Rosita Fornés (née Rosalía Lourdes Elisa Palet Bonavia; February 11, 1923June 10, 2020) was a
Cuban-American
Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...
singer, dancer and film actress. She was noted for her multifaceted career in the entertainment industry of Cuba. She worked in cinema, the theater, radio, television and cabaret.
Early life
Fornés was born on February 11, 1923, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and moved to Cuba as a child. Her parents were immigrants from Spain. Her father was Catalan and her mother was from
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. They eventually divorced and her mother remarried when Fornés was approximately five. She took her stepfather's name. When she was ten, the family moved to Spain, where they lived for three years before returning to Cuba.
Career
Fornés made her stage debut in 1938, when she featured in the musical comedy ''La corte suprema del arte''. She subsequently appeared in two Cuban films before moving to Mexico, where she starred in several films during the
Golden Age of Mexican cinema
The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema (Spanish: la Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano), spanning the 1930s to 1950s, was a prolific era during which Mexico emerged as the leading film producer in Latin America. Filmmakers during this period tackled themes ...
. These included '' The Desire'', '' Del can-can al mambo'', ''Cara sucia'', and ''Se acabaron las mujeres''.
She returned to Cuba in 1952, and appeared on Cuban television.
Fornés was lauded for being one of the pioneers of Cuban television. Her versatility meant that she was able to perform in various areas of the Cuban entertainment industry. These included cinema, the theater, radio, television and cabaret. She gave her final performance in 2019, one year before her death. It took place at a tribute concert for Meme Solis held at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium.
Personal life
Fornés' first marriage was to Manuel Medel. They resided in
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and had one daughter together, Rosa María. She moved back to
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Armando Bianchi. They moved to Spain, where they worked for the Barcelona Comic Theater, the Madrid Theater and the Alcázar Theater from 1957 until 1959, before he died in 1981.
Fornés died on June 10, 2020, at a hospital in the
Miami metropolitan area
The Miami metropolitan area is a coastal metropolitan area in southeastern Florida. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the lar ...
. She was 97, and had suffered complications from
emphysema
Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema.
Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...
From the Can-Can to the Mambo
''From the Can-Can to the Mambo'' (Spanish: ''Del can-can al mambo'') is a 1951 Mexican musical comedy film directed by Chano Urueta and starring Joaquín Pardavé, Abel Salazar and Rosita Fornés. Riera p.92 It was shot at the Churubusco St ...
'' (1951)
* '' Women of the Theatre'' (1951)
* '' The Unknown Mariachi'' (1953)
* ''Me Gustan Todas'' / ''Hotel Tropical (1954) Dir: Juan J. Ortega. País: México-Cuba
* ''No me olvides nunca'' (1955) Dir: Juan J. Ortega. Country: México-Cuba
* ''Palmer ha muerto'' (1960) Dir: Juan Fortuny. Country: Puerto Rico-España
* ''Se permuta'' (1984) Dir: Juan Carlos Tabío. País: Cuba
* ''Plácido'' (1986) Dir: Sergio Giral. País: Cuba
* ''Hoy como ayer'' / ''El bárbaro del ritmo'' (1987) Dir: Constante "Rapi" Diego / Sergio Véjar. Country: Cuba-México
* ''Papeles Secundarios'' (1989) Dir: Orlando Rojas. Country: Cuba-España
* ''Quiéreme y verás'' (1994) Dir: Daniel Díaz Torres. Country: Cuba
* ''Las noches de Constantinopla'' (2001) Dir: Orlando Rojas. Country: Cuba-España
* ''Al atardecer'' (2001) Dir: Tomás Piard. Country: Cuba
* ''Tin Tan, un documental de Francesco Taboada Tabone.'' (2010) Country: México
* ''Mejilla con mejilla'' (2011) Dir: Delso Aquino. Country: Cuba