Mirtha Legrand
Rosa María Juana Martínez Suárez (born 23 February 1927), known by her stage name Mirtha Legrand (″Legrand″ being a portmanteau for the French Le grand,[2] The Great, Spanish: La grande) is an Argentine actress and television presenter, twin sister of Silvia Legrand.[1] With a 72-year career, Legrand is a recognized entertainment figure in Argentina.[3] Despite having appeared in 36 films and twelve theatrical performances, Legrand is best known for her television programmes.[1]
Mirtha Legrand | |
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Mirtha Legrand in 2013 | |
Born | Rosa María Juana Martínez Suárez 23 February 1927 |
Other names | Chiquita, Chiqui |
Occupation | Actress, presenter |
Years active | 1940–present |
Television | |
Spouse(s) | Daniel Tinayre (1946–1994) |
Children |
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Relatives |
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Biography
Legrand and her twin sister Silvia were born on 23 February 1927 in Villa Cañás to José Martínez, a librarian, and Rosa Suárez, a school teacher. They have a sibling named José Antonio. Their parents were Spanish. They separated in 1934 and Rosa moved to Rosario with her three children, where the Legrand sisters took classes of singing and dancing. In 1936 they moved to the La Paternal neighborhood in Buenos Aires.[1]
Legrand began her career in the carnival of 1939 when she participated in a contest organised by the Diario de Cine programme (Cinema Diary) at Belgrano Radio. She rose to fame in the late 1930s and early 1940s, during the golden era of the Argentine filming that resembled the Hollywood one. Her film debut was in Educating Niní, which also had the participation of Niní Marshall and Legrand's sister Silvia.[1]
While filming Cinco besos (Five kisses) —directed by Luis Saslavsky, who also directed the famous film Los martes, orquídeas— in 1945, Legrand met her future husband Daniel Tinayre, a director of French origins. Mirtha Legrand married Tinayre on 18 May 1946. Daniel Andrés, the first son of the couple, was born in 1947; Marcela, the couple's daughter, was born in 1950. Mirtha Legrand and Daniel Tinayre were married until Tinayre's death in 1994. Tinayre had been diagnosed with hepatitis B in September 1994 and died a month later. Her son Daniel died from pancreatic cancer in 1999.[4]
Selected filmography
Her cinematographic career spanned more than 25 years from 1939 to 1965. She participated in 36 films of Argentina and Spain, including:[1]
- Educating Niní (Spanish: Hay que educar a Niní)
- Los martes, orquídeas (1941)
Awards
Nominations
- 2013 Martín Fierro Awards
- Best female TV host[5]
References
- "Mirtha Legrand cumple 90 años" [Mirtha Legrand celebrates her 90th birthday] (in Spanish). Télam. 23 February 2017. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017.
- Zucchi, Marina (23 February 2017). "Mirtha Legrand cumple 90 años: todo nació con una orquídea" [Mirtha Legrand celebrates her 90th birthday: everything was born with an orchid]. Clarín (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 March 2017.
- Mirtha Legrand: 40 y una Vida en Televisión. Corregidor S.A.I.C.I. Y E., Ediciones. ISBN 9789500517843.
- "Mirtha Legrand y Daniel Tinayre: así en la vida como en el cine" [Mirtha Legrand and Daniel Tinayre: in life as in cinema]. La Nación (in Spanish). 19 July 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017.
- "Todos los nominados a los Martín Fierro 2014" [All the nominations for the 2014 Martín Fierro] (in Spanish). La Nación. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
External links
- Mirtha Legrand on IMDb
- (in Spanish) Mirtha Legrand at cinenacional.com
- (in Spanish) Biography of Mirtha Legrand
- (in Spanish) Legend about Mirtha Legrand