Silvia Pinal

Pinal continued working in the advertising department of a pharmaceutical products firm. Aware that she was studying acting, her boss allowed her to participate in recording radio comedies for station XEQ. She debuted in the comedy Dos pesos la Tejada.

At the radio station, Pinal met publicists who invited her to join an experimental company. With that company, she debuted in the play Los Caprichos de Goya. The director of this work was the Cuban-Mexican actor and director Rafael Banquells, with whom Pinal began an employment relationship and a close friendship that led to romance. Banquells got Carlos Laverne to allow them to use the Ideal Theater of Mexico City for their productions. Laverne chose Pinal to participate in a montage with the company of the Ideal Theater, directed by the Spanish actress Isabelita Blanch. The work was called Nuestra Natacha. Pinal acted in numerous works for this company. Her first star work was Un sueño de cristal.

Just fifteen days after she debuted in the theater, Pinal made her debut in the cinema with a brief role in Bamba (1949), starring Carmen Montejo and directed by Miguel Contreras Torres. Contreras Torres had seen her work at the Ideal Theatre and invited her to participate in the project. Contreras Torres was a demanding, strict director who made Pinal suffer for her inexperience. Eventually, that same year, she performed in the film El pecado de Laura, directed by Julián Soler and starring Meche Barba. In that film, she worked for the first time in cinema with Rafael Banquells, who had become her husband. Immediately, she played another small role in the movie Escuela para casadas, by Miguel Zacarías. Pinal met and worked with the famous actor and singer Pedro Infante in the film La mujer que yo perdí for the first time. The actor and comedian Cantinflas (her wedding godfather) chose Pinal as his co-star in The Doorman (1950), which was a massive step for the new, young actress. But her first solid step towards popularity was her participation in the comedy El rey del barrio (1949), where she formed a tremendous comedic pair with Germán Valdés "Tin-Tán", directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares. Pinal and Tin-Tán acted together in two more films: La Marca del zorrillo (1950) and Me Traes de un ala (1952). Pinal participated in minor roles in several more films.

Pinal's first significant award was a Silver Ariel as a supporting actress for her performance in the film Un rincón cerca del cielo (1952), where she worked again with Pedro Infante. In 1952, she performed with Joaquín Pardavé in the comedies Doña Mariquita de mi corazón and El casto Susano.

In 1953, Pinal signed a contract with the FILMEX studios of Gregorio Walerstein, who gave her her first starring roles in the films Reventa de esclavas (1953) and Yo soy muy macho (1953). In that same year, she did her first musical work with the film Mis tres viudas alegres, where she shared credits with Lilia del Valle and the Cuban rumba Amalia Aguilar. The film's success led the three actresses to star, that same year, in the comedy Las cariñosas. That same year, she acted with Libertad Lamarque in Si volvieras a mí.

Pinal achieved success and recognition in 1954 after participating in the film Un extraño en la escalera, directed by Tulio Demicheli, and starring opposite Arturo de Córdova. De Córdova wanted as his co-stars the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida or the Cuban rumba Rosa Carmina because he distrusted Pinal on account of her youth. With the support of the producer Gregorio Walerstein, Pinal made a change of image, highlighting her sex appeal, which helped her to be approved by De Córdova for the film. The film was filmed in Havana, Cuba, and was a remarkable blockbuster, consecrating Pinal as an A-list film actress.

Another director who knew how to make the most of Pinal's histrionic abilities was Alberto Gout. Under Gout's direction, Pinal made the film La sospechosa (1954). Another great movie in which Pinal participated is Historia de un abrigo de mink (1954), an episodic film wherein Pinal co-starred with actresses María Elena Marqués, Columba Domínguez and Irasema Dilián. With Tito Davison as director, Pinal also filmed the Mexican-Spanish-Chilean co-production Cabo de Hornos (1955), along with the actor Jorge Mistral. Pinal worked again with Pedro Infante as his co-star in the famous comedy El inocente (1955).

