Silvia Pinal, a woman ahead of her time: this is her career

It was not only the large number of films, plays and television series that Silvia Pinal participated in from the age of 16. The Sonoran woman also earned international respect and admiration for her work as an entrepreneur, producer and politician. These are achievements that have been conquered above the fighting, above the challenges, the social perspective and the losses that life made him. It is difficult to find among today’s actresses whose career compares to that of “La Pinal”, not only in longevity, but also in density.

From his earliest years, he spent time behind the counter of a seafood restaurant where his mother worked, located a few blocks from radio station XEW in Mexico City. Silvia understood the weight of what they were going to say and knew where to give it. At 15, Silvia’s mother had become pregnant by conductor Moisés Pasquel: he was then married with a family. While it would be Luis Pinal who would give him his last name and father little Silvia, as soon as he was eleven years old he would know that his biological father worked inside this building where celebrities came and went.

It is possible that what for another woman would represent a disadvantage, was for Silvia what drove her to become woman ahead of her timeto do and undo with absolute freedom, without asking permission.

She was a unique woman in a historical context in which most young ladies aspired only to marry well, even if unhappily, and stay at home.

Once introduced, Silvia jumped at the chance to have supporting roles in some XEQ radio sitcoms thanks to her position as a secretary in the advertising department of a pharmaceutical company. Shortly after, he started working in the theater and then in the cinema, where he collaborated with the greatest. With this we associate names like Germán Valdés ‘Tin Tan’, Arturo de Córdova, Tulio Demicheli, Pedro Infante and Luis Buñuelwith whom he made three films. The first, “Viridiana”, would win the Palme d’Or at Cannes after it had been vetoed by Franco’s government, so Pinal would have smuggled the film to Mexico.

Between love, cinema and theatre

Pinal’s marriages and struggles, almost always connected to her profession, also provided much to talk about, which Silvia seemed unconcerned about.

The comments started with her first marriage to director Rafael Banquells – 14 years her senior and with whom she would have Sylvia Pasquel. Then the businessman would come Gustavo Alatriste – father of his deceased daughter Viridiana – whom he persuaded to make his first film with Buñuel. Later she will marry the singer and actor Enrique Guzman –12 years younger than her and with whom she had Luis Enrique and Alejandra–, and finally married the politician Tulio Hernández.

He even had a romantic relationship Emilio Azcarraga Vidaurreta. His father ‘El Tigre’ and then owner of Televisa, forbade his son to marry a divorced woman. Conservatism would continue to haunt her for a long time.

Over time, “La Pinal” would become much more than an actress and, ultimately, much more than a pretty face. By the 1980s, Silvia Pinal was already an institution. He acquired the Cine Estadio in Mexico City, naming it Teatro Silvia Pinal, and from there produced Mexican versions of major international musicals such as “A Chorus Line,” “Cats,” and “La cage de las locas.” Although he was forced to sell the theater in 2000, he remained close to it as a producer and actor. Later, she became the owner of El Nuevo Teatro Silvia Pinal, formerly Teatro Diego Rivera.

indelible mark

Without a doubt, Silvia Pinal’s time on television left an indelible mark on the soap opera universe, but not only as an actress, but, perhaps more importantly, as a producer, imprinting with her personal stamp, hits such as “Tomorrow is Spring”, ” When the Children Leave’ and ‘Time for Love’. Pinal marked an era and a pattern with the program “Woman, real cases”, of which she was a producer and presenter for 20 years.

Although her fourth and last husband, former governor of Tlaxcala Tulio Hernández Gómez, is credited with her appearance in politics as a PRI federal representative, senator and later member of the Federal District Assembly, when Silvia Pinal—in her role as wife of the governor and therefore in charge of the State DIF of Tlaxcala and FONAPA – she fought for the reconstruction and maintenance of ruins of Cacaxtla, already had a long history of involvement in actors’ union movements, including Mexico’s ANDA (National Association of Actors) faction, Rosa Mexicano, founded by Dolores del Río, whose purpose was to protect Mexican artists and children their.

She was also the founder of the Rafael Banquells AC Association, a non-profit organization that provides support to senior interpreters. For some years he served as president of ANDI (National Association of Interpreters) of Mexico and later as secretary of ANDA.

About his autobiography “This is me”, published in 2015 by Editorial Porrúa, Pinal said: “If you don’t understand, I hope you’ll forgive me, I was only thinking about how memories should be made.”