Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano (born November 30, 1936), more commonly known by her stage name Lucha Villa, is a Mexican singer and actress.

Early life

Born in Camargo, Chihuahua, Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano was given her pseudonym "Lucha Villa" by television producer Luis G. Dillon ("Lucha" being a

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

for Luz Elena, and "Villa" in honor of

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

). She has been a constant presence in popular music and film since the early 1960s. Villa's early hits included "Media vuelta", by

José Alfredo Jiménez José Alfredo Jiménez Sandoval (; 19 January 1926 – 23 November 1973) was a Mexican singer-songwriter of rancheras, whose songs are considered the basis of modern Mexican music. Biography Jiménez was born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, ...

, as well as "La cruz del cielo" and "Viva quien sabe querer" In the 1970s, Lucha Villa traveled to Denver, Colorado to perform for a benefit for the Crusade for Justice, youth programs and school. In 1996, Villa, along with

Lola Beltrán María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz (7 March 1932 – 24 March 1996), known professionally as Lola Beltrán, was a Mexican actress and singer. Beltrán is and was one of Mexico's most acclaimed singers of Ranchera and Huapango music. She made the ...

and

Amalia Mendoza Amalia Mendoza García (10 July 1923 – 11 June 2001), nicknamed ''La Tariácuri'', was a Mexican singer and actress. "Échame a mi la culpa" and "Amarga navidad" were some of her greatest hits. her best friend since youth was Martha De Mirand ...

, recorded the studio album, ''Disco del Siglo: Las Tres Señoras'', produced by

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his f ...

, acknowledging their lasting contributions to music fanatics throughout Mexico and Latin America.

Acting career

She appeared in several films during the 1950s and early 1960s, received her first starring role in ''El gallo de oro'' (1964), and starred in ''Me cansé de rogarle'', a musical with Jiménez and recording star

Marco Antonio Muñiz Marco Antonio Muñiz (born 3 March 1933) is a Mexican singer from Jalisco, Mexico. Known all over Latin America, he also acted in the 1965 film '' Sinful'' ( Spanish: El Pecador). He belongs to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Early life and car ...

. She has appeared in some fifty films and won an Ariel Award for Best Actress (the Mexican equivalent of the Oscar) for ''Mecánica nacional'' (1973).

Personal life

She fell into a coma because of complications during surgery in August 1997, but recovered after a long stay in hospital, and has appeared on television sporadically since then. She was married 5 times; to Mario Miller 1951–1958 with whom she had two children, Rosa Elena b. 1953-Carlos Alberto b. 1954, Alejandro Camacho, Arturo Durazo in 1960, Justinano Rengifo in 1974 with she had a daughter, Maria Jose B. 1974, and finally Francisco Muela.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Empire of Dracula ''The Empire of Dracula'' ( es, El imperio de Drácula) is a 1967 Mexican horror mystery thriller film directed by Federico Curiel and starring Lucha Villa, César del Campo and Eric del Castillo. It was influenced by Hammer Horror films. It is o ...

'' (1967) * ''

National Mechanics ''National Mechanics'' (Spanish:''Mecánica nacional'') is a 1972 Mexican comedy film filmed in May 1971 with locations near the free highway to Cuernavaca, and directed and written by Luis Alcoriza. It was released in Mexico City on December 28, 1 ...

'' (1972)

References

External links

Discography
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Filmography

Interviews

Val De La O Interviews Lucha Vill

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villa, Lucha Mexican film actresses 1936 births Living people Ranchera singers Ariel Award winners Actresses from Chihuahua (state) Singers from Chihuahua (state) People from Camargo, Chihuahua 20th-century Mexican actresses 21st-century Mexican actresses 20th-century Mexican women singers 21st-century Mexican women singers