Chelo Alonso facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chelo Alonso
Alonso in Morgan il pirata (1960)
Born	Isabel Apolonia García Hernández (1933-04-10)10 April 1933 Camagüey, Cuba
Died	20 February 2019(2019-02-20) (aged 85) Mentana, Italy
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1959–1969

Chelo Alonso was a Cuban actress who became very famous in Italian movies during the 1960s. She was born Isabel Apolonia García Hernández on April 10, 1933, in Cuba. She passed away on February 20, 2019. Chelo Alonso was known for playing strong, exciting characters and for her amazing dance scenes in films.

About Chelo Alonso

Chelo Alonso was born Isabel Apolonia García Hernández in a place called Central Lugareño, in Camagüey, Cuba. Her father was Cuban, and her mother was Mexican.

She first became well-known in Cuba because she was an amazing dancer. She was a big hit at Cuba's National Theatre in Havana.

Soon after, she became a new and exciting dancer at the Folies Bergère in Paris, France. People called her the "new Josephine Baker", who was another famous dancer who performed there. Chelo Alonso was also called the "Cuban H-Bomb". She mixed Afro-Cuban dance styles from her home country with energetic dance moves.

Her Movie Career

Chelo Alonso first became known around the world in a 1959 movie called Nel segno di Roma (which means Sheba and the Gladiator). In this film, she starred alongside famous actors like Anita Ekberg.

Many of Chelo Alonso's movies were exciting adventure movies. They were often like the popular film Le fatiche di Ercole (Hercules), which starred Steve Reeves. Hercules was a very popular type of movie, and it led to many other films trying to be like it.

These adventure movies needed actors with unique looks, and Chelo Alonso's dark beauty was perfect. She even starred with Steve Reeves himself in two movies: Goliath and the Barbarians (1959) and Morgan il pirata (1960). For her role in Goliath and the Barbarians, Chelo Alonso won an award for being "Italian Cinema's Female Discovery".

Later Life and Retirement

In 1960, while making Morgan il pirata, Chelo Alonso met and married Aldo Pomilia. He worked as a production manager and producer for movies. After they made a movie together called Quattro notti con Alba (Desert War) in 1962, they had a son named Aldino Pomilia. Chelo then took a break from acting.

Later, she made a brief appearance in a very famous western movie called The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). She was not credited for this small part.

Her husband, Aldo, then helped her make a successful return to movies. She starred with Tomas Milian, who was also from Havana, in a popular western movie called Corri uomo corri (Run, Man, Run). Many people think this was her best movie role.

Chelo then had another small role in a western movie called La notte dei serpenti (Nest of Vipers). After this, she stopped making films and focused on Italian television.

After her husband passed away in 1986, Chelo Alonso moved to the city of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. She fully retired from acting. She started a business breeding cats and also owned a four-star hotel.

Chelo Alonso died on February 20, 2019, when she was 85 years old.

Movies She Starred In

See also

In Spanish: Chelo Alonso para niños