Josefina Yolanda "Pina" Pellicer López de Llergo (3 April 1934 – 4 December 1964) 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 Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

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 is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, 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 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 (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

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

Career

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

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

production ''One-Eyed Jacks''. 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 stage, movie and television actor who first achieved acclaim in the original Broadway productions of Arthur Miller's '' All My Sons'' and Tennessee Will ...

and the lover of

. Mexican actress Katy Jurado appeared as Louisa's mother. The production of the movie was much delayed, and the original director

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

left, along with screenwriter Sam Peckinpah, leaving Brando to finish the movie – the only time Brando was credited with directing a movie. Production started in 1958, with the movie released in 1961. European response was positive, and in July 1961 the movie received the Golden Shell (''Concha de Oro'') at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; , ) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spain, Spanish city of Donostia, Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Countr ...

. Pellicer was awarded the prize for best female performer, with reviews comparing her to

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

. In the United States, the response was more mixed and the movie received only one

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination, for Charles Lang's cinematography. 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. ''Macario'' was the first Mexican production to be nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but ultimately lost out to

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

's '' The Virgin Spring''. After ''Macario'', Pellicer appeared in two more Mexican films, '' Días de Otoño'', released in 1963, and '' Sinful'', released 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 (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

and released in 1962. In addition to her movie work, she appeared in episodes for the television shows '' The Fugitive'' ("Smoke Screen", 1963) and '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' ("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 genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...

), as well as on Mexican television.

Death

Pellicer died by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

on 4 December 1964, aged 30, with an overdose of sleeping pills. Her body was buried at Panteón Francés in Mexico City.

Filmography

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 (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

(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. As of 2006 it had approximately 287,000 ...

'', 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 Mexican film actresses Mexican television actresses People with mood disorders 1934 births 1964 suicides 1964 deaths 20th-century Mexican actresses Golden Age of Mexican cinema