Mercedes Vecino Francés (4 February 1916 – 28 August 2004) was a Spanish

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

. She was famous as the woman who gave "the first kiss" in Spanish cinema.

Biography

Vecino was born in

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

, Spain, located next to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, and died in

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

, Spain. She was the daughter of a military man, married first to actor

José Jaspe José Jaspe ( gl, Xosé Jaspe Rivas) (10 August 1906 – 5 June 1974) was a Spanish film actor. He played Konev the conductor in ''Horror Express'' (1972), Ahmed in '' House of 1,000 Dolls'' (1967), Henneker in ''The Man Called Noon'' (1973), the ...

, and then to José Vaquero, (also known as Pepe), artistic representative of well-known folklorics such as

Lola Flores Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lola (fo ...

Carmen Sevilla María del Carmen García Galisteo (born 16 October 1930), in Seville, Spain, known professionally as Carmen Sevilla, is a retired Spanish actress, singer and dancer. She began her career in the 1940s and became one of the most popular and hi ...

. She had a daughter Mar Vaquero. She developed her professional career in Barcelona and then in Alicante, where she found the weather suited her health better. Known as a remarkably beautiful woman, in the early 1930s, Vecino was named Miss Barcelona, and shortly thereafter she began performing as a showgirl in various productions. She began her big screen career in 1941 in a small role in Francisco Gargallo's ''El sobre lacrado.'' When she kissed

Armando Calvo Armando Calvo (25 December 1919 – 6 July 1996) was a Puerto Rican-born Spanish actor. His father was Juan Calvo Domenech, a Spanish actor and his mother was Minerva Lespier, a Puerto Rican. Calvo worked in Spain, Italy, and Mexico appearin ...

in ''The Poor Rich Man'' (1942) she revolutionized the Spanish film industry. Until that time, the Spanish government had censored on-screen kisses, hiding them behind a black "fondu" so that the audience could imagine the kiss, but wouldn't see it. In 1944, Vecino left film work to focus on her theater career. She returned to the big screen with the 1959 production ''

Where Are You Going, Alfonso XII? ''Where Are You Going, Alfonso XII?'' ( es, ¿Dónde vas, Alfonso XII?) is a 1959 Spanish historical drama film directed by Luis César Amadori and starring Paquita Rico and Vicente Parra. It portrays the life of Alfonso XII of Spain and Maria de ...

'' In the 1960s, Vecino acted in supporting roles in films by Pedro Lazaga such as ''

La verbena de la Paloma ' (''The Fair of the Virgin of la Paloma'') —subtitled ''El boticario y las chulapas y celos mal reprimidos''— is an 1894 zarzuela with a libretto by and music by Tomás Bretón. It premiered on 17 February 1894 in Teatro Apolo, Madrid. It ...

, Currito de la Cruz, Es mi hombre,'' and ''What do we do with the children?'' She also appeared in ''

Pepa Doncel ''Pepa Doncel'' is a 1969 Spanish romantic drama film directed by Luis Lucia and starring Aurora Bautista, Juan Luis Galiardo and Mercedes Vecino,Mira p.192 based in a play by Nobel Prize in Literature Jacinto Benavente. Cast * Aurora Bautista a ...

,'' by

Luis Lucia Luis Lucia Mingarro (24 May 1914, in Valencia – 12 March 1984, in Madrid) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. His father, Luis Lucia, was the Spanish minister of communications in 1935. He studied Law and was the attorney of CI ...

. Vecino died in Alicante in 2004 at the age of 88.

Selected filmography

* '' We Thieves Are Honourable'' (1942) * ''

El abanderado ''El abanderado'' is a 1943 Spanish historical drama film directed by Eusebio Fernández Ardavín. Synopsis Daoíz and Velarde are two Spanish army captains who die in the 2 May 1808 uprising against Napoleon in Madrid Madrid ( , ) ...

'' (1943) * '' The Scandal'' (1943) * ''

Lessons in Good Love ''Lessons in Good Love'' (Spanish:''Lecciones de buen amor'') is a 1944 Spanish film directed by Rafael Gil.de España p.119 Cast * Juan Domenech * Félix Fernández * Milagros Leal * Luis Martínez * Manolo Morán * José Orjas * Nicol ...

'' (1944) * ''

'' (1959) * '' Darling'' (1961) * ''

The Fair of the Dove ''The Fair of the Dove'' (Spanish:''La verbena de la Paloma'') is a 1963 Spanish musical comedy film directed by José Luis Sáenz de Heredia and starring Concha Velasco, Vicente Parra and Miguel Ligero. It is a remake of the film ''Paloma Fair'' ...

'' (1963) * '' Currito of the Cross'' (1965) * ''

He's My Man! ''He's My Man!'' (Spanish:''¡Es mi hombre!'') is a 1966 Spanish comedy film directed by Rafael Gil and starring José Luis López Vázquez, Soledad Miranda and Mercedes Vecino.Bentley p.69 Cast * José Luis López Vázquez as Antonio Jiménez * ...

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1969)

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1 Jan 1999.

External links

*: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0891627/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm {{DEFAULTSORT:Vecino, Mercedes 1916 births 2004 deaths Spanish film actresses People from Melilla People from Alicante People from Barcelona Actresses from Barcelona