Sara García

Sara García
Sara García, "Mexico's Grandmother" (Abuelita de México)
Born	Sara García Hidalgo (1895-09-08)September 8, 1895 Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico
Died	November 21, 1980(1980-11-21) (aged 85) Mexico City, Mexico
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	Fernando Ibáñez (m. 1918–23)

Sara García (8 September 1895 – 21 November 1980) was a Mexican actress who made her biggest mark during the "Golden Age of Mexican cinema". During the 1940s and 1950s, she often played the part of a no-nonsense but lovable grandmother in numerous Mexican films. In later years, she played parts in Mexican telenovelas.

Known as "Mexican Cinema's Grandmother", García's image is displayed on the label of Mexico's traditional Abuelita chocolate, a company now owned by Nestlé.

García was born Sara García Hidalgo to Andalusian parents, Isidoro García Ruiz, an architect, and his wife Felipa Hidalgo de Ruiz. Her father was hired for various jobs in Veracruz, where they arrived, having just come from Havana, Cuba. García was the only survivor of their eleven children. In 1900, her mother died of typhoid fever which García had caught first and her mother caught from her.

García started her film career at 22 when she was a teacher at a Catholic school for girls, where she served as a substitute art professor. She is said to have been a talented painter in those days. One day she noticed that in a small building in Mexico City a film was being produced by newly founded film company Azteca Films. The 1917 silent, black and white feature film was Alma de Sacrificio (Soul of Sacrifice), the first production of Azteca Films, which was one of the very first Mexican film production companies. The leading lady was stage actress turned film producer (and writer, actress, editor and, maybe director) Mimí Derba. After screening tests she was offered a contract and a role as an extra in the film. She accepted although she did not mention it to her employers for many months. She appeared in two more films that year as an extra.

García's film appearances lead to the theater. She began in the theater playing minor roles. However, during her early acting experiences, her natural talent and strong voice on the stage soon led to ten years acting on stage with the theater company Compañía de Comedia Selecta at the Theater Virginia Fábregas, which was the top theater group in Mexico of the time. There she shared the stage with Eduardo Arozamena, Sara Uthoff, Mercedes Navarro, Prudencia Grifell and the sisters Anita and Isabel Blanch, who were among the most prominent Mexican stage actors of the time. García's stage career took her all over Mexico and Central America. During these travels she met her husband, Fernando Ibáñez through the actress, Mercedes Navarro. She gave birth to their daughter, Fernanda Mercedes Ibáñez during a stop in Tepic, Nayarit.