María Elena Velasco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids María Elena Velasco Fragoso
Velasco, c. 1950s
Birth name	María Elena Velasco Fragoso
Born	(1940-12-17)17 December 1940 Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Died	1 May 2015(2015-05-01) (aged 74) Mexico City, Mexico
Medium	Film, television, music, theatre
Nationality	Mexican
Genres	Character comedy, slapstick
Subject(s)	Indigenous Mexican women
Spouse	Julián de Meriche ​ ​ (m. 1965; died 1974)​
Children	3

María Elena Velasco Fragoso (born December 17, 1940 – died May 1, 2015) was a famous Mexican actress, comedian, singer, and dancer. She was most known for creating and playing a funny character called La India María. This character was based on Mexican indigenous women.

Early Life and Start in Entertainment

María Elena Velasco was born in Puebla, Mexico. Her father, Tomás Velasco Saavedra, was a railway mechanic. Her mother was María Elena Fragoso Peón. María Elena had three siblings: Gloria, Tomás, and Susana.

After her father passed away, her family moved to Mexico City. There, María Elena began working as a dancer at the Teatro Tívoli. Later, she became a showgirl at the Teatro Blanquita. She also performed in short comedy acts called sketches with other comedians.

Developing the La India María Character

In 1962, María Elena's talent at the Teatro Blanquita caught the eye of producer Miguel Morayta. He gave her a role in her first movie, Los derechos de los hijos (1963). She also played a maid named Petra in the film México de mis recuerdos (1963).

By 1964, she started adding comedy to her performances. She often played servants in TV shows. Soon, she created a funny character named Elena María, who was a woman from rural Mexico.

Her big break came when director Fernando Cortés suggested she play an indigenous woman named "María." This character wore traditional clothes, including braided hair with ribbons and colorful blouses and skirts. To make the character real, María Elena studied how indigenous women moved and acted. Her own mother even made the dresses for the character.

She first appeared as "María Elena Velasco 'La India María'" in the western movie El bastardo (1968).

Career Highlights and Films

In 1969, La India María became very popular on the TV show Siempre en domingo. This part of the show was a huge hit, and María Elena went on to star in many other successful TV programs.

Her first movie as La India María was Tonta, tonta, pero no tanto (1972). Fernando Cortés directed this film. He directed eight La India María movies in total before he passed away in 1979. These movies were very successful and became a regular part of Mexican cinemas.

María Elena Velasco won an award called the Silver Goddess Award for Best Comedic Performance for her role in ¡El que no corre... vuela! (1982). She also started directing movies herself, with her first one being El coyote emplumado (1983). She also starred in the TV series Ay María, qué puntería (1998).

Personal Life

In the early 1960s, María Elena met Julián de Meriche at the Teatro Blanquita. He was a film actor and choreographer from Russia. They got married and had two children: Iván Lipkies, who became a producer and director, and Ivette Eugenia Lipkies, also known as Goretti Lipkies, who became an actress and writer.

María Elena once said about her husband, "My husband was worth gold. I won't lie and say he was the perfect man, but he was the love of my life."

Death

María Elena Velasco passed away on May 1, 2015. Her death was announced by the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía on Twitter. It was known that she had been suffering from stomach cancer.

Performances

Film Roles

Television Shows

Stage Plays

Discography

• La mejor cantante de todas las grabadoras (1971)
• De chile, de dulce y de manteca (1982)

See also

In Spanish: María Elena Velasco para niños

• List of Mexicans
• Lucila Mariscal - who played "Lencha, la india"