Lupe Vélez

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Mar a Guadalobos Vélez (July 18, 1908 – December 14, 1944) was a Mexican-born stage and screen actress, comedian, singer, dancer, and vedette. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican vaudeville in the early 1920s.

She made her first film appearance in 1927 after moving to the United States in 1927.

She had progressed to leading roles in several films, including The Gaucho (1927), Lady of the Pavements (1928), and Wolf Song (1929).

She was one of the first female Latin American actresses to be successful in the United States.

In a string of hit films like Hot Pepper (1933), Strictly Dynamite (1934), and Hollywood Party (1934), she was exploited during the 1930s.

After appearing in the Mexican Spitfire films in the 1940s, Vélez's fame soared, a series made to capitalize on Vélez's well-documented fiery persona. Vélez' personal life was as vibrant as her screen persona, nicknamed The Mexican Spitfire by the media.

She had several well-known romances as well as a turbulent marriage.

Vélez died of an accidental overdose of barbiturate drug Seconal in December 1944.

Her burial and the circumstances surrounding it have caused rumors and controversies.

Personal life

Vélez' onscreen persona of a hot-tempered, lusty "wild" woman was closely linked to her off-screen persona throughout her career. "The Mexican Spitfire," "The Mexican It girl," and "The Mexican Kitten" were all popular titles used in the media. She denied the suggestion that she was uncontrollably wild after being publicly promoted with the "Whoope Lupe" persona that tried to categorize her.

In an interview, she said:

Vélez's off-screen behavior blurred the line between her on-screen persona and her true personality. After her death, journalist Bob Thomas recalled that Vélez was a "very part of Hollywood" who wore loud clothing and made as much noise as possible. She appeared at boxing matches every Friday night at the Hollywood Legion Stadium, where she would stand on her ringside seat and yell at the fighters.

Vélez's vitriol and apprehension in her often volatile dating relationships were well documented and became a tabloid fodder, often overshadowing her work. Vélez was straightforward with the media and was regularly contacted by gossip columnists for news about her intimate affairs. Vélez was caught chasing her boyfriend Gary Cooper around with a knife during an altercation and chopping him severely enough to require stitches. When the pair broke up, Vélez attempted to shoot Cooper when he boarded a train. During her marriage to actor Johnny Weissmuller, news of their regular physical confrontations were regularly published in the media. During their combats and "passionate lovemaking," Vélez allegedly inflicted scratches, bruises, and love-bites on Weissmuller.

Vélez has often attacked fellow actresses whom she regarded as rivals, professionally or otherwise, a habit that began in her vain days and continued in films. Vélez's image was that of a wild, sexualized woman who spoke out and was not considered a "lady," while fellow Mexican actress Dolores del Ro portrayed herself as sensuous, yet refined and restrained, with many hailing from aristocratic roots. Vélez feared del Ro and branded her a "bird of bad omen" when she was born. Del Ro was afraid to meet her in public places. Vélez was both scathing and adamant when this happened. Vélez openly imitated del Ro, in the meanwhile mocking her beauty. When filming Morocco in 1930, Vélez also disliked Marlene Dietrich, whom she suspected of having an affair with Gary Cooper. Jetta Goudal, Lilyan Tashman, and Libby Holman were all well documented, as were her rivalries with Libby Holman. Vélez would perform scathing impersonations of the women she detestatised at Hollywood parties as retaliation. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Fanny Brice, Gloria Swanson, Katharine Hepburn, Simone Simon, and Shirley Temple are all notable for her interpretations of celebrities like Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Fanny Brice, Fanny Brice, Fanny Brice, Fanny Brice, Gloria Swanson, Matthew Hepburn, Simone Simon, and Shirley Temple.

