Wonder Woman of the Week: Dolores Del Rio

The Hollywood industry of film has been noted recently for its changing image. Once proclaimed by critics to under-represent minorities and women, the American film industry has been actively working to be more inclusive towards Hispanic, Asian, and African-American actors as well as bring more roles for women into the diverse range of jobs in the field. But in its early years, Hollywood was once an industry founded by women and this week’s Wonder Woman was one of the women who made 1920’s Hollywood the unprecedented feminist industry it once was. She was adamant about voicing her opinions in roles as an actress and worked hard to make a name for herself in her career. That hard work paid off too, as she would later become the standard for what it meant to be a Hispanic actress in cinema. She was a world famous actress, a hard working immigrant, and a leading figure in the conception of the Hollywood film industry. The Wonder Woman of the Week is Dolores Del Rio.

Lolita Dolores Martinez Asunsolo Lopez Negrette (Spanish names…) was born in Mexico in 1906 to as the daughter of a banker. At only fifteen years old, Dolores married for the first time in her native Mexico during a time when women’s rights were unheard of and child marriage was common. When Pancho Villa began his reign of terror across Mexico, Dolores left her husband Jaime Del Rio and immigrated to the United States- keeping the name, but leaving the ring. [1]

At this time in American cinema, silent films dominated the silver screen and the young Dolores Del Rio had an easy soiree into the world of acting thanks to her elegant and expressive face. Del Rio’s first feature film was a role in What Price Glory released in 1926. [1] The film pitted two rival soldiers in love with the same woman against each other before arriving on the battlefields of World War I. [2] Following the film, Del Rio would earn the lead female role in Resurrection and Ramona. [1]

It would be for her role in Ramona that Dolores Del Rio earned her highest praise as an actress. The New York Times heralded her acting in the lead role as an achievement of the industry. “Not once does she overact, and yet she is perceived weeping and almost hysterical. She is most careful in all the moods of the character…” During the early years of her career, Del Rio was the model citizen, especially in her industry. She was never afraid to correct reporters who misattributed her nationality to Spain.[1]

But when the 1930’s began, Hollywood’s conceptual feminist industry was becoming an international market- and a nation founded on the principles of masculinity was not prepared to have such a powerful market dominated by women. Along with the many female directors, outspoken actresses- like Del Rio- went into decline. Del Rio’s roles were pushed back from lead roles as Russian, French, or American women- roles not defined by her Mexican heritage- to secondary roles chosen because of her ethnicity. Women in general in Hollywood lost their once well-written accolades which spoke about their talent of work and transitioned into articles about sex appeal- the latter of which would remain for actresses up to the present day. [1]

Dolores Del Rio was not satisfied with being a sex symbol of 1930’s Hollywood, so she went back to her native Mexico after more than two decades in the United States and began acting in Mexican cinema where she would receive the roles and rewards befitting her talents. Her role in Maria Candelaria- a film noted as one of the greatest and earliest dramas of Mexican cinema- may have been a subtle nod to the changing industry in the United States. Del Rio portrayed a young woman stoned to death by the people of her village who wrongfully believed she was guilty of posing nude for a painting. In 1947, Del Rio acted alongside Henry Fonda in what would be her most well-known film, The Fugitive. [1]

Admittedly, I have wanted to write about Dolores Del Rio for quite some time now. Not only is she a great role model for young women today, but she was actually a big role model for my grandmother. Dolores Del Rio immigrated to the United States at the same time as my great grandfather Peter DeNava who was fleeing persecution in Spain. Del Rio and DeNava became great friends, and my grandmother told my mom and her siblings stories about Del Rio visiting DeNava’s family in Saint Louis. Dolores Del Rio was not only an incredibly talented actress, nor was she simply a beautiful face in cinema. She was a role model for young women in her time as well as today, was a proud Mexican woman who helped shape the standard for Hispanic actresses in Hollywood, and was a heroine for Hispanic immigrants to the United States.

Gaiter, Dorothy J. “Dolores Del Rio, 77, Is Dead; Film Star In US And Mexico.” Obituaries. The New York Times; 13 April 1983. Web. 15 February 2017.

“What Price Glory (1926) Plot Summary.” IMDb.com. nd. Web 15 February 2017.