actresses