Celia Gámez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Celia Gámez
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Celia Gámez in 1924
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Celia Gámez Carrasco
August 25, 1905 |
| Died | December 10, 1992 (aged 87) |
| Years active | 1920–1971 |
Celia Gámez Carrasco (born August 25, 1905 – died December 10, 1992) was a famous actress and singer from Argentina. She became one of the biggest stars during the 'Golden Age' of Spanish theater. In Spain, especially later in her life, people often called her La Protegida, which means 'The Protected One'.
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Early Life and Background
Celia Gámez was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There is some discussion about her exact birth date because official records are hard to find. She was proud of her Spanish family background. Celia went to school in a convent. She moved from Argentina to Spain to find work as a performer and stayed there permanently from 1926. At first, she was known for singing popular songs like tangos and schottisches.
She married José Manuel Goenaga in 1944, but they never had children.
Becoming a Star in Theater
Celia Gámez was discovered by a theater owner named Salvador Videgain in Argentina. She was acting with another famous performer, Gloria Guzmán, at the time. Videgain brought her to Madrid, Spain, where she performed in a show called Las Castigadoras in 1927 at the popular Romea theater. This led to many more starring roles.
She quickly became very popular in Spanish musical theater, known as revista. In the 1940s, she became famous for songs like El Pichi and Por la calle de Alcalá from the show Las Leandras. Another hit song, La Devoradora, made her known as a 'vamp' or a charming, mysterious woman in Spanish theater.
Celia Gámez even started her own theater company. Many actors who later became very famous worked with her, including Tony Leblanc, Concha Velasco, Florinda Chico, Lina Morgan, and Esperanza Roy.
Famous Shows and Performances
Celia Gámez starred in many well-known shows. Some of these included La cenicienta del palace, Yola, Si Fausto fuera Faustina, and Gran revista. In 1964, she appeared in a new version of her famous show Las Leandras with Ángel de Andrés.
Film Roles
Celia Gámez chose not to work in Hollywood because she didn't speak English and didn't want to play small parts. Instead, she starred in Spanish films like El sargento Lápida (1937), El diablo con faldas (1938), and Rápteme usted (1940).
In 1968, she appeared in the film version of Las Leandras, where she sang her hit song "Por la calle de Alcalá." She also sang in other films like "Canciones de nuestra vida" (1971) and "Mi hijo no" (1974). Later in her career, she recorded albums inspired by the songs from her popular musical shows.
Music, Art, and Fashion
Many songwriters created music just for Celia Gámez. The famous composer Francisco Alonso wrote "Por la calle de Alcalá" for her, which has been recorded by many singers, including Plácido Domingo.
The fashion house of Peris designed special, fancy costumes just for her performances.
Popular Songs by Celia Gámez
Here are some of the well-known songs that Celia Gámez performed:
- * "Si vas a París papá"
- * "El Pichi"
- * "¡Viva Madrid!"
- * "Mírame"
- * "Horchatera valenciana"
- * "Los nardos (Por la calle de Alcalá)"
- * "La Lola"
- * "Un millón"
- * "El beso"
- * "Estudiantina portuguesa"
Images for kids
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Celia Gámez in 1924
See also
In Spanish: Celia Gámez para niños