Pinal starred in several films by Tulio Demicheli. Among the most outstanding is Locura pasional (1955), which would bring her first Silver Ariel award as best actress. The second was thanks to her role in the film La dulce enemiga (1957), directed by Tito Davison. In 1956, Pinal starred in the film Una cita de amor (1956), where she worked for the first and only time under director Emilio Fernández.

The popularity and success of Pinal in Mexico opened the doors for her to work in Europe, following the advice of Tulio Demicheli. Her first work in the Old World was in the Spanish-Mexican co-production Las locuras de Bárbara (1958), directed by Demicheli and from the hand of Demicheli, Silvia starred in the Spanish musical film Charleston.

Given the success of her films in Europe, Pinal was invited to work in Italy, where she also served as producer of the film Uomini e Nobiluomini (1959), in which she co-starred with Vittorio de Sica and Elke Sommer.

Under the direction of José María Forqué, Pinal starred in the Spanish film Maribel y la extraña familia (1960). In 1961, she filmed the Spanish musical film Adiós, Mimí Pompom, along with Fernando Fernán Gómez.

Pinal achieved international acclaim through a trilogy of films that marked the end of the Mexican era of the Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Pinal had her first contact with Buñuel through Mexican actor Ernesto Alonso, with the firm intention of starring in the film version of the novel Tristana. However, the tiny commercial success of Buñuel's films prevented the producers from financing the project, which ended up collapsing (Buñuel shot the film years later in Spain with Catherine Deneuve).

Years later, Pinal, with the help of her second husband, producer Gustavo Alatriste, looked for Buñuel in Spain and convinced him to film Viridiana (1961). This, without a doubt, is her most famous film. She was co-starred by Francisco Rabal and Fernando Rey and was the winner of the Palme d'Or at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Despite the success and prestige enjoyed by the film, it was rejected by the Spanish censorship board and the Vatican at the time, who described the film as blasphemous. The Spanish government ordered its destruction. The film was saved through the intervention of Pinal, who fled with a copy to Mexico. The Vatican censorship also resonated in Mexico, but with the help of Salvador Novo, the film had a limited release.

Her second film with Buñuel was El ángel exterminador (1962), in which Pinal starred with a choral cast. The film also received critical acclaim worldwide. In 2004, the New York Times recognized it among the best films ever.

Her third and last project with Buñuel was Simón del desierto (1964). The film, misrepresented as a medium-length feature, was initially conceived as an episodic film. Pinal and Gustavo Alatriste looked for Federico Fellini to direct a second episode, but Fellini accepted only on the condition that his wife, Giulietta Masina, star in it. They then sought out Jules Dassin, who likewise took the project only on the condition that his wife, Melina Mercouri, star; Pinal also rejected this condition. The idea was that Pinal should star in all the episodes, so Buñuel ended up filming the project himself. In the film, Pinal also made the first nude appearance in her career, an act still rare in Mexican cinema and the first nude scene in Buñuel's films.

Pinal was also on the verge of starring with Buñuel in the film Diary of a Chambermaid in France. She learned French and was willing to receive no salary for her role. However, French producer Serge Silberman ended up choosing Jeanne Moreau. Even so, Pinal (along with Lilia Prado), the actress with whom Buñuel most frequently worked, made three classic films. Pinal was also going to shoot with Buñuel in Spain on Divinas palabras, but there were problems obtaining a copyright for the film. Years later, Pinal finally shot the movie in Mexico with another director.

After her work with Buñuel, Pinal returned to the cinema with the comedy Buenas noches, Año Nuevo (1965), where she co-starred with Ricardo Montalbán. In 1966 she made the mythical film La Soldadera, directed by José Bolaños and inspired by the Mexican Revolution. That same year, she participated in the Mexican-Brazilian co-production Juego Peligroso, directed by Luis Alcoriza and based on a script by Gabriel García Márquez. She also appeared in the Franco-Italian-Mexican co-production La bataille de San Sebastian, along with Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson. In 1967 Pinal appeared in Shark!, with Burt Reynolds and directed by Samuel Fuller, making this the only Hollywood production in which Pinal appeared. Pinal achieved a massive blockbuster with the film María Isabel (1968), based on a popular cartoon by Yolanda Vargas Dulché.

