China Zorrilla
| China Zorrilla | |
|---|---|
"China" Zorrilla in 1974
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| Born |
Concepción Zorrilla de San Martín Muñoz 14 March 1922 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Died | 17 September 2014 (aged 92) Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
| Occupation | Actress, director, producer |
| Years active | 1948–2010 |
China Zorrilla (Spanish: [ˈtʃina soˈriʒa], born Concepción Matilde Zorrilla de San Martín Muñoz; Montevideo, 14 March 1922 – Montevideo, 17 September 2014) was an emblematic Uruguayan theater, film, and television actress, also director, producer and writer. An immensely popular star in the Rioplatense area, she is often regarded as a Grand Dame of the South American theater stage.
After a long career in the Uruguayan theater, Zorrilla made over 50 appearances in Argentina's film, theater and TV. Her distinguished career took off in Uruguay in the 50-60s, later she settled in Argentina, where she lived for over 35 years and was popular on TV, theater, and cinema. At 90, she retired and went back to Uruguay, where she died in 2014.
In 2008, Zorrilla was invested Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government and in 2011, the Correo Uruguayo (the national postal service in Uruguay) released a print run of 500 commemorative postage stamps dedicated to her.
Born in Montevideo into an aristocratic Uruguayan family, "China" was the second of the five daughters of Guma Muñoz del Campo and sculptor José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín (1891–1975), a disciple of Antoine Bourdelle, responsible for monuments in Uruguay and Argentina. Revered as Uruguay's national poet, her paternal grandfather was Juan Zorrilla de San Martín, author of Tabaré. An artistic family, her older sister, Guma Zorrilla (1919–2001), was a well respected theater costume designer for the Uruguayan stage.
She grew up in Paris with her four sisters. Back in Montevideo, she attended Sagrado Corazón (Holy Cross) School. In 1946, she earned a British Council scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she studied under Greek actress Katina Paxinou.
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