Rosita Fornés
{{Short description|Cuban American singer (1923–2020)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{family name hatnote|Palet|Bonavia|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rosita Fornés
| image = Rosita Fornés.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Fornés in 2011
| birth_name = Rosalía Lourdes Elisa Palet Bonavia
| birth_date = {{birth date|1923|2|11}}
| birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|6|10|1923|2|11}}
| death_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.
| other_names =
| occupation = Actress, singer
| yearsactive = 1938–2020
| spouse = Manuel Medel (divorced)
Armando Bianchi
| children = 1
| citizenship = {{hlist|Cuban|American}}
}}
Rosita Fornés (née Rosalía Lourdes Elisa Palet Bonavia; February 11, 1923{{spnd}}June 10, 2020) was a Cuban-American 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 and moved to Cuba as a child. Her parents were immigrants from Spain.{{cite news|title=Legendary Cuban star Rosita Fornés dies in Miami|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article243423131.html|first=Arturo|last=Arias–Polo|date=June 10, 2020|accessdate=June 10, 2020|newspaper=Miami Herald}} Her father was Catalan and her mother was from Madrid. 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.[http://www.cubadebate.cu/temas/cultura-temas/2010/04/06/rosita-fornes-he-vivido-en-todas-partes-pero-soy-artista-cubana/#.V-cnn2thiK0 Interview with Rosita Fornés.] (in Spanish)
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.García Osuna p.139 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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_fNTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA139|title=The Cuban Filmography: 1897 through 2001|publisher=McFarland|date=August 1, 2015|last=García Osuna|first=Alfonso J.|page=139|isbn=9781476605319}} 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.{{cite news|title=Rosita Fornés, the most famous vedette in Cuba, dies|url=https://www.explica.co/rosita-fornes-the-most-famous-vedette-in-cuba-dies/|date=June 10, 2020|accessdate=June 10, 2020|publisher=Explica}} 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 and had one daughter together, Rosa María. She moved back to Havana in 1952 after they divorced. She subsequently married 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. She was 97, and had suffered complications from emphysema.{{Cite web|url=https://newgenerationnews.eu/cultura/fallece-rosita-fornes-la-vedette-de-cuba-a-los-97-anos/|title=Fallece Rosita Fornés, la vedette de Cuba, a los 97 años|date=June 10, 2020}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web |title=Muere Rosita Fornés la vedette cubana |url=https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/muere-rosita-fornes-la-vedette-cubana |website=www.eluniversal.com.mx |accessdate=June 10, 2020|language=es}}
Selected filmography
Source: {{cite news|title=Cuban Actress Rosita Fornés Dies at 97|url=https://www.cinematropical.com/cinema-tropical/cuban-actress-rosita-forns-dies-at-97|date=June 10, 2020|accessdate=June 10, 2020|newspaper=Cinema Tropical}}
- A Dangerous Adventure (1939)
- Musical Romance (1941)
- The Flesh Commands (1948)
- The Desire (1948)
- From the Can-Can to the Mambo (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
References
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External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|0286553}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fornes, Rosita}}
Category:20th-century Cuban women singers
Category:Cuban people of Spanish descent
Category:Cuban people of Catalan descent
Category:Cuban emigrants to the United States
Category:Singers from New York City