Between the late 1960s and early 1970s, Pinal mostly made comedy films directed by René Cardona Jr. In 1976, Pinal starred in Las mariposas disecadas, a thriller of psychological suspense. In 1977 she finally starred in the controversial movie Divinas palabras (1977), directed by Juan Ibáñez, a movie where she had an integral nude scene.

At the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, Pinal shot some films in Spain, Italy, and Argentina as part of a project by Televisa to unify the Spanish and Latin American markets.

After ten years of absence from the cinema, Pinal returned in 1992 with the tape Modelo Antiguo, directed by Raúl Araiza. The decline of Mexican cinema and Pinal's activities on television and in other fields (such as politics) had made her practically withdraw from the big screen. In later years, her film appearances were limited to the films Ya no los hacen como antes (2002) and a brief special appearance in Tercera llamada (2013).

Pinal made her theatrical debut at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes. Eventually, she did experimental plays, then worked at the Ideal Theater in Mexico City.

Outside of this company, in 1950, she participated in the play Celos del aire with Manolo Fábregas and Carmen Montejo. That same year she represented Doña Inés in Don Juan Tenorio, co-starring with Jorge Mistral. The most outstanding plays from her early theatrical career are The Madwoman of Chaillot, co-starring Prudencia Griffel, and El cuadrante de la Soledad, by José Revueltas, with sets by the artist Diego Rivera. In 1954, Pinal participated in the play La Sed with Ernesto Alonso and the Argentinean actor Pedro López Lagar. In 1955 she obtained recognition in the theater scene in the cast of Anna Christie, along with Wolf Ruvinskis. In 1957 Pinal staged the play Desnúdate, Lucrecia, in Chile, with Jorge Mistral, who eventually became a star of Mexican cinema.

In 1958, Pinal was responsible for producing Mexico's first musical comedy, Bells Are Ringing, directed by Luis de Llano Palmer. For this work, Pinal received an offer from Judy Holliday's manager to work on Broadway, but Pinal refused to leave her career in Mexico.

In 1964 she made the Mexican version of the musical Irma La Douce, alongside Julio Alemán and directed by Enrique Rambal. José Luis Ibáñez ended up becoming her head theater director. Under his direction, Pinal starred in the work Vidas privadas. One of her most notable works in musical comedy was the Mexican version of Mame, a successful Broadway musical. Thanks to her success, Pinal starred in three productions (1972, 1985, and 1989). In 1976 she also starred in the Mexican version of the musical Annie Get Your Gun.

In 1977, to commemorate her twenty-five-year career anniversary, Pinal set up a cabaret show entitled ¡Felicidades Silvia!. The show was presented with great success, first at the nightclub El Patio and then at the Teatro de la Ciudad in Mexico City.

In 1978, she starred in the musical Plaza Suite. Her daughter Viridiana's death truncated the theatrical project Agnes of God, in which both starred in 1982. In 1983, Pinal starred in and produced the Mexican montage of the work La señorita de Tacna, based on the work of Mario Vargas Llosa. In 1985, while serving as First Lady of the state of Tlaxcala, Pinal remodeled the Teatro Xicohténcatl [es], which reopened with the production The Memories of the Divine Sarah. In 1986, Pinal starred in Anna Karenina, which, despite its success, was not to her liking; the production only reached 100 performances.

In 1988, in association with Margarita López Portillo, Pinal acquired the Cine Estadio, located in Mexico City's Colonia Roma, transforming it into a theatrical venue, the Silvia Pinal Theater, a space dedicated mainly to musical comedy. Here, Pinal was free to set up her productions. The theater was opened in 1989 with the third production of the musical Mame, with Pinal at the head of the cast.

In 1992, Pinal acquired the former Cine Versailles, located in Colonia Juárez in Mexico City, and turned it into her second theater, the Diego Rivera Theater. This theater opened in 1991 with the production Lettice and Lovage.

In 1996, Pinal returned to musical theater with the second Mexican version of Hello, Dolly!, opposite Ignacio López Tarso. Pinal's last work in theater was Gypsy (1998), starring alongside her daughter, singer Alejandra Guzmán.

