Blanca de Castejón (May 13, 1906 – December 26, 1969) was a Puerto Rican actress who is best remembered for her work in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, especially her award-winning supporting role in ''Escuela de vagabundos''. She was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and died in Mexico City.

Life and career

Blanca de Castejón Otero was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Rafael Castejón Arnáiz, a telegraph operator, and Josefa Otero Rivera, a housewife. Had a younger sister named Margarita, a dancer. She made her film debut in ''El impostor'' (1931), one of three films she made for Fox's Spanish-language unit. After stops in Mexico City and Havana, where she worked in the theater, Castejón went to Buenos Aires, where she made two feature films: ''Crimen a las tres'' (1935, a box-office flop) and ''Por buen camino'' (1935). By the late 1930s she returned to Hollywood and starred in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

-language films, notably ''Mis dos amores'' (1938), starring the popular Mexican star Tito Guizar, and ''Los hijos mandan'' (Gabriel Soria, 1939), with

Fernando Soler Fernando Soler (born Fernando Díaz Pavia; 24 May 1896 – 25 October 1979) was a Mexican actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He was considered one of the most important figures of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In his career spanning ...

and Arturo de Córdova. Castejón co-wrote the screenplay of ''Los hijos mandan'' and both films were produced by Puerto Rican Rafael Ramos Cobián. The actress was married to Mexican actor Rafael Banquells when she relocated to Mexico City and joined the national film industry, where she made about thirty movies, taking part in what is known as the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Though she initially starred in melodramas like ''La razón de la culpa'' (Juan José Ortega, 1943), with Pedro Infante and

María Elena Marqués María Elena Marqués Rangel (14 December 1926 – 11 November 2008) was a Mexican actress and singer who was a star during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography She was born on December 14, 1926 in Mexico City. She wa ...

, and ''Divorciadas'' (Alejandro Galindo, 1943), with

René Cardona René Cardona (October 8, 1905 in Havana, Cuba – April 25, 1988, in Mexico City) was a director, actor, producer, screenwriter, and film editor in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Biography René Cardona was born in Havana, Cuba, on Oc ...

and Delia Magaña, Blanca de Castejón became best known for her supporting roles in comedies with popular comedians like Luis Sandrini and Fernando Soler. She won the 1954

Ariel award The Ariel Award ( es, Premio Ariel) is an award that recognizes the best of Mexican cinema. Given annually, since 1946, by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC), the award recognizes artistical and technical excel ...

(Mexico's version of the

Oscars 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 ...

) for her supporting role as a ditzy socialite in ''Escuela de vagabundos (School for Tramps)'', a very popular remake of the 1938 screwball comedy '' Merrily We Live'', which reunited her with

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera music singer and actor, whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. His popularity spread across Latin America. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinalo ...

. Blanca de Castejón died in Mexico City, in 1969.

Selected filmography

*''El impostor'' (1931) *''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

'' (1931) *''Eran trece /

There Were Thirteen ''There Were Thirteen'' (Spanish: ''Eran trece'') is a 1931 American Pre-Code mystery film directed by David Howard and starring Juan Torena, Ana María Custodio, and Rafael Calvo, with Manuel Arbó as Charlie Chan.Jarvinen pp. 123-24 It is ...

'' (1931) - Peggy Minchin (credited as Blanca Castejón) * '' Mis dos amores'' (1938) *''Los hijos mandan'' (1939) *''La razón de la culpa'' (1943) - María de la Paz *''

Ave sin nido ''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE ...

'' (1943) - Anita de Medina *''Divorciadas'' (1943) - Cristina *''¡Ya tengo a mi hijo!'' (1946) *''Los maridos engañan de 7 a 9'' (1946) *''Cuide a su marido'' (1950) *''Nosotras las taquígrafas'' (1950) - Blanquita *''Todos son mis hijos'' (1951) *''Mamá nos quita los novios'' (1952) *''Prefiero a tu papá'' (1952) *''Escuela para vagabundos /

School for Tramps ''School for Tramps'' (Spanish: ''Escuela de vagabundos'') is a 1955 Mexico, Mexican comedy film. It was produced by Fernando de Fuentes. It's considered one of the finest comedies of Mexican cinema, and is adapted from the screenplay for the Metr ...

'' (1955) *'' Escuela para suegras / School for Mothers-In-Law'' (1958) *''Mientras el cuerpo aguante'' (1958)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castejon, Blanca De 1906 births 1969 deaths Actresses from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican film actresses Puerto Rican stage actresses Puerto Rican television actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses

Life and career

Selected filmography

See also

References

External links