Silvia Derbez
Encyclopedia
Silvia Derbez born Lucille Silvia Derbez Amézquita, was a Mexican
film and television
actress
. Derbez was born in San Luis Potosi
. She competed in Miss Mexico 1953 where she placed 2nd place, after Miss Jalisco Ana Bertha Lepe
.
The daughter of French
-born businessman Marcel Derbez Gilly and Maria de la Luz Amézquita, she debuted in Mexican film as a teenager, participating in her first movie at the age of 15, when she acted in La Novia del Mar (Girlfriend of the Sea), filmed in 1947.
In 1948, she participated in a classic of Mexican cinema: Allá en el Rancho Grande
(Out on the Big Ranch). She was in three more movies before the decade of the 1940s had ended.
Derbez became a celebrity, both nationally and internationally, during the 1950s, an era in which she recorded sixteen films. Between 1951 and 1954, Derbez retired from filming, but she was in ten movies from 1954 to 1956.
With television becoming popular in Mexico, Derbez was signed by Televisa
to play "Nora" in the 1958 soap opera
, Senda prohibida
(Prohibited Way). In 1959, Derbez got the title role in another soap opera, Elisa
.
Derbez acted in seventeen telenovelas during the 1960s, many of them in which she starred. Among the soap operas she made during that decade was Maria Isabel I, where she once again played the title role. She returned to cinema in 1969, participating in three movies between then and 1970.
During the 1970s, her work rate on television slowed slightly. She made twelve telenovelas during that time. Among the telenovelas that she participated in was 1970's Angelitos Negros (Black Angels), as a nanny. She also acted in 1971's El Derecho de los Hijos (Your Children's Rights) and La Recogida (which loosely translates to The Picked up Woman). In 1975, she acted in a movie, El Andariego (The Walker).
As Derbez began to age, her work rate numbers began to decline, and during the 1980s, she acted in only six telenovelas and four movies. In 1986, her husband, Eugenio González, a publicist, died. Nevertheless, Derbez recovered from that personal loss and participated in one of Latin America
's most famed telenovelas of all time, Simplemente Maria
, in 1989. In Simplemente Maria, Derbez acted alongside Victoria Ruffo
, who would soon become her daughter in law. Simplemente Marias 1989 version was popular in countries such as Puerto Rico
and Venezuela
.
During the 1990s, Derbez's son Eugenio Derbez
became famous as a television comedian. He and Ruffo got married.
Derbez made three movies during the early 1990s, including 1992's Zapatos Viejos (Old Shoes), where she acted alongside singer Gloria Trevi
. In 1994, Derbez was in Prisionera de Amor (Prisoner of Love), and in 1995, she played "Milagros" in Lazos de Amor
. Those two soap operas became popular among Hispanic
viewers in the United States
.
Derbez once again returned to cinema acting after Prisionera de Amor and Lazos de Amor, acting in three movies before returning to television as "Leonor" in Los hijos de nadie (Nobody's Children). In 1998, she participated in another highly acclaimed Mexican telenovela, La usurpadora
(The supplanter), which starred Gabriela Spanic
.
Derbez's last work as an actress came in 2001's version of Caridad Bravo Adams
' La intrusa (The Intruder).
Soon after that telenovela finished recording, Derbez died on April 6, 2002, at the age of 70.
She had one son, Eugenio, and a daughter, Silvia Eugenia. Her granddaughter, Silvia Eugenia Derbez, is also a television actress.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
film and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
. Derbez was born in San Luis Potosi
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
. She competed in Miss Mexico 1953 where she placed 2nd place, after Miss Jalisco Ana Bertha Lepe
Ana Bertha Lepe
Ana Bertha Lepe is a Mexican actress and third runner up at the Miss Universe contest in 1953. She was born in Tecolotlán, Jalisco....
.
The daughter of French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born businessman Marcel Derbez Gilly and Maria de la Luz Amézquita, she debuted in Mexican film as a teenager, participating in her first movie at the age of 15, when she acted in La Novia del Mar (Girlfriend of the Sea), filmed in 1947.
In 1948, she participated in a classic of Mexican cinema: Allá en el Rancho Grande
Allá en el Rancho Grande
Allá en el Rancho Grande is a 1936 Mexican romantic drama film directed by Fernando de Fuentes and starring Tito Guízar and Esther Fernández. The film is considered to be the one that started the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.-Plot:...
(Out on the Big Ranch). She was in three more movies before the decade of the 1940s had ended.
Derbez became a celebrity, both nationally and internationally, during the 1950s, an era in which she recorded sixteen films. Between 1951 and 1954, Derbez retired from filming, but she was in ten movies from 1954 to 1956.