As a producer, she was responsible for making the Mexican versions of the musicals A Chorus Line (1989), Cats (1991) and La Cage aux Folles (1992). Unfortunately, several problems caused Pinal to close the Silvia Pinal Theater, which ceased production in 2000 and became a religious temple.

Pinal returned to the theater in 2002 with the play Debiera haber obispas. More recently she participated in productions such as Adorables enemigas (2008) and Amor, dolor y lo que puesto (2012). In 2014, the Diego Rivera Theater changed its name to become the new Silvia Pinal Theatre.

Pinal dabbled in television since its appearance in Mexico in the early 1950s. In 1952, she participated in a television show titled Con los brazos abiertos. Eventually, she participated in numerous telecasts by Luis de Llano Palmer, where Pinal introduced playback on Mexican television.

Pinal staged her comic-musical show on Televisa, Los Especiales de Silvia Pinal in the mid-1960s. When Silvia married the actor and singer Enrique Guzmán, both produced and starred in the variety show Silvia y Enrique (a comedy-musical program in the style of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour), which ran for four years (1968–1972) with great success. Once separated from Guzmán, Silvia continued her variety show titled ¡Ahora Silvia!!.

In 1985, she became a producer and presenter of the Mujer, casos de la vida real TV show. Initially, the show was created to respond to cases and needs of the public and focused on locating victims of the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. Over time, the show evolved to present current issues in daily life, including domestic violence, legal issues, and public health. This production was a success and lasted more than 20 years, broadcasting in Mexico, Spain, Italy, and several countries in Latin America. The program was canceled in 2007.

In 1968, Pinal debuted in telenovelas with the historical telenovela Los Caudillos, inspired by the Mexican War of Independence. Ernesto Alonso produced the telenovela. Her second foray into the genre was with the telenovela ¿Quién? (1973), produced by Guillermo Diazayas and based on a cartoon by Yolanda Vargas Dulché.

Eventually, Pinal decided to produce her telenovelas; her first hit was Mañana es primavera (1982), the last acting work of her daughter Viridiana before her death. In 1985 she also produced and starred in Eclipse.

Her latest works in television have been as a special guest star in various telenovelas and television series. The most relevant ones are Carita de ángel (2000), in which she eventually replaced actress Libertad Lamarque, whose death left her character unfinished in this melodrama, Fuego en la sangre (2008), Soy tu dueña (2010) and Mi marido tiene familia (2017). In 2009, Pinal participated in a chapter of the series Mujeres asesinas.

In addition to the telenovelas mentioned above, Pinal produced the melodramas Cuando los hijos van (1983) and Tiempo de Amar (1987).

Pinal became involved in politics after her fourth marriage, to the politician Tulio Hernández Gómez, governor of the State of Tlaxcala. Between 1981 and 1987, Pinal was the First Lady of that state. Eventually, she became a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party and, in 1991, was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Mexico City's 27th district. From 1997 to 2000, she sat as a national-list senator, and she also served as a member of the Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District. In those positions, Pinal had some achievements. Among the most outstanding were her achievements in Cinematographic Law to protect the rights of performers, her work on the Law of Condominiums and the Law of Tourism, tasks in favor of ecology, her promotion of the dissemination of theater books, and her fight against the Ministry of Finance to lower taxes on the theater.

Since the 1950s, Pinal actively participated in trade union movements of the actors of her country. She was part of the group "Rosa Mexicano", founded by Dolores del Río. Between 1988 and 1995, Pinal became a leader of the National Association of Interpreters (ANDI).

Pinal had legal problems in 2000 due to conflicts with her management as the Association of Theater Producers (Protea) leader in the early 1990s. For this reason, the actress lived in Miami, United States, for some time. After eleven months, the actress was declared innocent and returned to her country.

Between 2010 and 2014, Pinal served as General Secretary of the National Association of Actors (ANDA).

