Miroslava Stern

Miroslava Šternová Beková (26 February c. 1926 – 9 March 1955), known professionally as Miroslava Stern, was a Czechoslovak-Mexican actress.[1]

Miroslava Stern
Stern in April 1951
Born
Miroslava Šternová Beková

(1926-02-26)26 February 1926
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Died9 March 1955(1955-03-09) (aged 29)
Mexico City, Mexico
Cause of deathBarbiturate overdose
Resting placePanteón Francés de San Joaquín
Mexico City, Mexico
NationalityCzechoslovakia
Other namesMiroslava Stern
SpouseJesús Jaime Obregón

Biography

Born Miroslava Šternová Beková in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Miroslava moved to Mexico as a child with her mother and adoptive Jewish father in 1941, seeking to escape war in their native country.[2] After winning a national beauty contest, Miroslava began to study acting. She worked steadily in films produced in Mexico, from 1946 to 1955, as well as three Hollywood films during that period.

Miroslava filmed Ensayo de un crimen (The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz) in 1955, directed by Luis Buñuel. On March 9 of that year, soon after filming ended (the film was released in May), Miroslava committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills.[3] Her body was found lying outstretched over her bed, she had a portrait of bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín in one hand. Actress Katy Jurado said she was one of the first to find the body. According to Jurado, the picture that Miroslava had between her hands was of Mexican comedian Cantinflas, but the artistic manager Fanny Schatz exchanged the photo for that of the Spanish bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín.[4] Another source states that her body was found by actress Ninón Sevilla.[5] Miroslava's friends stated her suicide was due to unrequited love for Dominguín, who had recently married[3] Italian actress Lucia Bosè. Others claimed that her unrequited love was for Cantinflas.[6] Despite any evidence to support it, a rumor persisted that she died in a plane crash when traveling with Mexican businessman Jorge Pasquel, the day before her suicide.[7]

In his 1983 autobiography, Mon dernier soupir (My Last Breath), Buñuel called Miroslava's cremation following her suicide ironic, when compared to a scene in Ensayo de un crimen, her last film, in which the protagonist cremates a wax reproduction of her character. Her life is the subject of a short story by Guadalupe Loaeza,[8] which was adapted by Alejandro Pelayo for his 1992 Mexican film called Miroslava, starring Arielle Dombasle.[9]

Filmography

Documentaries
  • El charro inmortal (1955)
  • Torero (1956)

Feature films

United States

See also

References
  1. Our word is our weapon: selected writings. By Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, Juana Ponce de León, José Saramago. Seven Stories Press. p. 244.
  2. Bednář, Václav. "Osudy hranických židů po II. světové válce". vaclavbednar.wz.cz. Václav Bednář. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. "Hundreds at Rites for Actress Who Killed Self". Los Angeles Times. March 12, 1955.
  4. "Katy Jurado: Estrella de Hollywood orgullosamente mexicana". Revista Somos. Editorial Televisa S.A de C.V. 1999. p. 100.
  5. Gutierrez, Estephanie (February 26, 2018). "Miroslava, la bella actriz que se suicidó por amor". De10.mx. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  6. Lenero, Vicente (December 6, 2015). "El suicidio de Miroslava". Proceso. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  7. "La otra muerte de Miroslava" (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  8. Relocating identities in Latin American cultures. By Elizabeth Montes Garcés. p. 33.
  9. Mexican cinema: reflections of a society, 1896-2004. By Carl J. Mora. McFarland & Comanpy. p. 210.

Sources
  • Agrasánchez Jr., Rogelio (2001). Bellezas del cine mexicano/Beauties of Mexican Cinema. Archivo Fílmico Agrasánchez. ISBN 968-5077-11-8.
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