With television becoming popular in Mexico, Derbez was signed by Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
to play "Nora" in the 1958 soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Senda prohibida
Senda prohibida
Senda Prohibida is the first telenovela produced in Mexico. It was shown from Monday to Friday between 1957 and 1958.cast by Silvia Derbez Francisco Jambrina Dalia Iñiguez Héctor Gómez Bárbara Gil Julio Alemán...
(Prohibited Way). In 1959, Derbez got the title role in another soap opera, Elisa
Elisa
Elisa Toffoli is an Italian singer-songwriter, performing under the mononym Elisa. She is one of few Italian musicians to write and record mainly in English. She draws inspiration from many genres such as pop, alternative rock, electronica and trip hop...
.
Derbez acted in seventeen telenovelas during the 1960s, many of them in which she starred. Among the soap operas she made during that decade was Maria Isabel I, where she once again played the title role. She returned to cinema in 1969, participating in three movies between then and 1970.
During the 1970s, her work rate on television slowed slightly. She made twelve telenovelas during that time. Among the telenovelas that she participated in was 1970's Angelitos Negros (Black Angels), as a nanny. She also acted in 1971's El Derecho de los Hijos (Your Children's Rights) and La Recogida (which loosely translates to The Picked up Woman). In 1975, she acted in a movie, El Andariego (The Walker).
As Derbez began to age, her work rate numbers began to decline, and during the 1980s, she acted in only six telenovelas and four movies. In 1986, her husband, Eugenio González, a publicist, died. Nevertheless, Derbez recovered from that personal loss and participated in one of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
's most famed telenovelas of all time, Simplemente Maria
Simplemente Maria
Simplemente Maria ' is a telenovela, starring Victoria Ruffo, Manuel Saval, Jaime Garza and Silvia Derbez. The telenovela, a production of Valentín Pimstein , premiered on October 16, 1989 and ended on May 11, 1990 on El Canal de las Estrellas....
, in 1989. In Simplemente Maria, Derbez acted alongside Victoria Ruffo
Victoria Ruffo
Victoria Ruffo is a Mexican actress. Ruffo, the surname she uses professionally, is actually her maternal grandfather's surname.- Biography :...
, who would soon become her daughter in law. Simplemente Marias 1989 version was popular in countries such as Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
During the 1990s, Derbez's son Eugenio Derbez
Eugenio Derbez
Eugenio González Derbez is a Mexican actor of film and comedy television. He created the television series of XHDRBZ, Vecinos, and La familia P. Luche. Derbez is also a Formula Three Auto racing driver.-Life and career:...
became famous as a television comedian. He and Ruffo got married.
Derbez made three movies during the early 1990s, including 1992's Zapatos Viejos (Old Shoes), where she acted alongside singer Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi
Gloria Trevi is a Mexican pop-rock singer-songwriter. She was described as the "Supreme Diva of the Mexican Pop" by the music channel VH1 and sold over 20 million records.-Biography:...
. In 1994, Derbez was in Prisionera de Amor (Prisoner of Love), and in 1995, she played "Milagros" in Lazos de Amor
Lazos de Amor
Lazos de Amor was a Mexican telenovela from 1995. It aired on Televisa, and starred actress and singer Lucero.-Plot:The story centers around María Guadalupe, María Paula and María Fernanda, identical triplets with non-identical, complex personalities. Their parents were killed in a car accident...
. Those two soap operas became popular among Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
viewers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Derbez once again returned to cinema acting after Prisionera de Amor and Lazos de Amor, acting in three movies before returning to television as "Leonor" in Los hijos de nadie (Nobody's Children). In 1998, she participated in another highly acclaimed Mexican telenovela, La usurpadora
La usurpadora
La Usurpadora is a Mexican romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas from February 9, 1998 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque,...
(The supplanter), which starred Gabriela Spanic
Gabriela Spanic
Gabriela Spanic , or Gaby Spanic, is an award-winning Venezuelan actress best known for her roles in telenovelas. Her twin sister is model/actress Daniela Spanic. She has a younger sister Patricia, and two brothers Antonio and Adiel...
.
Derbez's last work as an actress came in 2001's version of Caridad Bravo Adams
Caridad Bravo Adams
Caridad Bravo Adams was a prolific Mexican writer and the most famous telenovela writer worldwide....
' La intrusa (The Intruder).
Soon after that telenovela finished recording, Derbez died on April 6, 2002, at the age of 70.
She had one son, Eugenio, and a daughter, Silvia Eugenia. Her granddaughter, Silvia Eugenia Derbez, is also a television actress.
External links
- Silvia Dervez at the Telenovela databaseTelenovelaA telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...