To protect older actors, she founded the Asociación Rafael Banquells, in charge of providing non-profit help to performers. As president of the association, Pinal delivered the Bravo Awards for highlights in music, film, theater, radio, television, dubbing and commercial realization during the year. The awards have been given annually since 1991.

Pinal was married four times. Her first marriage was to Cuban actor and director Rafael Banquells, her first formal boyfriend, in 1947. She acknowledges that her marriage at such an early age was partly to escape her repressive father: "I changed my father for a softer one that stimulated me in my career." The couple divorced in 1952, a year after the birth of their daughter, Sylvia Pasquel, who later had an outstanding career as an actress.

Her second marriage was to the businessman and film producer Gustavo Alatriste. Pinal has revealed on numerous occasions that Alatriste was the love of her life, a husband with whom she could have stayed forever. Pinal met Alatriste at a meeting at Ernesto Alonso's house when he was about to divorce actress Ariadne Welter. It was thanks to Alatriste that Pinal was able to make her film projects with Luis Buñuel. The marriage ended in 1967 due to Alatriste's infidelities and business problems between the couple. From her relationship with Alatriste, she had a daughter, actress Viridiana Alatriste (1963-1982). Viridiana died in a car accident in Mexico City in 1982 at the age of 19.

Her third marriage was to the famous rock and roll singer and idol Enrique Guzmán. Pinal and Guzmán met when he was a guest on Pinal's television show ¡Ahora Silvia! They were married in 1967 despite some public resistance, as Pinal was 11 years older than her husband. Their marriage lasted nine years. They worked together and had two children: the singer Alejandra Guzmán (born in 1968) and the musician and composer Luis Enrique Guzmán (born in 1970).

Her last marriage was to the politician Tulio Hernández Gómez, at the time the governor of Tlaxcala. The couple married in 1982. It was through Hernández that Pinal entered the world of politics. Pinal and Hernández divorced in 1995.

In addition to her marriages, at various times in her life, Pinal had multiple romances. In 1954, when filming Un extraño en la escalera, Pinal fell in love with her co-star, Arturo de Córdova. Other romances were with the Mexican businessman Emilio Azcárraga Milmo, the Egyptian actor Omar Sharif and the American businessman Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Jr.

With time, Pinal has become the head of one of Latin America's most famous artistic dynasties. Her daughters Sylvia and Viridiana followed in her footsteps as actresses. Alejandra, her youngest daughter, is one of Mexico's most popular singers. Alejandra's daughter Frida Sofía is also a model living in Miami, United States. In addition, her granddaughter Stephanie Salas (daughter of Sylvia) has also forged a career as an actress and singer. Stephanie's daughters, Michelle Salas, and Camila Valero are both models and actresses.

In November 2024, Pinal was hospitalized for a urinary tract infection. She died on 28 November 2024, aged 93.

• Relatos macabrones (2020) as Doña Teresa
• Juntos el corazón nunca se equivoca (2019) as Doña Imelda Sierra Vda. de Corcega
• Silvia Pinal, frente a ti (2019) as Herself
• Mi marido tiene familia (2017–2019) as Doña Imelda Sierra Vda. de Córcega
• La tempestad (2013) as Soraya Alcántara
• Un refugio para el amor (2012) as Herself
• Una familia con suerte (2011) as Herself
• Soy tu dueña (2010) as Isabel Rangel Vda. de Dorantes
• Mañana es para siempre (2009) as Herself
• Fuego en la sangre (2008) as Santa Margarita Lorenza Vda. de Gómez
• Una familia de diez (2007–2019) as Herself
• Amor sin maquillaje (2007) as Herself
• Aventuras en el tiempo (2001) as Silvia
• Carita de ángel (2000–2001) as Mother Lucía
• El privilegio de amar (1998)
• Lazos de amor (1995) as Herself
• Mujer, casos de la vida real (1986–2007) as Host
• Eclipse (1984)
• Mañana es primavera (1983) as Amanda González de Serrano
• Y ahora, ¿qué? (1980)
• ¿Quién? (1973)
• Los caudillos (1968) as Jimena
• Al rojo vivo

• A Chorus Line (1989)
• Cats (1991)
• La Cage aux Folles (1993)