Pina Pellicer

Josefina Yolanda "Pina" Pellicer López de Llergo (3 April 1934 – 4 December 1964) was a Mexican actress known in her country for portraying the female lead in Macario (1960), and in the United States as Louisa alongside Marlon Brando in the Brando-directed movie One-Eyed Jacks (1961).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pellicer and the second or maternal family name is López de Llego.

Pina Pellicer
Pellicer in 1961
Born	Josefina Yolanda Pellicer López de Llergo (1934-04-03)3 April 1934 Mexico City, Mexico
Died	4 December 1964(1964-12-04) (aged 30) Mexico City, Mexico
Resting place	Panteón Jardín Mexico City, Mexico
Years active	1950–1964
Relatives	Pilar Pellicer (sister) Ana Pellicer (sister) Carlos Pellicer (uncle)
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Childhood and family

Josefina Yolanda Pellicer López de Llergo was born on 3 April 1934 in Mexico City,^[1] the daughter of César Pellicer Sánchez, a lawyer, and Pilar López de Llergo.^{[citation needed]} Her uncle, Carlos Pellicer, was a modernist poet. Of her seven siblings, her younger sister Pilar Pellicer also became an actress best known for her roles in numerous telenovelas. Another younger sister, Ana, was a sculptor and the co-author of Pina Pellicer's 2006 biography.^{[citation needed][2]}

Career

Pellicer with Marlon Brando in a publicity photo for One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

Pellicer's first acting role, albeit only her second movie to be released, was the Paramount Pictures production One-Eyed Jacks.^[3] In the movie, Pellicer played Louisa, the stepdaughter of Karl Malden and the lover of Marlon Brando. Mexican actress Katy Jurado appeared as Louisa's mother. The production of the movie was much delayed, and the original director, Stanley Kubrick left, along with screenwriter Sam Peckinpah, leaving Brando to finish the movie – the only time Brando was credited with directing a movie.

Production started in 1958; the movie was released in 1961. European response was positive, and in July 1961, the movie received the Golden Shell (Concha de Oro) at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Pellicer was awarded the prize for best female performer. Reviews compared her to Audrey Hepburn. In the United States, the response was more mixed and the movie received only one Academy Award nomination, for Charles Lang's cinematography.^[4]

Pellicer in Macario (1960)

The first movie with Pellicer to reach theaters was the Mexican production Macario, released in 1960.^{[citation needed]} Pellicer played the wife of the title character opposite Ignacio López Tarso.^[5] Macario was the first Mexican production to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but lost out to Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring.^[6] After Macario, Pellicer appeared in two more Mexican films, Días de Otoño, released in 1963, and Sinful, released in 1965.

During her appearance at the San Sebastián Film Festival, Pellicer met Spanish director Rafael Gil, who cast the actress in the title role in Rogelia, filmed in Asturias and released in 1962. In addition to her film work, Pellicer appeared in episodes of the television shows The Fugitive ("Smoke Screen", 1963) and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ("The Life Work of Juan Diaz", 1964, written by Ray Bradbury), as well as on Mexican television.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Pellicer's grave, located in the Panteón Jardín in Mexico City

Pellicer died by suicide on 4 December 1964, aged 30, from an overdose of sleeping pills.^[7] Her body was buried at Panteón Jardín in Mexico City.^[8][9]

Filmography

Pellicer and Larry Domasin on the episode "The Life Work of Juan Diaz" (1964) of the program The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

Pellicer with Marlon Brando during the filming of One-Eyed Jacks (1961)

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	Macario	Macario's wife
1961	One-Eyed Jacks	Louisa	Silver Shell for Best Actress[10]
1962	Rogelia	Rogelia
1962	Días de Otoño	Luisa
1963	The Fugitive	María Álvarez	Episode: "Smoke Screen"
1964	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	María Díaz	Episode: "The Life Work of Juan Díaz"
1965	Sinful	Irma	(final film role)