Maria Montez, also known as The Carribean Cyclone, was born Maria Africa Vidal de Santo Silas, on June 6 1917 in Barahona, Dominican Republic, to a Spanish consul and his wife.
After a stint with modeling, she made an attempt at Hollywood.
Maria's unusal beauty landed her a contract in the movie colony. Her first film was as Marie in THE INVISIBLE WOMAN in 1941. Five more movies with five more bit roles followed and the movie moguls decided to do something more with the beautiful Miss Montez.
They gave her a sizable role in THE BOSS OF BULLION CITY in 1941. That was followed the next year by ARABIAN NIGHTS. It was these sand and sandal epics of the forties that kept Maria employed and moviegoers enthralled. The US was still trying to get out from under The Great Depression. And they were also tired of the world war that was spreading throughout Europe and Asia. Hollywood turned to fantasy movies for the public.
Maria turned out to be immensly popular with the public. Her acting skills may not have been appreciated by some critics, but the public didn't seem to mind. They liked Maria and the dangers she faced in these cheaply made adventure flicks. Each desert film attracted droves of Montez fans to the box-office.
As the Depression eased and the war ended, fans became bored with her films.
After her Hollywood career faded, she moved to Europe with her second husband Jean-Pierre Aumont. She appeared in a number of German, French, and Italian productions. Her final film was a German movie entitled SCHATTEN UBER NEAPAL (CAMORRA) in 1951.
On September 7 of that year, Maria was discovered dead of a heart attack. She was only 34 and had appeared in only 27 movies. But her legacy lives on in the colorful characterizations that she left on film. She is still a much loved figure in movie history.
Maria had a daughter, Tina Aumont, born in 1946, who is an actress in her own right.
A few Maria Montez pics below!
Maria Pic 1
Maria Pic 2
Maria Pic 3
Maria Pic 4
Maria Pic 5
Maria Pic 6
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MARIA MONTEZ--A DOMINICAN STAR© 1998 Denny C. Jackson dejackso@iglou.com
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