Silvia Pinal, a giant of Mexican cinema, died Thursday at 93.
“The Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico mourns the loss of leading actress Silvia Pinal. With a career spanning over six decades, she starred in more than 60 films and theatrical productions. Her legacy remains a fundamental pillar of cinema, theater and television in Mexico. Rest in Peace,” Mexico’s cultural ministry wrote in a post to X Thursday announcing the actress’ death. USA TODAY translated the post.
Her Instagram account also posted a tribute, a photo of Pinal with her signature bleach blonde ‘do alongside the caption: “Goodbye to the last great diva of Mexican cinema: Mrs. Silvia Pinal.”
Born in Guayamas, Sonora, Mexico in 1931, Pinal became a darling of both the big and silver screen during Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema.
Both a stage and screen actor, Pinal made a cinematic splash in 1949 with “La Mujer que yo perdí,” acting alongside legendary ranchera singer and leading man Pedro Infante. She would go on to act alongside many of Mexico’s biggest male stars including Cantinflas and German Valdés “Tin-Tán.”
As her star status began to cross borders, Pinal cemented her international acclaim with a trilogy of films by surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel. With “Viridiana” (1961), “The Exterminating Angel” (1962), and “Simon of the Desert” (1965), the actress played out daring and absurdist scenarios.
“To this day I don’t know what the film is about,” Pinal said of “The Exterminating Angel” in an interview, “He played with your mind and the ideas you’d formed.”
Already an undeniable part of the cultural fabric of the country, Pinal made the leap into politics later in life after a marriage to the governor of the State of Tlaxcala, Tulio Hernández. She went on to hold several offices herself and head up a major Mexican actors union
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Rising to fame at a time when Hollywood stars were expected to be a one-stop shop for acting singing and dancing, Pinal was a quadruple threat, adding a strong set of comedy chops to that list.
“My deepest condolences to the Pinal Family, for the passing of the great actress, Mrs. Silvia Pinal, the monarch,” Mexican singer-songwriter Ana Gabriel wrote on X, “I wish with all my heart, dear friend, that your soul flies high and that you arrive soon, to the Almighty, where you will be received as what you were, Great among the Greats.”
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