Laura Valenzuela, actress and television icon, dies at 92

The actress, singer and presenter Laura Valenzuela has passed away this Thursday at the age of 92. Icon of cinema and television in Spain in the 50s and 60s, Valenzuela was admitted to the Princesa Hospital in Madrid a few days ago, according to his daughter Lara Dibildos, who has finally announced her death. In this way, we bid farewell to a key figure in our industry and one of the best-known faces on television thanks to programs such as ‘Saturday Galas’.

Laura Valenzuela began her career as a secretary and model until she made her film debut with ‘El pescador de coplas’ by Antonio del Amo in 1954. This is how she would begin a career as an actress on the big screen, which would be followed by ‘La violetera’ (1958). and ‘Aquellos tiempos del cuplé’ (1958), among others, although Many will remember her mainly for her television work as a presenter on Spanish public television, which began in 1956..

With notable fame in our country, and already in a relationship with the film producer José Luis Dibildos (whom she would marry in 1971), Valenzuela resumed her acting career on the big screen with films like ‘Those who have to serve’ (1967) and ‘Soltera y madre en la vida’ (1969). She also had the opportunity to work with international artists on the set of ‘The Black Tulip’ (1964), with Alain Delon, and ‘Madame Sans-Gene’ (1961), with Sophia Loren.

In this decade of the sixties, he also jumped back to television to sign one of her most memorable jobs: as a presenter hand in hand with Joaquín Prat in ‘Saturday Galas’, a TVE variety show that left its mark in its two seasons on the air. His television idyll continued with great moments such as the Eurovision Song Contest, which he presented in 1969, and even his last work on the small screen with the music program ‘Canción 71’. He also said goodbye to the cinema at the beginning of the 70s with the film ‘Españolas en París’ (1971) by Roberto Bodegas, in which he co-starred with Ana Belén.

Why did Laura Valenzuela leave film and television? In statements collected by The reason, The actress assured that “now I have to dedicate myself to Jose Luis and my house. I don’t think I’ll go back to movies and television”. After thirteen years of courtship with Dibildos and an ongoing pregnancy (from which her daughter Lara would be born), this was the year they were officially married and Valenzuela’s career was put on hold. She would not take it up again until almost twenty years later, first as a radio announcer and later again as a presenter for Telecinco, which signed her in 1990 to present programs such as ‘Tele 5, tell me?’, ‘Las mañanas de Tele 5’ and ‘My dear Spain’. She would also return to the place that saw her grow as a professional, TVE, with the program ‘Mañanas de Primera’, which she presented with her daughter.

Entering the new century, we met again with Laura Valenzuela in very specific appearances such as at the Gala for the 50th anniversary of Televisión Española in 2006 or when she received the Television Academy award in 2012. It was after this recognition of an entire career of more than fifty years that Valenzuela gave a definitive goodbye to the spotlights. Today, those who say goodbye are us, the industry and all of Spain, of an essential figure of cinema and television in our country.