PARES | Spanish Archives

Identification

Type:

Person

Preferred form:

Fernandez, Emilio (1904-1986)Other forms

Dates of existence/Biographical dates:

Coahuila de Zaragoza (México) 1904 - 1986

History:

Mexican actor, scriptwriter, producer, and film director. He is known as the most important figure of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. After having various jobs, including acting, he debuted as director with "La Isla de la Pasión" (1942). In 1943 he was contacted by the film studios Films Mundiales, a studio with which he achieved the greatest blockbusters of that time, being the first of these "Flor silvestre" (1943). Shortly after he filmed "María Candelaria" (1944), for which he won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1945 he directed what is considered one of his most important works, "La Perla", which received the Ariel Award for Best Film, Best Director, Male Performance, and Photography. Already considered as one of the most important directors of the time, he directed films like "El fugitivo" (1947) and "La malquerida" (1949). In the mid-1950s his popularity as a director began to decline, and he was forced to resume his acting career, performing in films such as "La cucaracha" (1959), "La bandida" (1963), and "The Night of the Iguana "(1964).