Vélez was involved in several well-known and often turbulent relationships. On her arrival in Los Angeles, she was introduced to actors Tom Mix, Charlie Chaplin, and Clark Gable. Gary Cooper was her first long-term, high-profile girlfriend. When filming 1929s Wolf Song, Vélez and Cooper developed a two-year friendship that was passionate and often tumultuous. When angered, Vélez was deemed to have physically assaulted Cooper. Cooper came to an end in mid-1931, at the behest of his mother Alice, who had strongly opposed Vélez after visiting her. "I turned Cooper down because my parents didn't want me to marry him and because the studio thought it would jeopardize his career." Now that it's over, I'm glad I'm so happy... I must be free. I know men are all the same, no? They want to be bosses if they love them. I will never have a boss." Cooper, who had lost 45 pounds and was suffering from chronic exhaustion, had taken its toll. Pictures had ordered him to take a vacation to recover, but Vélez appeared at the station and fired a pistol at him.

Vélez began a brief friendship with actor John Gilbert following her breakup with Cooper. They began dating in late 1931, although Gilbert was estranged from his third wife Ina Claire. Gilbert began to date with Claire in early 1932, fueling rumors of an engagement.

While the two were in New York shortly after, Vélez met Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller. They dated back to Los Angeles, but Vélez dated actor Errol Flynn. Vélez and Weissmuller were married in Las Vegas on October 8, 1933. Domestic violence and gang warfare had been reported in various newspapers. Vélez filed for divorce in July 1934, after ten months of marriage, citing "cruelty." The petition was withdrawn a week after resolving with Weissmuller. She applied for divorce for the second time on January 3, 1935 and was given an interlocutory decree. The order was suspended after the couple reconciled a month later. Vélez filed for divorce for the third time in August 1938, accusing Weissmuller with cruelty. In August 1939, the couple's divorce was finalized.

After the divorce was final, Vélez began dating polo player Guinn "Big Boy" Williams in late 1940. The two were engaged but never married. Erich Maria Remarque, an author, became involved in late 1941. Remarque recalled her "with the greatest of glee" that he found Vélez's dynamism to her, when he told her she she took her shoe off and hit him with it. Vélez's dating Remarque was traced to boxers Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey.

Vélez began an affair with her La Zandonga co-star Arturo de Córdova in 1943. After signing with Paraphrasedoutput, De Córdova had recently migrated to Los Angeles. Despite the fact that de Córdova was married to Mexican actress Enna Arana, with whom he had four children, Vélez granted an interview with gossip columnist Louella Parsons in September 1943, who reported that the two were engaged. She told Parsons that she wanted to leave after marrying de Córdova to "cook... and keep house." After de Córdova's wife refused to give him a divorce, Vélez called off the engagement in early 1944.

Harald Maresch, a struggling young Austrian actor whose stage name was Harald Ramond, appeared on television and began dating her. She discovered she was pregnant with Ramond's child in September 1944. In late November 1944, she announced their marriage. Vélez told Ramond she had ended the relationship and kicked him out of her house on December 10, four days before she died.

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Life and career

According to some reports, Vélez was born in San Luis Potos, Mexico, and the daughter of Jacobo Villalobos Reyes, a colonel in the military forces of the dictator Porfirio Diaz's, and his wife Josefina Vélez, an opera performer, or vaudeville singer. She was one of five children; she had three sisters, Mercedes, Reina, and Josefina, as well as Emigdio, her brother. In San Luis Potos, the Villalobos were considered a wealthy, financially secure family. They lived in a large household, according to Vélez's second cousin, and the majority of male members obtained a college education.

Vélez learned English and dance at the age of 13, and her parents (now Our Lady of the Lake University) in San Antonio, Texas, where she learned to speak English and dance. She later confessed that she loved dance lessons but that she was otherwise a poor student.

