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Rosaura Revueltas

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Actress

The Resume

    (August 6, 1910-April 30, 1996)
    Born in Durango, Mexico
    Rosaura Revueltas Sanchez
    Mexican dancer, actress, and teacher
    Matinee Starlet of Cine Mexicano, or 'The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema'
    Acted in 'La Deconocida de Arras,' 'The Torch,' 'Muchachas de Uniforme,' 'Vuelve Pancho Villa,' 'Islas Marías,' 'Sombrero,' 'Mina, Viento de Libertad,' and 'Balún Canán'
    Best known as Esperanza in Herbert J. Biberman's blacklisted mining strike drama, 'The Salt of the Earth,' which was banned nationwide by HUAC, in 1954
    Sister of composer Silvestre Revueltas, painter Fermin Revueltas, and writer Jose Revueltas
    Author of 'The Revueltas: Biography of a Family' (1979)
    Portrayed by Angela Molina in the Jeff Goldblum film on Herbert Biberman, 'One of the Hollywood Ten' (2000)

Why she might be annoying:

    She taught Yoga after her film career ended.
    She was the only professional actress to take part in 'Salt of the Earth' (all the other cast members were real-life miners and their families).
    She replaced Herbert Biberman's wife, Gale Sondergaard, for the film's lead when he determined that a Spanish-speaking actress was necessary for the part.
    She was arrested by immigration officials in El Paso on passport violation charges and was deported to Mexico during filming, resulting in production staff shooting around her (which, compounded by the already-low budget, explains the film's choppy quality).
    During her detainment, her brothers and several prominent artists lobbied to have university students and the Mexican working class picket the US Embassy for her release. She was released the next day due to the mounting public outrage (a picket line of 5,000-6,000 ultimately assembled outside the Embassy).
    While it has widely been accepted that she was blacklisted and deported on trumped-up charges and was not politically active, she DID sport marginal ties to the Communist Party through her family - most notably her brother Jose, who had been a member of the Mexican Communist Party for close to twenty years.
    She said that since the Immigration officials 'had no evidence to present of my 'subversive' character, I can only conclude that I was 'dangerous' because I had been playing a role that gave status and dignity to the character of a Mexican-American woman.'

Why she might not be annoying:

    She probably would have acted the hell out of a Dolores Huerta biopic.
    She taught herself to speak English, German, French, and Italian.
    She came from a renowned artistic family.
    At the same time, she and her siblings were the children of a poor shoemaker from the village of Lerdo.
    She made her movie debut in a series of Pedro Infante films.
    Her grandfather had been a zinc miner from Northern Mexico, so even as a 'movie star,' she likely emphasized with the plight of the actual union laborers who filmed 'Earth' with her.
    Before her work in 'Salt of the Earth,' she had won two Silver Ariels (Mexican Oscars), in 1951 and 1953.
    She was awarded the Best Actress Award for her performance in 'Salt of the Earth' by the Académie du cinéma de Paris.
    She was one of the most naturalistic movie actresses in the first half of 20th Century cinema.
    Her arrest attracted a wide array of Mexican celebrities to her support, including Frida Kahlo, David Alfaro Sisqueiros, Diego Rivera, Jose Chavez Montoya, Octavio Paz, and Dolores Del Rio.
    She is the most glaring example of a promising talent whose career was cut short by the Hollywood Blacklist.
    She worked with Bertolt Brecht’s Berliner Ensemble, in Germany, for three years.
    She was a judge at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival, in 1986.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 12 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 68 Votes: 60.29% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying