Dolores del Rio

Object Details

Artist

Benjamin Strauss, 1871 - 1952

Homer Peyton, 1884 - ?

Sitter

Dolores del Rio, 3 Aug 1904 - 11 Apr 1983

Exhibition Label

Born Chihuahua, México

A luminous beauty and a gifted actress, Dolores del Rio rocketed to Hollywood stardom within a year of her arrival from Mexico in 1925. After minor roles in several films, del Rio established herself as a major box-office draw with her performance as a French barmaid in the World War I drama What Price Glory?—one of the top films of 1926. Although the American movie industry counted her among its first “Latin” stars, del Rio resisted Hollywood’s efforts to typecast her as a south-of-the-border siren during her silent film career. With the introduction of sound pictures, however, del Rio’s accent made it easier to consign her to stereotypical roles. In 1942 she returned to Mexico and embarked on a rewarding new career in Spanish-language cinema that would earn her four Silver Ariels, the Mexican film industry’s highest award.

Nacida en Chihuahua, México

Dotada de talento actoral y una belleza luminosa, Dolores del Río alcanzó el estrellado en Hollywood a solo un año de haber llegado de México, en 1925. Luego de pequeños papeles en varias películas, Del Río se estableció como una de las grandes atracciones de taquilla con su papel de cantinera francesa en What Price Glory, un drama ambientado en la Primera Guerra Mundial que resultó uno de los mayores éxitos de 1926. Aunque la industria del cine estadounidense la contaba entre sus primeras actrices “latinas”, Del Río se resistió a ser encasillada por Hollywood como “sirena del sur de la frontera” durante su carrera en el cine silente. No obstante, al llegar el cine sonoro, el acento de la actriz propició que se le asignaran papeles estereotipados. En 1942 regresó a México y comenzó una estimulante carrera en el cine hispanohablante que le merecería en cuatro ocasiones el Ariel de Plata, galardón cumbre de la industria cinematográfica mexicana.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired through the generosity of the Honorable Anthony Beilenson in honor of his wife Dolores

c. 1927

Object number

NPG.2006.70

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Type

Photograph

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 34.2 × 26.8cm (13 7/16 × 10 9/16")

Sheet: 45.6 × 35.7cm (17 15/16 × 14 1/16")

Mat: 71.1 × 55.9cm (28 × 22")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location

Currently not on view

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Jewelry\Necklace

Costume\Jewelry\Earring

Dolores del Rio: Female

Dolores del Rio: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Actor

Dolores del Rio: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2006.70

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4fa4d9b64-abec-4038-b863-ecd0bb409d19