Sara Montiel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Excelentísima Señora Doña Sara Montiel MML
Montiel in 1955
Born	María Antonia Alejandra Vicenta Elpidia Isidora Abad Fernández (1928-03-10)10 March 1928 Campo de Criptana (Ciudad Real), Spain
Died	8 April 2013(2013-04-08) (aged 85) Madrid, Spain
Nationality	Spanish Mexican (since 1951)
Other names	María Alejandra Sarita Montiel
Occupation	Actress Singer
Years active	1943–2013
Spouse(s)	Anthony Mann ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1963)​ José Vicente Ramírez Olalla ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1970)​ José Tous Barberán ​ ​ (m. 1979; died 1992)​ Antonio Hernández ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2005)​
Children	Thais Tous Abad José Zeus Tous Abad

María Antonia Abad Fernández (born March 10, 1928 – died April 8, 2013), known as Sara Montiel, was a famous Spanish actress and singer. She also became a citizen of Mexico in 1951. Sara started her career in the 1940s. By the 1960s, she was the most popular and highest-paid Spanish movie star around the world. She acted in almost 50 films and recorded about 500 songs in five different languages.

Sara Montiel was born in a place called Campo de Criptana in Spain in 1928. She began acting in Spanish movies like Don Quixote (1947) and Madness for Love (1948). Later, she moved to Mexico and starred in films such as Women's Prison (1951).

After Mexico, she went to the United States and appeared in three Hollywood movies: Vera Cruz (1954), Serenade (1956), and Run of the Arrow (1957). She then returned to Spain. There, she starred in musical films like The Last Torch Song (1957) and The Violet Seller (1958). These two films earned a lot of money and made her incredibly famous. She also became a successful singer, performing songs from her movies and giving live concerts.

Throughout her life, Sara Montiel's personal story was often in the news in Spanish-speaking countries. She was married four times and adopted two children.

Becoming a Star: Sara Montiel's Career

Sara Montiel started her movie career in Spain when she was 16 years old. Her first small role was in the movie Te quiero para mí (I Want You for Myself) in 1944. Soon after, she got a main role in Empezó en boda (It Began with a Wedding). She also appeared in films like Mariona Rebull (1946) and Madness for Love (1948).

In 1950, Sara moved to Mexico with her mother. In less than five years, she starred in many Mexican films. Some of these included Women's Prison (1951) and Cinnamon Skin (1953).

Hollywood Calling

After her success in Mexico, Hollywood noticed Sara. She made her first American movie, Vera Cruz (1954), directed by Robert Aldrich. She was offered a long contract with Columbia Pictures, but she turned it down. She was worried that Hollywood would only give her certain types of roles because she was Hispanic. Instead, she worked freely for other studios. She starred in Serenade (1956) at Warner Bros. and Run of the Arrow (1957) at RKO. While working on Serenade, she met and later married the director, Anthony Mann, in 1957.

Sara Montiel at the San Sebastián International Film Week in 1956.

Return to Spain and Huge Success

Between 1956 and 1957, Sara filmed the musical movie The Last Torch Song in Spain. This film was made with a small budget, but it became a massive hit around the world. At first, someone else was supposed to sing the songs for her in the movie. But because of the low budget, Sara ended up singing them herself. The movie's soundtrack album also became very popular.

Because of this huge success, Sara signed a big contract in 1957 to make four more films. The first of these was The Violet Seller (1958), a large musical film made with international partners. This movie was even more successful than The Last Torch Song. Sara became the highest-paid Spanish star, earning a lot of money for each film. She also signed a deal to release the soundtracks of her movies. The Violet Seller soundtrack was a top seller in Spain and Latin America.

International Superstar

Sara Montiel became a global superstar in both movies and music. Most of her next films also earned a lot of money. She kept busy acting, recording songs, and performing live concerts. She was known as the highest-paid star in Spanish cinema. Some of her popular films from the 1960s and early 1970s include My Last Tango (1960), The Lovely Lola (1962), and Variety (1971).

In 1974, Sara announced she would stop making movies. However, she continued to perform live, record music, and host her own TV shows in Spain. In 2002, she was featured in advertisements for the 2002 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Barcelona.

In 2009, the singer Alaska invited Sara Montiel to sing a duet for her band Fangoria's album. They recorded the song "Absolutamente" together. Sara continued to work on different projects even in her eighties. In 2011, she appeared in a movie called Abrázame, her first film in almost 40 years.

Sara Montiel is remembered as "one of the most important actresses in the history of Spain." She has been called a "legend of Spanish cinema" and "the most beautiful woman of 20th-century Spain." She was also seen as an important figure for women's rights and the gay community during her time.

About Sara Montiel's Life

Sara Montiel's full name was María Antonia Alejandra Vicenta Elpidia Isidora Abad Fernández. She was born in 1928 in Campo de Criptana, Spain. She started acting in movies after winning a talent contest when she was 15.

For her first movie, she was called "María Alejandra," a shorter version of her real name. For her next film, she changed her name to Sara, after her grandmother. She chose Montiel from the Montiel fields in the La Mancha region where she was born.

When she was in Mexico, she learned to read and write from a poet named León Felipe. In 1951, she became a dual citizen of both Spain and Mexico. Sara Montiel was married four times. She and her third husband, José Tous Barberán, adopted two children: Thais (born in 1979) and José Zeus (born in 1983).

In 2000, Sara Montiel wrote her autobiography called Memories: To Live Is a Pleasure. It became a very popular book. She wrote a second book in 2003.

In her later years, Sara became a beloved figure for the gay community. She once said, "Whenever I perform in any city in the US, all the gays from that city show up." Sara Montiel passed away in 2013 at her home in Madrid at the age of 85. She was buried in the San Justo Cemetery in Madrid.

Filmography: Movies Sara Montiel Starred In

Discography: Sara Montiel's Albums

• Sara Montiel en Mexico
• Canciones de la Película "El Último Cuple"
• La Violetera
• Mi Último Tango
• Pecado de Amor
• La Bella Lola
• Noches De Casablanca
• Samba
• La Dama de Beirut
• Canta Sarita Montiel
• Esa Mujer
• Sara
• Varietés
• Sara... Hoy
• Saritisima
• Anoche con Sara
• Purisimo Sara
• Sara De Cine
• Sara A Flor de Piel
• Amados Mios
• Todas Las Noches A Las Once
• Sara Montiel La Diva
• Sara Montiel La Leyenda
• Besame

Awards and Honors

Sara Montiel received many awards for her acting and contributions to cinema.

Special Honors

• 1997 - Gold Medal from the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.
• 2001 - Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence.
• 2008 - Gold Medal of Merit in Labour (from the Kingdom of Spain).
• 2012 - "Honorary Queen of Beauty" title.

Legacy: Remembering Sara Montiel

Sara Montiel Museum

The Sara Montiel Museum opened in 1991 in her hometown of Campo de Criptana. It is located inside a 16th-century windmill. The museum displays photographs, costumes, and personal items that belonged to Sara Montiel. You can also see posters from her movies there. In May 2021, the museum was updated and reopened to visitors.

See also

In Spanish: Sara Montiel para niños