The fascinating life of Dolores del Rio, the Latin bombshell

Wikimedia Commons // RKO publicity // Public Domain

María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete, better known as Dolores del Río, was born in Durango, Mexico, in 1904. She was an icon of Mexican cinema and one of the first Latin American actresses to succeed in Hollywood. With a career that spanned more than five decades, she stood out for her elegance and talent in classic films such as María Candelaria and Flor Silvestre. A pioneer and symbol of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, her artistic legacy endures as a reference of beauty and sophistication in the history of international cinema.

Dolores' childhood

Dolores del Río was born into a wealthy and aristocratic family. From an early age, she showed an interest in art and dance, influenced by the refinement of her education. Her childhood was spent between opulence and tradition, with a strict education in exclusive schools.

Wikimedia Commons // Film screenshot // Public Domain

However, the Mexican Revolution affected the family's stability, which led the family to Mexico City, where Dolores' destiny began to take shape in the world of show business.

The Revolution

During the Mexican Revolution that took place between 1910 and 1920, Dolores' family lost all their property. The elites of Durango were in danger from the insurgency led by Pancho Villa, which led the Asúnsolo family to flee.

Wikimedia Commons // United Artists (Studio Film Still) // Public Domain

Her father took refuge in the United States, while Dolores and her mother escaped by train to Mexico City, disguised as peasant women. In 1912, they managed to reunite in the capital, where they found protection under the government of the president of the time.

Dance in your life

Like many young women in their teens, Dolores had a passion for dance, which was born when her mother took her to see a performance of the renowned Russian ballerina Ana Pavlova. Dolores was so impressed that she wanted to become a ballerina.

Wikimedia Commons // RKO Pictures // Public Domain

Her vocation was reaffirmed after witnessing a performance of Antonia Mercé "La Argentina" in Mexico City and it was at that moment that she decided to take dance classes.

Who was your husband?

In 1921, when she was 17 years old, Dolores attended a charity ball organized by ladies of high society to support a hospital. At the event, she met Jaime Martínez del Río y Viñet, an aristocrat from one of the wealthiest families of the time.

Wikimedia Commons // Warner Bros. // Public Domain

They soon began a romance and, after two months of dating, they married on April 11 at La Hormiga ranch, owned by the Martínez del Río family. Jaime gave her his artistic surname and allowed her to maintain the social status to which she was accustomed.