Dolores Del Rio was a popular actress from Mexico who was known for her great beauty She was born María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negreteon on August 3, 1904 in Victoria de Durango, Mexico. Her parents were very wealthy her family was part of the Mexican aristocracy, Unfortunately they lost most of their fortune after the 1910 Mexican revolution. From an early age Dolores dreamed about becoming a professional dancer. At the age of sixteen she married Jaime Martinez del Rio, a wealthy playboy. The couple spent the next two years travelling through Europe. During the marriage she suffered a life-threatening miscarriage and was advised not to get pregnant again In 1925 she was discovered by director Edward Carewe and made her film debut in the comedy Joanna. The following year she starred in the hit silent film What Price Glory. Dolores was also chosen to be a Wampas Baby Star. She filed for divorce in 1928 but sadly her husband died before it became final. On August 6, 1930 she married art director Cedric Gibbons. The sultry brunette easily made the transition to sound films. Dolores starred in a series of popular movies including Flying Down To Rio, Wonderbar and Madame Du Barry. In the 1932 drama Birds Of Paradise she shocked audiences by appearing in several scenes topless!
She was called "The Female Latin Lover" and was considered to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. Photoplay magazine said she had "the most perfect female figure in Hollywood." Her marriage to Cedric ended in 1940 after she began an affair with director Orson Welles. Dolores, who was bisexual, also enjoyed romances with Marlene Dietrich and artist Frida Kahlo. By 1943 her career was in decline and she was no longer being offered good parts. After her beloved father died she decided to move back to Mexico. Her first Spanish language film, Flor Silvestre, was a huge box office hit. Dolores returned to Hollywood in 1947 to co-star with Henry Ford in The Fugitive. Throughout the 1950s continued to act in Mexican films and TV shows. In 1959 she married Lewis Riley, an American millionaire. The couple formed their own production company. She played Elvis Presley's mother in the 1960 film Flaming Star. As she grew older she developed health problems including arthritis and hepatits B. One of her final acting roles was in a 1970 episode of Marcus Welby MD. On April 11, 1983 she died from liver failure. Dolores was seventy eight years old. She was cremated and her ashes were buried at at the Panteón de Dolores in Mexico City, Mexico.