In the early 1920s, Vélez began working in Mexican revues. She first appeared under her paternal surname (see Hispanic American naming customs) of Villalobos, but after her father returned home from combat, she was outraged that her daughter had chosen to become a stage performer, according to some reports. She picked Vélez, her maternal surname, as her stage name. "La Gatita Blanca" was introduced by their mother to the Spanish Mexican vedette Marélez and her sister Josefina. Vélez debuted in a show directed by Conelez, where she performed "Oh Charley, My Boy" and danced the shimmy. Aurelio Campos, a young pianist and friend of the Vélez sisters, recommended that Vélez be directed by stage designers Carlos Ortega and Manuel Castro in 1924. Ortega and Castro were preparing a season revue at the Regis Theatre, and Viélez was hired to join the company in March 1925. Vélez appeared in the revues Mexican Rataplan and No lo tapes later this year. (Both parodies of the Bataclan's performances in Paris). Her provocative singing and dramatic dancing made a big success among audiences, and she soon established herself as one of Mexico's top performers. After the boss refused to give her a raise after a year and a half, Vélez resigned from the revue. She then joined the Teatro Principal, but she was forced to leave after three months due to her "feisty attitude." Incredibly, the Teatro Lirico recruited Vélez, whose salary soared to 100 pesos a day.

Vélez, with her tumultuous and spirited persona and rivalry with other artists that were often covered by the Mexican press, also honed her ability at attracting attention. Celia Padilla, Celia Montalván, and Delia Magaa were among her most ferocious rivals. Vélez's name was changed to La Nia Lupe in honour of her youth, and she soon established herself as one of Mexico's best actresses. José Gorostiza and Renato Leduc, among her admirers, were well-known Mexican poets and writers.

Frank A. Woodyard, an American who had seen Vélez perform, recommended her to stage director Richard Bennett (the father of actresses Joan and Constance Bennett). In Bennett's forthcoming play The Dove, he was looking for an actress to portray a Mexican cantina singer. He sent Vélez a telegram inviting her to Los Angeles to participate in the play. Vélez had been planning to perform in Cuba but had to cancel and fly to Los Angeles. On arrival, she learned that she had been replaced by another actress.

While in Los Angeles, she encountered comedian Fanny Brice. Brice was taken with Vélez and later said she had never met a more charming person. She praised Vélez's career as a dancer and recommended her to Flo Ziegfeld, who arranged her to appear in New York City. As Vélez was set to leave Los Angeles, she received a call from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer producer Harry Rapf, who gave her a screen test. Beware, producer and director Hal Roach noticed Vélez's screen test and hired her for a small part in the comedy Laurel and Hardy short Sailors.

Beware!, Vélez made her debut in the short film Sailors, opposite Charley Chase in the Hal Roach short film What Women Did for Me. Later this year, she appeared in a screen test for Douglas Fairbanks' forthcoming full-length film The Gaucho. Fairbanks were immediately impressed by Vélez's career, so she was able to sign her on a long-term basis. The Gaucho debuted in 1927, and commentators were enthralled by Vélez's ability to hold her own alongside Fairbanks, who was well-known for his spirited performances and spectacular stunts.

Stand and Deliver (1928), directed by Cecil B. DeMille, was Vélez' second major film. She was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars that year. Vélez appeared in Lady of the Pavements, directed by D. W. Griffith and Where East Is East in 1929, portraying a young Chinese woman. She appears alongside Gary Cooper in Victor Fleming's Western film Wolf Song. As she was regularly depicted as "exotic" or "ethnic" women with tumultuous and hot temper, gossip columnists began to refer to Vélez as "Mexican Hurricane," "The Mexican Wildcat," "The Mexican Madcap," "The Mexican Madcap," "Whoopee Lupe," and "The Hot Tamale" as she was constantly depicted.

By 1929, the film industry had transitioned from silents to sound films. Several actors of the period of poor toe came to an end abruptly due to heavy accents or voices that were not well-recorded. Vélez' accent, according to studio executives, would possibly stymie her attempts to make the switch. Since appearing in her first all-talking picture in 1929, the Rin Tin Tin car, Tiger Rose, was disapproved, she was disapproved. The film was a hit, and Vélez's sound career was well-established.

Vélez appeared in a series of Pre-Code films including Hell Harbor (directed by Henry King), The Storm (1930, directed by William Wyler) and Edward G. Robinson (1930). She appeared in Cecil B. DeMille, Squaw Man, opposite Warner Baxter, in 1931, as well as in Resurrection, directed by Edwin Carewe. Vélez produced The Cuban Love Song (1931), a film starring popular singer Lawrence Tibbett. She was also a supporting role in Kongo (a subtle reimagining of West of Zanzibar) with Walter Huston last year. She appeared in Spanish-language versions of some of Universal Studios' films, including Resurrection (1931, the Spanish translation of Resurrection), and Hombres en mi vida (1932, the Spanish version of Men in Her Life). Vélez found her niche in comedy early on, playing beautiful but conflicting characters.

