Sara Montiel

Sara Montiel, born Maria Antonia Alejandra Abad Fernández and widely recognized under the name Sarita Montiel, emerged as one of Spain’s earliest sex symbols to draw serious notice from Hollywood through her magnetic screen presence. Her entry into entertainment occurred in 1943 when she claimed victory in a talent competition organized by a domestic production studio. She made her first appearance on film in the Ladislao Vajda-directed feature Te Quiero Para Mi. International recognition arrived four years later via the popular 1948 release Locura de Amor. Early in the following decade she relocated to Mexico, where she launched her recording career alongside such established figures as Pedro Infante, Manolo Fábregas, and Agustin Lara. In 1954 she shared the screen with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster in Veracruz. Her breakthrough as a Latin music figure followed the distribution of the soundtrack album for El Ultimo Cuplé, also known as The Last Torch Song. Throughout the 1970s she headlined an international touring schedule that featured the productions Saritísima, Increíble Sara, Super Sara Show, and Doña Sara de la Mancha. On April 8, 2013, she passed away in Madrid at the age of 85.