Velia Martínez Febles (June 14, 1920 – May 22, 1993) was a well-known actress, singer and former nightclub dancer. Martínez was born in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

to Cuban parents. In 1941, she settled in Havana, where she became a well-known show business personality. In 1945, while in Mexico, she married the Cuban actor, producer and writer, Ramiro Gómez Kemp (1914–1981).Ramiro Gómez Kemp
/ref> They had two daughters, Georgina and Mayra. Martínez was an accomplished dancer and cabaret star, she performed in Cuba's most prestigious theaters including the Cabaret Montmartre. In 1945, she played the title role in the play ''Filomena Marturano'' in Havana's Thalia Theater, which is considered her pivotal role in her career. In 1958 she acted opposite

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

in the movie ''The Big Boodle''. She left Cuba in 1960 with her family and lived two years in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

where she appeared in a TV soap opera ''Yo Compro Esa Mujer'' (I'll Buy That Woman). In 1962, she came to Miami and continued performing on stage. In 1965 she appeared in ''My Son Is Not What He Appears (Mi Hijo No Es Lo Que Parece)'', at the Martí Theater. In 1966, she appeared in the movie, ''The Devil's Sister'' as Carmen Alvarado. In 1977, she reached the pinnacle of popularity as the grandmother Adela in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''

¿Qué Pasa, USA? ''¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' () is America's first bilingual situation comedy, and the first sitcom to be produced for PBS. It was produced and taped from 1977 to 1980 in front of a live studio audience at PBS member station WPBT in Miami, Florida and a ...

''. Her last great performance on stage was in 1989 in

Luis Santeiro Luis Santeiro is a Cuban-American television screenwriter and playwright born in Havana, Cuba, in 1947. Biography Santeiro left the island with his family at the age of twelve for Miami, Florida. He later obtained a degree in sociology from Vi ...

's play, ''Mixed Blessings'' at the

Coconut Grove Playhouse The Coconut Grove Playhouse was a theatre in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. The building was originally constructed as a movie theater called the Player's State Theater. It opened on January 1, 1927, as a part of ...

and her last television role was of Elena, a hair salon owner in the

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

series ''

Corte Tropical Corte may refer to: * Corte, a commune in Corsica, France ** Arrondissement of Corte, a district in Corsica, France * USC Corte, a French football team * Corte (surname) See also * Corte Brugnatella, a commune in the province of Piacenza, I ...

'' in 1992.

Selected filmography

* ''

Madman and Vagabond ''Madman and Vagabond'' (Spanish:''Loco y vagabundo'') is a 1946 Mexican comedy film directed by Carlos Orellana and starring Manuel Medel, Meche Barba and Manuel Arvide.Agrasánchez p.35 The film's sets were designed by the art director Ar ...

'' (1946)

References

* ''The Miami Herald'' - May 25, 1993 - Velia Martínez, Grandmother on ¿Qué Pasa, USA?
Guije article

External links

¿Que Pasa USA? website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Velia Actresses from Tampa, Florida American expatriates in Cuba American film actresses 1920 births 1993 deaths American people of Spanish descent Musicians from Tampa, Florida 20th-century American actresses