Vélez took a break from film in February 1932 and travelled to New York City, where she was formally signed by Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. to take over "Conchita" in the musical revue Hot-Cha! Bert Lahr, Eleanor Powell, and Buddy Rogers appeared on the program as well.

Vélez appeared in the films The Half-Naked Truth with Lee Tracy and Hot Pepper in 1933, as well as Edmund Lowe and Victor McLaglen. She returned to Broadway later this year, where she appeared opposite Jimmy Durante in the musical revue Strike Me Pink. She filmed Palooka and Strictly Dynamite in 1934 (both with Durante). In Laughing Boy with Ramón Novarro, that same year, Vélez was cast as "Slim Girl" in the same year. The film was slowly released and largely ignored. The film's few critics condemned it, but it praised Vélez's performance. She had more success with her appearance in the all-comedy-cast film Hollywood Party, where she has an amazing egg-breaking routine with Laurel and Hardy. Despite the fact that Vélez was a well-known actress, MGM Studios did not renew her deal in 1934. Vélez spent two years in England, shooting The Morals of Marcus and Gypsy Melody (both 1936). She returned to Los Angeles the following year, appearing in the last part of the Wheeler & Woolsey comedy High Flyers (1937).

Cole Porter's last Broadway appearance was in the 1938 Broadway musical You Never Know. Critics gave the program critical feedback, but the show received a lot of attention due to the rivalry between Vélez and fellow cast member Libby Holman. Holman was also angered by the show's attention, particularly Jennifer Hepburn and Shirley Temple's impressions. Following a confrontation in New Haven, Connecticut, Vélez punched Holman between curtain calls and gave her a black eye. The show was effectively ended due to the feud.

Vélez's first Mexican film, directed by ten thousand fans, welcomed her on her return to Mexico City in 1938. Fernando de Fuentes, a co-starring Mexican actor Arturo de Córdova, was a critical and financial success, and Vélez was scheduled to appear in four more Mexican films. She then returned to Los Angeles and rejoined RKO and went back to work.

In 1939, Vélez appeared opposite Leon Errol and Donald Woods in a B-comedy, The Girl from Mexico. Despite being a B film, it was a hit with audiences, and RKO re-teamed her with Errol and Woods for a sequel, Mexican Spitfire. That film was also a success, and it culminated in a string of Spitfire films (eight in all). Vélez portrays "Carmelita Lindsay," a vivacious yet delicate Mexican singer married to Dennis "Denny" Lindsay (Woods), an elegant American gentleman. Vélez's career was revived by the Spitfire films. In addition, they were films in which a Latina headlined for eight films in a row – a true rarity.

She appeared in other musical and comedy films for RKO, Universal Pictures, and Columbia Pictures in addition to the Spitfire movie. Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga (opposite John Barrymore, 1941), Playmates (opposite John Barrymore, 1941), and Redhead from Manhattan (1943) were among these films. Vélez plays both a Broadway actor and her visiting twin sister in the second film, giving the viewer a rare opportunity to hear Lupe Vélez's authentic speaking voice. She plays the visiting sister in her customary, exaggerated Mexican accent, but in a subtle manner, she plays the actress with her own, barely inflected voice, revealing only traces of an accent.

The last film in the Spitfire film series, Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event, was released in 1943. By that time, the misidentity scripts and situations had been repeating themselves, and the series's appeal had diminished, but Vélez's enthusiasm and Errol's clowning never wavered.

In a 1943 romantic comedy about an actress and a baseball player, Vélez co-starred with Eddie Albert. Vélez returned to Mexico in 1944 to appear in an Émile Zola's book Nana, which was well-reced. It will be her last film. After filming concluded, Vélez returned to Los Angeles and began preparing for a second day on Broadway in New York.

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