Armida (actress) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Armida Vendrell
Vendrell in 1949.
Born	Armida Vendrell (1911-05-29)May 29, 1911 Aguascalientes, Mexico
Died	October 23, 1989(1989-10-23) (aged 78) Victorville, California, U.S.
Nationality	Mexican
Occupation	Actress, singer, dancer, vaudevillian
Years active	1927–1951 (film)
Height	150cm (4ft 11)

Armida (on the left) with Don Terry and Marjorie Kane in her first film, Border Romance (1929).

Armida, born Armida Vendrell, was a talented Mexican actress, singer, and dancer. She was also a vaudevillian, meaning she performed in variety shows. Armida was born on May 29, 1911, in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She became famous for her roles in many films and stage shows.

Early Life of Armida

Armida came from a family of performers. Her mother was Maria Camalich. Her father, Joaquin Vendrell, was a famous magician known as "The Great Arnold." He moved to Mexico from Barcelona, Spain. Armida also had two sisters, Lydia and Lola, who were also performers.

Armida was quite short, about five feet tall with high heels. Without heels, she was two inches shorter. When she was a child, she only spoke Spanish. By the time she was 19, she had a long-term movie contract. She bought a home where she lived with her family. She hoped to send her younger sisters to college.

Armida's Vaudeville Shows

Armida started performing when she was very young. Her family moved from Mexico to the United States. Her father opened the first movie theater in Douglas, Arizona. Armida and her sisters would sing and dance during the movie breaks. Her father would perform his magic tricks.

Armida was discovered in an old theater in Los Angeles. She was performing a small vaudeville act with her sister Delores. A talent scout saw her and offered her a chance to perform four shows a day. This was known as a "four-a-day" schedule.

Armida then moved on to perform in Broadway shows. She was discovered by Gus Edwards. He was a stage and movie actor, songwriter, and dance teacher. In New York, she sometimes performed in as many as 24 vaudeville acts a day! Gus Edwards brought her back to Hollywood. He started featuring her in special color film acts. Gus once said that Armida had the feelings of an actress who could handle very difficult acting roles.

Armida's Film Career

Armida began acting in short films. She signed a contract with United Artists. Her first important film role was opposite the famous actor John Barrymore. When she was 18, Warner Brothers offered her a five-year contract.

Armida appeared in many films. Some of her early movies include Border Romance (1929) and The Show of Shows (1929). She also acted in General Crack (1930) and Under a Texas Moon (1930). Later, she was in The Marines Are Coming (1934) and Under the Pampas Moon (1935).

In the 1940s, she appeared in films like Machine Gun Mama (1944) and Bad Men of the Border (1945). She also played a role in the adventure serial Congo Bill (1948). Her last film role was in Rhythm Inn (1951), where she played a specialty dancer. She also performed with Gene Autry in the western movie Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm (1937). One of her few main roles was in The Girl from Monterrey (1943). She also performed on Broadway in the show Nina Rosa (1930–31).

Selected Filmography

Later Life and Death

Armida Vendrell passed away in Victorville, California, on October 23, 1989. She died from a heart attack.